New Boots and Blades: Breaking Them In and Over Blading Cautions

[TheAquarian]

Hello!

I am new to the sport (and the forums), and I'm curious if people can give recommendations on proper breaking in of new skates and then using the ones that I have.    My boots have already arrived and my blades should be here today or tomorrow, so I expect that I'll have the skates on Thursday or Friday.   I posted an intro with a few questions, but I suspect that section doesn't get a whole lot of traffic so I'll ask my boot and blade related questions again here and expand a little on them.

Breaking in New Boots

My coach suggested that I wear them in the house while bending my knees to break them in, but I've heard some people say that you should not wear your skates in the house because they will be broken in as if they were intended for walking instead of skating.   I personally don't have a strong opinion whether to start at home, or just  reserve them for the ice at the moment, I just want to do what will be the most helpful/effective for my skating.

Any suggestions?  

Over Booting and Blading

I'd like some information on what I should be cautious about when coming into the sport over booted and bladed.   Unfortunately upon having my feet measured, it was discovered that I apparently have mutant feet compared to most figure skaters, and required custom boots to accommodate a size of 8.5EE.    The lowest level boot the shop could order for me was the Jackson Premier and so I went ahead and ordered it.  

I have mixed feelings about it because on one hand I'm glad that we learned about my big feet now and not before trying to learn in super uncomfortable boots, but at the same time start up equipment was even more expensive than i'd anticipated going in. I will say however that this made a lot of things make sense to me that didn't before. For example my big toes always went numb or tingly while skiing, and my "normal" shoe sizes are quite varied.

When it comes to blades,  I considered a number of models but ultimately decided on the Ultima Matrix Legacy ( http://www.usaskates.com/figureskateblades/jmx7050.html )  because I suspect I will get a lot more use out of them than some other blades.  I would have been more cautious about buying a blade that is too advanced for one thing except that I know from experience that my learning style is one that demands that I jump into things with both feed forward.  In foreign language, for example,  I learn pretty slowly in a classroom environment,  however when I break down the language into it's basic structure and particle components then jump right into blogging by using friends who speak the language or a good dictionary to supplement my vocabulary I learn the language surprisingly quickly.

I am aware that the huge toe picks (compared to normal beginners blades) are going to cause me to fall a lot in the beginning,  but I also know that kissing the ice enough times will be a powerful motivator to not catch those picks in the future.   My hope is that I will also not have the chance to develop habits of doing things that are possible on normal beginners blades, that shouldn't done on advanced ones.  Ultimately my coach and I decided on this blade together and I think she has a pretty good sense of my "trial by fire"  and kinesthetic learning style.

I have limited experience with inline skating, however I often stopped doing it because I didn't have skates that properly fit me.  Much like with my ski boots of old,  my big toes would be numb within about 30 minutes or my foot would move around so much inside the skate that I'd develop blisters all over my feet from friction.  That said, when I did dabble with inline skating I could move around a little, and found the motions to be somewhat reminiscent of skiing - especially when going down hills.   I mostly only fell when I hit pine cones or cracks in the pavement.

At this point my skates aren't going to change, so I would like to know what advice and cautions people can give in the way of technique, posture, and motion that might help me take to the ice more readily with  blades that are intended for skaters that are more advanced than I am.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice and help you can give!
- Justin

[aussieskater]

Welcome to the board and the sport.

(Hey everyone, here's another one with AOSS  )

The Premieres are lovely looking boots.  By your sign-off, I'm guessing you're male and therefore not 5 feet tall and 95 lbs, so even if you hadn't had to order the Premieres because of the size issue, they'd probably have been good for you anyway.  If I wasn't a dancer, they are the one I'd have ordered when my new boots came recently (size 9 A heel, E ball, so while you're a little more "mutant", there are some of us here - many female - chasing your mutancy down!  So much for dainty feet.)

Re breaking in - the Premieres are heat-moldable - have you had that done?  Don't skip that - it's brilliant.

One word about those honkin' toepicks - kneepads; at least in the beginning while you're learning where your balance is on the new blades.  They will save you broken kneecaps or worse.  Not sure about the need for other protection (hips, wrists, head) - maybe others can chime in on that.

[scootie12]

I'm not familiar with the boots you purchased, but I will say if you are a beginner, and using beginner boots, there really shouldn't be much of a break-in period involved with your skates.  In that case, I see no need to wear them around the house as you should be able to be pretty comfortable wearing out on the ice right the first time out.

As for the blade....I know several people that love the Ultima blades, but my only concern for you, as a beginner, is that the rocker on your blade is 8 feet.  That's a pretty sharp rocker for someone that isn't an experienced skater.  Usually, many beginners get a smaller rocker because the blade is more flat and easier to control.  You won't necessarily notice the rocker on things like stroking around the ice, but you will notice when you start jumping or spinning. 

Until you sharpen down the blade a few times, you will notice a pretty big curvature in the blade.  For example, if you were to stand in one spot and tip your body forward until you hit your toe-pick, you will notice you'll tip much more forward on an 8 foot rocker than you will on a 7 foot rocker.

Anyway, I'm in no way trying to discourage you, but just letting you know what you'll be dealing with.  I was skating on Gold Star blades for years, and they are 7' rockers.  This year, I switched to Pattern 99 blades, which are 8' rockers.  It was an interesting adjustment, and I needed about two weeks to feel comfortable again.  I love the blades now, but it was kinda tricky trying to readjust my jumps and spins to the increased rocker size, different toe-picks, etc.

Best of luck with your skating.  I'm sure you're gonna love it once you're out there!!

[Sk8tmum]

Premiere are far from beginner boots; they are quite stiff in fact, and are a fairly high level boot (above Freestyle). YOu are definitely going to want them heat moulded, and you might consider doing knee bends in them while they are just out of the heater; that will help you break them in. 

The thing about walking in around in the house ... only really a huge problem if you do it without the blades on the boots. You might as well try them out a bit inside; just be sure to wear guards.

The Legacy is pretty much a Coronation Ace, which is an above-entry but not super elite blade (a good, allaround quality blade that some coaches put on entry level skaters) ... they were more expensive because you bought the Matrix chassis on them, but, on the good side, you will get a long wear out of them b/c you can swap the blade exclusive of the chassis. Just be wary, if you are very big and tall, that the chassis might be stressed when you are, eventually, doing doubles 

[TheAquarian]

Welcome to the board and the sport.

Why thank you.

The Premieres are lovely looking boots.  By your sign-off, I'm guessing you're male and therefore not 5 feet tall and 95 lbs, so even if you hadn't had to order the Premieres because of the size issue, they'd probably have been good for you anyway.  If I wasn't a dancer, they are the one I'd have ordered when my new boots came recently (size 9 A heel, E ball, so while you're a little more "mutant", there are some of us here - many female - chasing your mutancy down!  So much for dainty feet.)

lol, not quite.   Closer to 5'10 and 200.     It was a real surprise to learn that my feet were excessively wide however because I had never considered it before.   That said, when I learned about my foot size a whole lot of things suddenly began to make sense.

Re breaking in - the Premieres are heat-moldable - have you had that done?  Don't skip that - it's brilliant.

The boots will be heat molded,  however I've not gone into the shop to do this yet.   I suspect I will either this afternoon (if the guy will pick up the phone... grr!) or tomorrow. 

One word about those honkin' toepicks - kneepads; at least in the beginning while you're learning where your balance is on the new blades.  They will save you broken kneecaps or worse.  Not sure about the need for other protection (hips, wrists, head) - maybe others can chime in on that.

Fortunately I have everything except headgear from the time that I dabbled with roller blading.   Thanks for your response.    Having something on my head that is heavier than a baseball cap can be really disorienting so I tend to avoid it, but we shall see.

[icedancer]

As for the blade....I know several people that love the Ultima blades, but my only concern for you, as a beginner, is that the rocker on your blade is 8 feet.  That's a pretty sharp rocker for someone that isn't an experienced skater.  Usually, many beginners get a smaller rocker because the blade is more flat and easier to control.  You won't necessarily notice the rocker on things like stroking around the ice, but you will notice when you start jumping or spinning. 

Until you sharpen down the blade a few times, you will notice a pretty big curvature in the blade.  For example, if you were to stand in one spot and tip your body forward until you hit your toe-pick, you will notice you'll tip much more forward on an 8 foot rocker than you will on a 7 foot rocker.

An 8' rocker is actually flatter than a 7' rocker so this probably won't be a problem. (less curvature in an 8' rocker than a 7')

[TheAquarian]

I'm not familiar with the boots you purchased, but I will say if you are a beginner, and using beginner boots, there really shouldn't be much of a break-in period involved with your skates.  In that case, I see no need to wear them around the house as you should be able to be pretty comfortable wearing out on the ice right the first time out.

As for the blade....I know several people that love the Ultima blades, but my only concern for you, as a beginner, is that the rocker on your blade is 8 feet.  That's a pretty sharp rocker for someone that isn't an experienced skater.  Usually, many beginners get a smaller rocker because the blade is more flat and easier to control.  You won't necessarily notice the rocker on things like stroking around the ice, but you will notice when you start jumping or spinning. 

Until you sharpen down the blade a few times, you will notice a pretty big curvature in the blade.  For example, if you were to stand in one spot and tip your body forward until you hit your toe-pick, you will notice you'll tip much more forward on an 8 foot rocker than you will on a 7 foot rocker.

Anyway, I'm in no way trying to discourage you, but just letting you know what you'll be dealing with.  I was skating on Gold Star blades for years, and they are 7' rockers.  This year, I switched to Pattern 99 blades, which are 8' rockers.  It was an interesting adjustment, and I needed about two weeks to feel comfortable again.  I love the blades now, but it was kinda tricky trying to readjust my jumps and spins to the increased rocker size, different toe-picks, etc.

Best of luck with your skating.  I'm sure you're gonna love it once you're out there!!

Thanks for the heads up.    My hope is that I just won't know any better and thus I won't have anything to compare to and get annoyed about.   Ignorance is bliss eh? Maybe...  hopefully!

[scootie12]

An 8' rocker is actually flatter than a 7' rocker so this probably won't be a problem. (less curvature in an 8' rocker than a 7')

I must be smoking something today  You're absolutely correct!! I always seem to reverse that when talking rockers and I never know why 

LOL, I should have said that the smaller rocker (i.e. 6' or 7') is more forgiving for a skater that's beginning.  The 8'+ rocker is typically meant for skaters that are more advanced with jumps and spins.

[jjane45]

Good luck breakin' in! If knee / elbow pads are plastic, keep in mind they may slide a bit on ice.

[katz in boots]

It is unfortunate that Jackson's don't do modifications on lower level models.  I also had to get a much higher boot for my daughter than she needed (Competitors, which I think are the boot that Premiers replaced), to get the width modifications required.  On the plus size, they should take you through to doubles, if you can wear them in  .

Blades too, 8' rocker seems pretty standard these days.  And Oh My, Yeah; get ready for a few toe-pick trips to begin with.  Those bottom picks look way bigger than a beginner would usually have.  A coach should teach you good skating technique that will help avoid those picks in general skating. 

Good luck with the new skates, do keep us up to date on your progress.

[TheAquarian]

It is unfortunate that Jackson's don't do modifications on lower level models.  I also had to get a much higher boot for my daughter than she needed (Competitors, which I think are the boot that Premiers replaced), to get the width modifications required.  On the plus size, they should take you through to doubles, if you can wear them in  .

I didn't expect to have to get custom boots, but honestly I'm glad that we found out that I needed them when we did.    At least now  my attitude towards figure skating won't be poisoned by skates that do not fit properly and feel uncomfortable.   

How long do skates typically last?    I plan to be using them  4-5 days a week so I suspect that I will be harder on them than most beginners.    I have no idea how long it'll take me to get to doubles,  but I am optimistic and generally speaking if I can knowingly do something once I can do it again just by remembering how my muscles feel to be in that position.

Blades too, 8' rocker seems pretty standard these days.  And Oh My, Yeah; get ready for a few toe-pick trips to begin with.  Those bottom picks look way bigger than a beginner would usually have.  A coach should teach you good skating technique that will help avoid those picks in general skating. 

Oddly my coach is surprisingly supportive of the over blading.  She says that the picks will be useful in letting me know if my weight is too far forward (hopefully she doesn't mean by helping me fall on my face!). 

Good luck with the new skates, do keep us up to date on your progress.

I suspect I will.  So far people in this forum have been pretty welcoming, and it's nice to have someone besides my coach to talk to about skating.  My first goal is to become self sufficient on the ice so that I can feel comfortable practicing without someone looking over my shoulder.

[icedancer]

Oddly my coach is surprisingly supportive of the over blading.  She says that the picks will be useful in letting me know if my weight is too far forward (hopefully she doesn't mean by helping me fall on my face!). 

I have to say that I've seen a lot of adult skaters just starting out who get really high-end blades (Pattern 99, Gold Seal, etc.,) and even though in my head I'm thinking, "Whoa there - be careful!" they seem to do just fine and they love their blades. I think the point is that you might fall over those picks once or twice in the beginning for after that you will have learned how to not use your picks at all for pushing which is actually a very good thing to learn!

Good luck with your skates/blades and lessons - let us know how it is going.

[aussieskater]

Oddly my coach is surprisingly supportive of the over blading.  She says that the picks will be useful in letting me know if my weight is too far forward (hopefully she doesn't mean by helping me fall on my face!).

(That's probably just what she means...!)

[katz in boots]

Oddly my coach is surprisingly supportive of the over blading.  She says that the picks will be useful in letting me know if my weight is too far forward (hopefully she doesn't mean by helping me fall on my face!). 

Hee, hee, I know what that means!  I switched to Jackson Proflex (hinged boot, no longer made) & Ultima Freestyles at the same time.  Sure did cure me of getting too far forward on my picks.  I was tripping over nothing!  Probably a really good effect on my skating, though I have struggled with other aspects.

I like Big picks    because I can do some footwork heaps better and I never have to worry about finding them.  Enjoy!

[JimStanmore]

Welcome!
A comment about pads.  You said you have inline skating pads.  My inline skating/BMX bike pads have plastic caps and don't flex well.  I purchased volleyball knee pads with gel in them.  After a bunch of research I bought Asics (http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Asics_ZD900_Gel_Conform_Volleyball_Knee_Pads_ZD900) that also have some padding on the inside and outside.  They let my knee flex without any restraint and are designed to protect during high speed, lunging "digs."  They also have the advantage of retaining some heat which helps keep the knee joint flexible.

I also stopped by a Goodwill store and bought a skate boarding helmet for about $5.  It is close fitting, covers my ears and some of my forehead and is actually shaped like my head so I (and others) hardly notice it if I wear it.  Unless I wear the red one for effect...

Early on I noticed that I didn't have problems landing on my knees because I rolled over well - it was my hips.  I bought a pair of protective shorts that have high tech padding over the hip bones, tail bone and, unnecessary for me, over the front of the thighs (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00697340000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1.)  They are so compact that I can wear them under my Levi 511s skinny stretch jeans (black) with no problem.  They work because I fell off my edges on a high speed one foot hockey stop after a hockey sharpener was at my skates and skid 15 feet and slammed into the boards with my back.  No hip or back pain at all.

Another thing you might find helpful is something to protect your lower leg from possible rubbing while breaking in the boots.  At first I used an ankle gel pad ($25.)  When I needed it again as the boots were breaking down I couldn't find it and switched to a dollar store Ace bandage.  I wrap it around my leg right above the ankle across the area where the top of the boot rubs and don't even feel the boot top.

Oh, and don't forget your gloves in case your hands slide on the ice (rough.)  I have a pair of Hytrel gloves like http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___21420 that I rescued when the rink manager was clearing out the lost and found.

I only wear my helmet if I am going to try to work on my axel.  I wear the knee and hip pads (under my pants) also when trying a new move and now every day since I started breaking in new, high level blades.  The only way anyone knows I have them on is if I put on the knee pads in front of everyone.  The best part is that I feel more confident trying new moves when I'm "suited" up.  This results in my paying more attention to what I am doing and I rarely fall from not fully committing to a move.

If you are at all concerned about falling, which goes away quickly, here is Mitch Grune's very popular "The Art of Falling Gently":

http://mgrunes.com/falling.html

You're going to love skating - AOSS is fun!

[TheAquarian]

Welcome!

Thanks!

A comment about pads.  You said you have inline skating pads.  My inline skating/BMX bike pads have plastic caps and don't flex well.  I purchased volleyball knee pads with gel in them.  After a bunch of research I bought Asics.

(http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Asics_ZD900_Gel_Conform_Volleyball_Knee_Pads_ZD900) that also have some padding on the inside and outside.  They let my knee flex without any restraint and are designed to protect during high speed, lunging "digs."  They also have the advantage of retaining some heat which helps keep the knee joint flexible.

I didn't read thorough your post until after my first day on the ice  and I suspect that those are a pretty good idea for people who are more advanced than I am.  Ultimately I just wore the inline skate pads under athletic pants and they worked fine.  I didn't skid around very much when I went down most likely because there was fabric covering them instead of  plastic on ice.

I will definitely keep the volleyball pads in mind  however when the time comes that I need a lot more flexibility than what I have now.

I also stopped by a Goodwill store and bought a skate boarding helmet for about $5.  It is close fitting, covers my ears and some of my forehead and is actually shaped like my head so I (and others) hardly notice it if I wear it.  Unless I wear the red one for effect...

I've opted not to get a helmet because I haven't come anywhere near to hitting my head yet, and having something like that on my head is kind of disorienting.   I don't like the feeling of the extra bulk literally on top of me, and occasionally catching glimpses of  it in the corner of my eye when I look around.

Early on I noticed that I didn't have problems landing on my knees because I rolled over well - it was my hips.  I bought a pair of protective shorts that have high tech padding over the hip bones, tail bone and, unnecessary for me, over the front of the thighs (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00697340000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1.)  They are so compact that I can wear them under my Levi 511s skinny stretch jeans (black) with no problem.  They work because I fell off my edges on a high speed one foot hockey stop after a hockey sharpener was at my skates and skid 15 feet and slammed into the boards with my back.  No hip or back pain at all.

Me too on the shorts I am still waiting for them to arrive.   I didn't really have a problem with the knees either until the end when I was getting tired after 3 hours or so.  Today was my first day.

Another thing you might find helpful is something to protect your lower leg from possible rubbing while breaking in the boots.  At first I used an ankle gel pad ($25.)  When I needed it again as the boots were breaking down I couldn't find it and switched to a dollar store Ace bandage.  I wrap it around my leg right above the ankle across the area where the top of the boot rubs and don't even feel the boot top.

My coach said the same thing  last night  just before I went to get my skates and I bought a couple of them.   I had no discomfort at all. 

I only wear my helmet if I am going to try to work on my axel.  I wear the knee and hip pads (under my pants) also when trying a new move and now every day since I started breaking in new, high level blades.  The only way anyone knows I have them on is if I put on the knee pads in front of everyone.  The best part is that I feel more confident trying new moves when I'm "suited" up.  This results in my paying more attention to what I am doing and I rarely fall from not fully committing to a move.

I totally get you on the "Suited up" part.   If you feel like you're not going to get hurt if you fall, you're going to be more aggressive  in trying new things and refining your skill.  I felt the same way with the pads that I had today.

If you are at all concerned about falling, which goes away quickly, here is Mitch Grune's very popular "The Art of Falling Gently":

http://mgrunes.com/falling.html

You're going to love skating - AOSS is fun!

I had a blast today!   My coach said that she was shocked at how fast I was learning on my first day ever on the ice.   To be honest I didn't expect my first day.. or even first few weeks to be all that fun.  I figured the fun part came after greater familiarity had been established with the ice.   

I'm glad to say that I was wrong!

[Sk8tmum]

Keep an eye on the Matrix chassis on your skates once you start jumping. I hadn't noticed before your height and weight ... If you look at the blade sizes in those blades, you'll note that they don't do the really big lengths of them, because they simply aren't strong enough to support the torque that results when a big skater jumps (that includes singles).  Have your sharpener keep an eye on them due to the possibility of them bending or breaking.

I will point out that guy skaters can snap a Pattern 99, and regular style Coro Comets and Aces don't necessarily have much of a lifetime normally; there has been some shock among the experts  that my DS's Coro Comets had survived over a year with no stress crumping on them (my kid is 5'9", 135 pounds, lands all of the doubles up to an axel).

We were thinking of them as a way to reduce the weight on our DS's skates, but, discovered it's not an option because of the issues around metal fatigue and his being in an 11" blade.  We were disappointed ... because they are really neat looking and very efficient in terms of saving cash on blade replacements and the much lower weight, plus the lower price point. We are going to put our DD in them next blade replacement.

[kiwiskater]

One word about those honkin' toepicks - kneepads; at least in the beginning while you're learning where your balance is on the new blades.  They will save you broken kneecaps or worse.  Not sure about the need for other protection (hips, wrists, head) - maybe others can chime in on that.

I'm gonna chime in - get yourself a pair of wrist guards!!!

Be REALLY careful of your hands when you fall, we all know don't stick your hands out to break your fall, but its instinct & you'll do it even if you know better (trust me, I knew all of this before I fell). Even a little fall can do some serious damage, what feels like a wrist strain can actually be much more serious (OK call me a nerd but I did lots of researching through scientific journals on wrist injuries after my accident).

A small fall (tripping over another skater) has cost me 6.5 weeks & counting off the ice in recovery time - and that was just a soft tissue injury, if it'd been fractured (as they suspected in the beginning) a cast alone could have been 5 weeks.

Another skater here recommended wristguards from www.snowboardsecrets.com - I imported a pair from their UK store (Alpsgear) recently and I took them to show my Physio who was delighted, she gave them top marks