lace tightening and knee bend

[Finallyskating]

New here! 38 , and taking private lessons for the last 2 weeks..already on backward crossovers, and lunges, and 2 foot spins....I know this may be a dumb question, and I will ask my instructor too,but I'm having a hard time finding the right amount of tightness to tie my laces...if I tie tight around the ankle and up the hooks, I can't go into a full knee bend forward...I can only bend well in a squad knee bend, which is like sitting.Am I also supposed to have full knee bend forward too...? When I allow that I skate much better, but then the ankles are not as tight...

[FigureSpins]

You just bought new, stiff skates!  Congrats! 

Yes, you do want to be able to bend your knee AND ankle to "cover the skating foot."  When you look down, your bent knee should be over your skating foot toe area.  However, this isn't mandatory for brand-new skates; you want some knee bend from lacing (mainly to prevent trip falls) but not perfect knee bend.  As the skates break in, you'll get to that point, but it's not necessary right out of the gate.  Tying skates too loosely at the ankle can cause a fall or injury, so sometimes, you just have to suffer with less than perfection.

All good skates need to be "broken in" before they become productive on the ice.  It's comparable to a baseball glove that needs to be oiled and worked.  It is absolutely normal for skates to be stiff.  Your skates haven't even had a few hours on the ice yet, so you have to be patient.  It takes about 8-10 hours of skating to break in new skates, although if you've been overbooted or you're not jumping, it'll take longer. 

There are several different schools of thought to lacing new skates during the break in period (first month, say).  These are the two I remember:

. One fitter suggested not using the topmost eyelet because it allows ankle bend.  If you can bend your ankle, you can bend your knee.
. I usually suggest leaving the topmost hook undone.  It reduces the boot restriction on the ankle and lets you bend ankle and knee.

Again, this is just for the break-in period.  When the boot softens up a bit, you can use the eyelets or hooks and lace up fully.

General tying tips:

. Get your heel into the heel pocket.  You can put the skate on, then firmly bump the blade tail against the ground to seat your heel against the back.  Then, flex your foot and start to lace up the eyelets.

. I like the eyelet area tightly tied.  If it's too loose, the skater's foot can slide slightly from side to side, which makes controlling the blade difficult.  If you can slip a finger under the laces and pull up a loop, they're not tight enough.  The tension should be like loose guitar strings: you can move them with your finger, but they go back in place when you let go.

. I tie a half-knot once I have the eyelets tied.  That keeps the tension in place and saves me the trouble of relacing all the way down if it comes untied above that point.

. Since you're wearing Jacksons, the laces are probably way too long.  I have the skaters go around each pair of hooks twice to use up the slack.  Much better than wrapping the laces around your ankle and having them slip all the way up.

. Some people point their foot while lacing the hook area, so that it tightens more.  I don't - I just pull the laces firmly to hold the boot against my ankle/calf.  To me, that's the right amount of tension at the top and gives me some room for ankle bend.  (I've never had lace bite, but it's a problem skaters get from having to tie their laces too tightly as the boot starts to break down.  The pain occurs in the hook area, at the front of the foot/shin.)

. I have never used the top hook on my Jackson Competitors. The boots are cut way too high above the ankle for my taste, but your mileage may vary since you have the lower-cut Freestyles.  (YMMV)  For your break-in period, leave the top hook undone and tie a bow.


Now, the other end of the skate's lifecycle is "breaking down."  When a skate starts to break down, the skaters find it to be very soft and easy to bend.  The boots often have deep, worn creases or even cracks in the leather.  Skaters start have pain on one side or in the front of the foot.  If you can bend the side of the boot easily at the ankle, that's usually a sign that the boot is broken down and should be replaced.


BTW, new laces stretch, so you often have to retie after an hour or so of skating.  Totally normal and it stops being an issue after a few weeks.

[Finallyskating]

GREAT! I understand the knee bend more now....lol..I think I was tying too tight on the hooks, so not getting proper knee bend when skating....The rest of the info is awesome! Thanks! I go for a lesson today with my new skates! Should be interesting