Problem laces, no control, heel pain and stress

[Dutchie]

First of all, my apologies if this is not the right topic, sorry!

A little over three months ago I got new skates, the royal exclusive, from Risport. Recently I've been having a couple complications.

I can't get them tight enough at the toe/foot area while they're kind of okay at the heels/ankles. So when I'll lace them all the way up, I don't have enough or almost no control over my skates as the foot is almost not laced while the hooks are, which is no good at all. When I do get them tight enough my foot just cramps so bad that I can't even stand anymore.

I've tried new laces, new lace techniques but the problem stays. It's even gotten so that my hands don't have the strength anymore after I've laces them up two times. So I'm spending most of my time at the sidelines trying and failing to tie my skates.

The ankle is somewhat a problem too. I prefer it as the boot is wrapped tightly around my ankles, but it's always just a little too lose. When I lean to the outside there is this little extra space which gets me off my balance.

The nearest pro shop is 4/5 hours away from me and since I'm underage and my parents won't drive that far away, I don't have many options.

Hoping that maybe some of you got some tips or tricks to help a girl out.

x

[tstop4me]

Do you have a coach or an experienced skater at the rink that you can ask for help?  I've helped girls at my rink with their lacing problems.  Difficult to diagnose what's wrong and come up with a solution without seeing what's going on in person.

[Query]

1. Tighten the lace at each level, starting at the bottom, not just the top. Try not to let the lace slip back as you change hands.

2. Wrap the laces around your hands, then pull across, not up. When you pull up, you get more friction against the hole or ring in the boot, which fights tightening the lace. Actually it is most optimal to pull in the direction the lace slides most easily, giving the least pressure against the sides of the hole or ring.

3. If you want it seriously tight - I don't do this and I think it is extreme - get "lace hooks" (about $1-$2) that let you make the laces very, very tight. If you can't find lace hooks at your pro shop, I think you could use a several mm bent hex wrench. After lacing as tight as you can, you hook the end under the laces starting again at the bottom level, and pull tight. Some people pull so tight that it hurts, but I find it hard to believe that can be healthy. While you use one hand to tighten the laces, you use fingers on the other hand to push the top of the lace against the lace holes, so it can't slip back there. In fact, I try to use that technique a little when I tighten the first time around, though it would be a lot easier if I had a third hand.

4. Change your laces. It is harder on your fingers to grab flat laces like come with most skates than round laces. I use 3 mm good quality nylon utility round cord from a camping store, then I melt the ends with a match or other flame (make sure you have water handy to put them out if they catch fire). While they are still have melted, I wrap them with tape to form the shape. Wear gloves so you don't burn your fingers! After they cool, remove the tape. But you should pick a diameter that is just barely large enough that it doesn't slip too easily back through the holes. Pick a color you like. I prefer the better quality cords, that you find in high end camping and climbing stores like REI because they have a "kernmantle" structure - i.e., there is an outer sleeve that protects the inner core against fraying, but that isn't essential. OTOH, there are people here who prefer cotton flat skate laces (which don't stretch), and many hockey players say waxed laces are best because they are too stiff to slip back easily. In general, there is no universal agreement on the best sports equipment. What works best for you might not work best for me.

5. Modify your insoles, or make your own. If you mean that there is no pressure at all against the toes (and most people don't need much there, because too much sideways pressure, and almost any front pressure, on the toes, can do you physical harm), you can make the insole wider there (use tape underneath), so it wraps up and around to the sides of your feet there. If you mean that you want more downwards pressure at the toe, and/or upwards pressure against the top of the boot, make the insole thick enough there to do that, or add enough layers of tape underneath to thicken it. I cut my insoles, in full 3D shape, out of a (polyolefin or polyethylene) cheap ($6-$10) foam camping pad from Walmart - but they squish flat after a few months or less. Before they do that, I can make the skates - and shoes - fit perfectly. I start by tracing the old insoles on top of the new material, and cutting it to match (except letting it be wider to make wrap around the foot as I just described, near where you need it) - then I use a scissors to cut down on the 3 dimensional shape to make the boot feel snugly comfortable everywhere. Some of the denser urethane foams don't squish flat so quickly, but aren't skin-safe, so you should cover them with something else.

[lutefisk]

Have you tried things like Bunga-pad's "boot bumper" model of foot/ankle sleeve?  Might help remove some of the extra space between your feet and the boots and permit a more normal lace tension.

http://www.bungapads.com/en/gel-pads-en/ankle-protection/bunga-boot-bumper-bb-en.html