Is it better to underbooted or overbooted?

[Christy]

Obviously the ideal is to get the perfect boot but sometimes that's not an option so is it better to get a boot which isn't quite as stiff as required or to get a boot which is a bit stiffer than you need?
Personally I'd probably go for overbooting because I'm thinking too much support is better than too little.

[davincisop]

Personally for myself, I'd rather overboot. But I wouldn't know if that would be better for others or not.

I think as adults we always overboot even when we start skating because we weigh more than the kids and need more support. The little ones don't think about it.

[JSM]

I'd say it depends on how MUCH overbooting it would be.  Better to have something slightly too soft than something waaaay too hard, which could cause serious injury.  Too stiff can also inhibit progression.  However, too soft a boot that doesn't provide enough support also leads to injuries!

For adults, a slight overboot is probably okay. 

[Loops]

This is a good question, and I suspect the answer will come down to personal preference.  Like the previous posters, I prefer a stiffer boot.  But I know that from years of experience (plus I'm wicked hard on my boots).

I would say though until you know your preference it's better to err on the side of underbooting.  Imho, its better to progress, and need a new pair of boots sooner, than get something too stiff that impedes your progress, and is not broken down so causes guilt when it comes to replacing before they're dead. 

[jlspink22]

I personally feel like the soft-skates are a waste of money for even kids because the blades are cheap and for anything past B2/B3 they do not offer enough support (this includes Riedell and the mystique/fancy Glacier models). Then again they may be fine for the occasional skater who goes once a week, but they give a false sense of quality/capability because they look better than the cheap sports store skates. In reality I see kids trying to do FS moves in them (eta that its not like they need a $400 model either) and can't and I think many times the skate starts to hold them back. However, you have to be careful not to overboot a child because they can't break the skate in at all. I think the artiste/elle/emerald are a good minimum beginner skate for KIDS.

Adults I think you can start with a 40-60 stiffness and be fine because you are bigger and heavier.

[sarahspins]

I would say though until you know your preference it's better to err on the side of underbooting.

I do agree with this, to a degree - in terms of risk of injury it's safer to be slightly (and I do mean slightly, absolutely not significantly) underbooted for most skaters.  By underbooted I also don't mean skating in boots with broken down support - that is not the same thing.

That said though, I think most beginning adults actually do better being slightly overbooted at lower levels, but not to an extreme degree - mostly it's because the skates appropriate for an absolute beginner will be too little support for an adult skater once that same skater's skills have progressed just a small amount - in this situation, I comfortably recommend lower level freeskate skates for most adult beginners - just because if their skills do progress quickly, they won't find themselves needing new skates within just a few months, and those same boots are not likely to cause any problems with skill development if they are slower to progress - if anything the saktes will just last longer, which for an adult with feet that are not growing, is a good thing, provided they were fit correctly.

Kids on the other hand, really don't skate well when they've been overbooted, even by a relatively small amount - I've seen kids at all levels who simply can't bend their ankles at all, and never really break in their skates before they outgrow them, and it's super frustrating for the kids, and it's frustrating to watch as an instructor because I know they'd be able to skate better in different skates.  I've been SUPER careful with my daughter because of this, so she's not struggling to bend her ankles.  She's on her 4th pair of skates in 3 1/2 years, currently in freeskate 1 and skating in Pro Teri's, which has worked out really well for her so far.  I would have opted for another pair of Jackson Elle's if we hadn't found her current boots in the size we needed for $80 on ebay - only because I couldn't see spending full retail on them ($450+ just for the boots), not because they're not an appropriate choice.  The pro teri's are more similar in stiffness to the Jackson Freestyle which would have been fine for her as well - the Elle is just a great choice because it's a bit softer and has nearly no break-in time - in my daughter's case I wouldn't have expected her to break them down before outgrowing them, so opting for a softer boot would have been okay - in another couple of years when her feet strop growing so much, that wouldn't be the case.

All that said, I am "overbooted" and I know it, but it's what works for me - it doesn't work well for everyone.  I have a history of breaking boots down quickly (and I mean in 6 months type of quickly - and I'm not in a position where I can or want to be replacing my boots every 6 months - as it is, I've consistently replaced the last 2 pairs after about 2 years, which I am okay with) and my stiffer boots are NOT causing me any kind of problems (like the inability to bend ankles, poor edge control, etc), but that won't be the case for everyone in a similar boot.

[ChristyRN]

I started in low level Jacksons (at over 200 pounds) and went up to Competitors when I lost enough weight that my heels were slipping. I was seriously overbooted for my skill level (still in Adult 2-3) but not for my weight (around 190). I skated in Competitors for over 10 years until I got my split-width and had to go up to Premieres. I was concerned they would be too stiff, but they are awesome. They fit my weird feet perfectly and it was only a couple of months before I could bend my knees enough to lace all the way to the top. I'm still heavy at ~175, but I'm also a heavy skater. Premieres are the right skate for me. And at two hours a week, should last me for years.

I'm still working on single and half jumps. One of my fellow adult skaters is in the Jackson Freestyle. She's skating silver and working on her axel. She said she replaces her skates every couple of years. She's in the right boot because she only weighs about 115 pounds and is a light skater.

I don't feel like there's a straight answer. You have to take more into consideration than just what level your are skating.

[Doubletoe]

First of all, let's define "over-booted" and "under-booted".  An adult skater who weighs 125 lbs and is still learning single jumps is not necessarily "over-booted" just because he/she is in a boot model that is generally recommended for "Intermediate level skaters doing double jumps".  That's because the general recommendation for that boot assumes a skater who is younger and lighter.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, an 85-lb skater doing double axels and triple salchows would be over-booted in a boot model recommended for skaters doing triples because the assumption is that the skater doing triples in those boots would be bigger and heavier.  In other words, the weight of the skater should always be taken into account when determining whether a boot would be too stiff or too soft. 

Having said that, I would definitely err on the side of under-booting unless you are a high level skater.  Here's why: 
(1) Skaters of all ages and weights have a hard time bending their knees and ankles if their boots are too stiff, and most skaters--especially adults and lower level kids--don't bend their knees enough to begin with. 
(2) The stiffer boots are more expensive, so it's a bigger loss if they don't work out. An Adult Bronze friend of mine decided she liked the feel of my SP Teri KT2s (which I'd already broken in) so she ordered a pair.  She weighs about 5 lbs more than I do so she figured if I could break them in, so could she.  Unfortunately, she doesn't skate with as much knee bend and push as I do so she was never able to break them in and had to shelve them. 
(3) Once you get used to a boot that feels like a cast, it's hard to go back to a softer boot because you've learned that boots should feel like casts.  I would probably be skating in less stiff (and less expensive!) boots if my old coach hadn't recommended SP Teri Super Teri Deluxe  to me when I was still learning my single jumps and couldn't even do a proper sit spin yet!  I think she just confused the model names.  They were like bricks and I just suffered through them.

[JSM]

Doubletoe - I have a pair of Super Teri Deluxes from 1999 that are not and will NEVER be broken in!  I wore them for a couple years at that time, quit for 10 years, then wore them for another year or so as a come back adult skater.  I still can't skate in them without severe bruises!  I tie them loosely and use them for coaching now, lol.  They'll last decades at this rate.

[dlbritton]

Adults I think you can start with a 40-60 stiffness and be fine because you are bigger and heavier.

Is there an industry standard regarding the stiffness rating of boots? (ie: is a 50 rated Riedell the same stiffness as a 50 rated Jackson)?

Does anyone know if there is any relationship in the stiffness rating for figure skate boots and ski boots? Ski boot stiffness ratings are generally in the 80-130 range. My boots, which are medium stiffness have a 100 rating. 

[jlspink22]

Is there an industry standard regarding the stiffness rating of boots? (ie: is a 50 rated Riedell the same stiffness as a 50 rated Jackson)?

Does anyone know if there is any relationship in the stiffness rating for figure skate boots and ski boots? Ski boot stiffness ratings are generally in the 80-130 range. My boots, which are medium stiffness have a 100 rating.

I don't know if there is a standard; however entry level all leather boot is the Elle at 30 while comparable Riedell strides are a 50. The riedell emerald (30) felt softer than the artiste (25), as my daughter had them on to compare....

[skategeek]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the stiffness ratings for the different manufacturers are not directly comparable, but I don't remember my source...

[Doubletoe]

Doubletoe - I have a pair of Super Teri Deluxes from 1999 that are not and will NEVER be broken in!  I wore them for a couple years at that time, quit for 10 years, then wore them for another year or so as a come back adult skater.  I still can't skate in them without severe bruises!  I tie them loosely and use them for coaching now, lol.  They'll last decades at this rate.

Ha ha!  Good riddance to the SP Teri Super Deluxe.  The KT2 is a walk in the park after those things!  The #1 thing I don't miss is getting bruises where the tops of the boots would dig in when I did spread eagles.

[icedancer]

I never wore the Super Teri Deluxe - stopped at the Super Teri - which I loved and loved and loved for 15 years.

Their dance boot circa 2005 - HATE THEM STILL 9 years later.  Too stiff, too much padding, too too - strange!!

I think it is best not to be underbooted or overbooted but "Just right booted" - I say with my Goldilocks... (and yes, they are) -

But if given a choice after 9 years of hating these boots I would go with "Underbooted" as my choice for this particular quiz.

[Bunny Hop]

Having been over-booted in the past, thanks to a fitter trying to sell off some stock, I would definitely say that slightly under-booted is the better option. The pain of boots I was never going to break in, that I couldn't skate in for more than ten minutes wothout needing a rest, really set my skating back. But as others have commented you do need to take weight into account as well as level, so what might seem on the face of things to be over-booting may in some circumstances be justified.