My Figure Skates Are Too Big

[nyc.kcs]

When I got my first skates I was a complete beginner and knew nothing about getting ice skates. I went to a pro shop and got them properly fitted but I was wearing thick socks then so I couldn't put my foot in the correct sized skates (my class was right after and  I needed skates fast). The pro shop guy just gave me skates that are half a size bigger. He said as long as my heel doesn't go up it's fine.

Do you think I'll encounter some problems later on? Right now I'm still having trouble with my one foot glides (I'm still a beginner). I keep swivering towards the right and nearly making a half a circle - which I guess means I'm on my inside edge. Or is that just me?

[nicklaszlo]

Most people who are at your level skate in badly fitting rental skates, so probably you will be okay for a while.  Eventually you will need skates that fit.

Next time you find yourself without thin socks, skate barefoot instead of wearing thick socks.  It is much less painful in my experience.

[sarahspins]

A half a size is not as big of a problem as a full size or more.  As a beginner it's also not as much of a problem now as it will be later when you start doing jumps and spins, where the placement of the spin rocker and toe pick matters more - too far forward as it would be with a too big skate and it makes a lot of moves much more difficult to learn, if not impossible.  When you are just working on basic skating skills and turns, it's not quite as much of a problem.  By the time it is you will likely be ready for your next pair of skates anyways.

The edge issue with one foot glides likely has to do with one of two things - either your feet pronate which "tilts" the foot to an inside edge which can be corrected with a wedge under your insole (talk to your pro shop or fitter about this) or your blade is simply too far outside and needs to be moved slightly to the inside.  Depending on the skates you purchased you may or may not be able to move the blade.

[Orianna2000]

When I first started skating classes, our pro-shop sold me a size 8 (my shoe size) when I really wear a 6.5 or 7 in skates. The problem I had was that the boot was way too loose, so when I tried doing moves like swizzles or backwards swizzles, my feet would scrunch up in an effort to "hold on". Normally, the boot is snug enough that it moves with your foot, as if they're one. But with all that extra room, my foot just shifted around inside the boot, so I had to scrunch up to be able to skate. After a few minutes, this caused spasming of my foot muscles, quite painful, to the point where I knew I wouldn't be able to pass my test because I couldn't skate long enough. I couldn't hold a one-foot glide, I couldn't do more than three or four backward swizzles, etc.

This may not happen if your skates are only a half size too big. But I've noticed that with half-sizes too big, your foot tends to not be shaped the same as the boot. The curves of your foot don't line up with the curves of the skate. This can cause painful rubbing and blisters.

As someone else mentioned, it's better to wear thin socks or barefoot rather than thick socks. You can't feel the ice as well with thick socks, and they can rub, causing friction that leads to blisters. I used to wear very thin knee-socks, but then I tried skating tights and I've never looked back. They sell knee-high tights, if you wear pants and don't want the bother of full-length tights.