Should I skate in hand me down skates that are slightly too big?

[catesk8]

A friend gave me a pair of fabulous Harlicks with awesome blades.  They are size 9 and I need a 8.5 on the right and 7.5 on the left.  However the heel and ball width are perfect.  Do you think it will screw me up to skate in them, or should I just try it.  I tried them for about 10 minutes today and they are so comfortable, but they feel really weird to skate on. 

[AgnesNitt]

D*** and I'm trying to sell a pair of Harlicks with 6.5 on the left and 7 on the right.

[jjane45]

However the heel and ball width are perfect. 

I am NO expert on this. Just curious if you could somehow stuff something into the toe area to fill in the extra room, as long as the the ball of your foot is aligned right maybe you could get away...? Maybe? (runs and hides)

[FigureSpins]

The problem with stuffing the toe area is that it doesn't place the blade's rocker under the ball of your foot.  It actually pushes your foot back against the heel more, making it an even longer reach for the rocker/toerake.  Too-long skates usually have your toes sitting over the rocker, which makes turns and spins difficult and causes trip-falls over the toepicks since it's like wearing clown shoes.

Someone (sk8dreams? skate@delaware) had suggested putting an extra insole under the existing insole to "fill up" the space by raising your foot.  It shifts the foot slightly forward in the boot, which could align the rocker with the ball of the foot.  I've had students succeed with this pretty well.

Worth a shot.  Since the OP has different-sized feet, she should try a thin insole in one skate and a thick insole in the other.

Welcome to skatingforums, catesk8!

[catesk8]

Thank you for the welcome and for the information about the insole.  That sounds like a great idea.  What a fabulous forum you have here.  Of course, the amazing lady at the skate shop said I should just buckle down and buy new custom skates...talking about $1000. She might be right, but seriously, I'd be paying for those for ages.  And about stuffing the toes?  Well, at least you tried.  Thanks for that.   . 

[Skittl1321]

The difference between a 9 and an 8.5 doesn't sound so bad, but a 7.5 is another story.
I wouldn't do it.

[sarahspins]

Thank you for the welcome and for the information about the insole.  That sounds like a great idea.  What a fabulous forum you have here.  Of course, the amazing lady at the skate shop said I should just buckle down and buy new custom skates...talking about $1000. She might be right, but seriously, I'd be paying for those for ages.  And about stuffing the toes?  Well, at least you tried.  Thanks for that.   . 

I am pretty sure some companies will let you order stock split-sizes for a fairly minimal fee... but you could have custom boots built for way less than $1000.

[Skate@Delaware]

It will also depend on WHAT MOVES you are working on...whether it's super critical or not. IF you are working on stroking, edges, and crossovers, it's not 100% vital. IF you are doing 3-turns, spins, etc....then yes, you might want to get newer skates until your feet grow some more. It's essential that your ball be over the rocker for those moves.  Doesn't mean you have to get uber-expensive-just get something that gets you by for a season. Some used skates with a decent blade will work. Not new as long as they are in your size.

But if you can get by with what you have then go for it. I'm thinking...what about those cushions that ballet dancers use for their toes? stuff one into the boot and leave it there, it might do the trick and it's mushy enough to accommodate a growing foot. When you need to, remove it? I don't think they are very expensive either.

Another option is to add extra padding to the tongue, in addition to adding an extra insole.

Just remember, anything you do...once you remove it will require an adjustment period when you take it out. Your balance will change and it will affect your edges, point, and rocker (shift of weight for turns, balance, etc).

[CrossStroke]

I am pretty sure some companies will let you order stock split-sizes for a fairly minimal fee... but you could have custom boots built for way less than $1000.

Yes, custom boots can be built starting about $650 (or is it $700?), but there's also cost of blades - and this is actually pretty interesting question: does a skater with such different-sized feet need two different-sized blades, or just make it work by compromising with a size in the middle, that would sort-of work for both feet?

[Query]

I recently tried skating in a $3.50 used pair of boots at a thrift store that were too big (9 instead of about 6), just to see if I could do it. I used all the right types of padding - insoles, tape, moleskin (on the sides), so I had full contact everywhere, and did it so I was well balanced.

But I kept stepping on the back of the blades, because they were longer too, and extended too far back of my feet. I've never been happy with freestyle blades cuz they are too long, but it was a much bigger problem because  3 sizes difference was simply too much... You can compensate pretty well for about 1 size too large if you work hard at proper padding. I considered cutting off the tails of the blades, but didn't bother.

Didn't help that those boots were so broken down and floppy they felt like soft moccasins. I used a lot of tensioned hockey tape tape (expensive) to stiffen them, and eventually had almost completely covered the boots with tape, but it didn't work as well as "real" boots.

You could make do if you are careful, and don't ask too much of yourself. It really is important to make sure your feet below the ankles can't move around inside the boots, and that you do have roughly equal pressure everywhere below the ankles. You also need a little pressure on and above the ankles, though you should use something like band-aids or tape so you don't get blisters there.

If, like my thrift store boots, they aren't very stiff, or you don't succeed in making things tight, you could get a major injury, maybe a broken bone, that could cost you much more than new boots. Likewise, if the boots are too stiff for you, they may cause you a lot of pain.

I'm not clear how experienced a skater you are. If you haven't skated much, you may not be too clear on how everything should fit, and getting boots from a good fitter that are for something near your skating level probably makes sense.

Boots and blades that fit your feet well will make everything easier. But it's up to you.

[Skate@Delaware]

Query, those sound like my first skates! Floppy and soft...one-ply leather, no support I swear they came half-way up my calf! Great thrift store find. My dad sharpened them (I don't know how but he did, gave them a hollow and edges) and out to the cow pond I went). But they fit in the foot bed and that made a difference.

I've seen girls squeeze into skates that were too small, because they grew. They resorted to removing the insole to gain room. But anything more than 1 1/2-2 sizes is near impossible for skating in, like & skittl1321 Query says.

[sarahspins]

Yes, custom boots can be built starting about $650 (or is it $700?), but there's also cost of blades - and this is actually pretty interesting question: does a skater with such different-sized feet need two different-sized blades, or just make it work by compromising with a size in the middle, that would sort-of work for both feet?

If you were in split-length stock boots you'd probably choose a pair of blades that fit the smaller boot - there is a bit of wiggle room in blade sizing and a shorter blade can be mounted more easily than a longer one.  Typically on customs the soles can be made to "match" the same blade length if the boots themselves don't, or to match the length of blades you already have (within reason - I would think that the most this could accommodate is 1/4" in either direction of what would be normal for the boot, so not huge differences in size).

[Nate]

Speaking from personal experience?  No, you don't want to skate in them.  Anything you learn will have to be relearned and skates that are too big are really hard to spin and jump in.

You have to make the leap of your life to get to the toe pick in Waltz, Salchow, Loop jumps.  Spinning is treacherous because the sweet spot if so far up.  You can develop a habit of flat footing landings because of how far the toe pick up (not easily controllable, so you simply start landing further back).

Everything suffers, IMO.

I don't recommend it (no one would, but I seriously don't recommend it).

Better to just get the cheapest pair of boots you can find in the correct size.

[Query]

Query, those sound like my first skates!

My first skates, bought used at Play it Again Sports, were too big and too soft, but I didn't know it, and did nothing about it. I used them in group lessons up to ISI Delta level, then broke a leg while skating. Nothing bad would have happened if I had practiced falls, but I believe both size and lack of stiffness played a part in my injury.

catesk8: You are new to our forum. If you are also new to skating, figuring out what changes are needed will be difficult for you. On the other hand, you can buy adequate quality beginner skates that fit from an expert skate shop for about $100-$150, and be less likely to be injured.