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I'm 59, and around a year ago, after reading posts from Vet88, I started skating unlaced at public skating like BenBreeg does, and also for the first half hour of each stick and puck. After a short while a light bulb went on in my head, and skating unlaced felt so natural that I was practicing all the skating techniques unlaced, albeit at a slower deliberate pace. As a result, I'm now playing hockey with the top 2 pairs of eyelets unlaced. So if an old dog like myself can learn a new trick, there's no reason a young whippersnapper like yourself can't do the same. 😁

Bauer and CCM total.customs are about 200 more than trues so the price isn't the same. Bauer and CCM skates are high pressure moulded to your custom skate last. True builds their skates around your last from the inside out. It's s totally diff process. Bauer and CCM don't incorporate a built in custom arch. True does. That's why CCM still includes the brutal orthomoves, and Bauer had the speedplates. True skates are a totally different feel and fit than Bauer and CCM so it's not for everyone. Even the scanning is done differently. Bauer you're standing. CCM you're sitting. True you're in a lunge position. Because the skates are built off those scans in diff positions, even if they are all custom to your foot, each skate will feel and fit differently. What you prefer is up to you... I've discussed it before in the true thread how the heel pocket is deeper because of how you're scanned and ppl feel that bc of this their heel doesn't feel as locked when standing or walking vs Bauer and CCM. U have to remember that Bauer and CCM skates are made from a scan of your foot that isn't in a dynamic position. So the heel pocket isn't as deep and feels snugger standing and walking. But on the ice we aren't upright. We're bent forward and knees ankles flexed. Again it's personal preference what you want in your skates and how you want them to feel. Crappy thing is you won't know until you try the Trues and usually it's getting a pair and spending the money, or trying to find a used pair that is ur size and hoping it's close to your specs so you have an idea what you're getting. If you're happy with Bauer or CCM retails for the most part minus a few minor things, it's probably safe to go with their custom version as there won't be any surprises. Going from Bauer or CCM to trues is a big change. When I first switched over it took me a good 12 skates to be comfortable and not thinking about how it felt different. There's def an adjustment period. Although the finish on the Trues can be hit or miss ,imo, the overall feel and construction of the true boots feel more sturdy and more durable. CCM and Bauer feel like a thin carbon layer over a thermoformable plastic whereas true feels rock hard and you know it's all carbon on the lower half. Also I've seen a few custom ccms that have uneven stitching etc. I think that's just what happens with custom skates that are ... Made in Canada? Lol. Seems like ppl criticize made in China or Asia stuff but they seem to know what they are doing with sewing machines vs North American factories. It's a dying skill in North America vs Asia. I'm sure all three brands are great skates but I'll say it again, it's all personal preference.

Tell the coach to suck it?

I'm a level 2 certified coach, been coaching ice and inline for 15 years. But I didn't invent this, other much better qualified coaches than me have done this. For example look at this . Wally Kozak is one of the most respected coaches out there.

No, you have biomechanics, can’t be avoided. They are either contributing to or detracting from your skating. We all have dominant sides, habits that we have developed over the years. My right foot pronates AND i am left leg dominant. Even off the ice if I am standing I tend to default to weight on my left foot. I skate unlaced at public skate now. If you pay attention to whats going on when you do this you will make quick improvements. I am 45 and have been skating since I was about 10 and was able to ID several issues right off the bat. You get feedback that a tight, stiff skate laced up will hide. I have seen improvement after only doing this only a handful of times, can’t imagine what I could do if I did it once or twice a week. I am still in an old Bauer Supreme 7000 which by this point is probably a fraction of the stiffness of these new skates and don’t feel it is holding me back, although I will be forced into new skates soon since they are literally starting to fall apart. Just because everyone doesn't teach a certain thing doesn’t it is or isnt valid. Laces undone has been done for a very long time.

You can become a good skater. Once you’ve got the basics down, you should find that one on one lessons will help a lot. The coach will correct poor technique, allowing you to be more stable and skate faster for less effort. I’ve been learning for three years, I started at 53, and I’m making good progress. Sure some youngsters learn faster, but many don’t. One thing that is often ignored is the importance of off ice exercises, such as yoga, gym or a martial art. You can do exercises at home, using inexpensive aids such as large elastic bands, a roller, a gym ball and a hockey stick. Without wanting to be rude, at your age you should be doing exercises each day, not only do you become more flexible, but they will cure any longstanding issues, such as back ache and sore knees. These sorts of exercises are also known to slow or reverse the effects of aging, and reduce the risk of dementia in later years. I do 15-20 minutes a day, I started out aiming to do 10 minutes, but they are quite enjoyable and leave my body feeling much better afterwards.

I think it depends. The mouldability of the Trues is forgiving unless the width is off in the forefoot / toecap area by quite a bit. I guess the heel pocket size is an area that isn't that mouldable either esp if it's too large Retail skates are sized using the avg person in x sizes and width. Whereas a custom u might end up with someone with crazy proportions. But you're right, either options the skate wasn't made for u.

Pretty much majority cotton but I'm not down to spend 16usd for a pair of socks esp since the fabrics are pretty much same as most other cotton based socks. But I guess being waterproof it keep the water from soaking up the sock and transferring into the skate as well.

Between the team “taking a year off for politics,” and the new coach thinking he’s the Lou Lamoriello of hockey for preteens, no wonder kids just want to play the fortnight and not do sports. Adults are the worst and ruin everything.

If you had asked me this 3 years ago I'd have said this is true. But today imho it's all opinionated bs, just like my comments following. Let me put this out there - IT'S NOT THE SKATE. It's you and your bio mechanics. It's as simple as this even though bio mechanics in skates is a complex issue. If your bio mechanics are correct you can skate in anything - even clods with a frame bolted to them. Stiffness, heel lock, volume, length, forefoot width, profile, hollow etc are all secondary, you don't need this to be anywhere near perfect to skate well. What you need is good body alignment over the skate blade. Yes, stiffer skates will generally help you to skate a little better but they will not TEACH you to skate better. If you want to skate better fix your bio mechanics first, make sure the holder is aligned central to your foot / ankle / knee / hip alignment. Then shim for ankle / knee / hip deviation. This is the quick fix but it comes with some issues, especially for beginning skaters and how their body adapts to skating over time. Or learn to skate with your laces undone, stop using the boot as a crutch / excuse and teach yourself how to balance over the blade. Even holder alignment becomes less important. Add in strength work for legs and core and then you wont care what skate you are in as long as it is comfortable on your foot. Age, sex, size, weight, skating experience and equipment are irrelevant, anyone can learn to do this. Downside is you have to put in the time and effort and it is a long term development, upside is that over time you create the base to become the best skater you can possibly be.

As a Mako wearer who hated the pitch with two kids who have been wearing makos for 4+ yrs each (the end is nigh though),.. the best option in my view is simply to go with a negative pitch on the initial profile. Since Makos are +3 (including holder and steel), simply going -2 on the initial profile gets you to a +1, which is pretty much vapor pitch, I think. I've swapped out to TUUK holders for both myself and my son. Way too many rivets popping to make that swap worth it. The -2 pitch does essentially the same thing (-3 if you want more). He's been a -2 pitch since that first pair 4 yrs ago and it's worked great. My daughter has been -2 ever since she started on Makos about 3 yr ago. She's never had a rivet pop. My son puts a lot of stress on his edges, so, he does pop rivets even by simply going with the negative pitch. It's a heck of a lot better than the alterations at the holder though. For myself, I have shims under the holder and a different pitch on the steel on the left compared to right steel. My right steel has a -3 pitch, my left has a -1 (don't ask... ). My rivets are always popping, but I need the shims to be able to skate. Anyway, given the propensity for Mako rivets to pop more than probably any other skate, I would avoid 1) shims and 2) swapping holders as much as possible. I hope this helps. Steve

Just have the nurse put it in your chart: "Patient is allergic to foolishness". I've had a couple of surgeries, one of which was more specialized (in the sense, a very limited number of surgeons perform it, though the number is increasing). For one, I had my parents' insurance still, so that was all dealt with, and really I could've had it at just about any hospital with a competent GI surgeon. The second one I had medicaid, which paid for everything (thank god), it was just a question of the scheduling wheels turning slowly (meet the surgeon, pre-op appointments, actual surgery, etc, but I was got in early d/t a cancellation). Now, I have a partially subsidized plan, but it's the first time I've had a plan where my local (5 mins away) hospital is out of network for anything but emergency visits. The specialty hospital is among the best in the country, so I'm perfectly happy to have it there, it's just that, OR time is a limited resource, especially for a hospital doing such a high volume of orthopedic procedures daily. It was frustrating to get a date, frantically arrange things, then be told "um, actually..." And have to frantically re-arrange things and tell people "...ok soon, but I don't know when, I'll get back to you". It might be a week of delay, or two weeks, or a month. I do get the sense this surgeon will go to bat for me, because when we looked at my MRIs, he got very distressed when my reply to, "How are you walking around not in excruciating pain?" was "Well, I am in pain, but I have a life and no real choice, so I just have to accept it." The funny thing is, I saw this exact scenario with a patient a few years ago. He needed some toes amputated, which pretty much any fool with an MD and a set of bolt cutters can do, so he went to Local Hospital, but because of his insurance had to be transferred to a large downtown trauma center, admitted and have the surgery there - and his wife didn't drive. Absolute nonsense.

Pretty sure the difference is in the steel.

Well, this is what happens when you buy a sewing machine. I took the stripes and patch off a Warrior MSH Winterfest pant shell and put them on a Bauer girdle shell. Also just for funsies, here’s a fitted cap I took apart and rebuilt to make it go from a 7-5/8 to a 7-3/8. Im thinking I might start making goalie accessories. Toe ties, suspenders, etc.

I weigh 145 and skate on a 1" on soft ice 3/4" on hard and my edges feel great if you have good knee bend you can skate on a much shallower hollow than you would think

Well it looks like I’m not going to be skating anytime soon. I’m not only not getting my drain taken out, but I’ll be getting an additional drain. My current drain only addresses one side of my liver. The new drain will be for the other side. The potential devastating news I got today is that if the additional drain isn’t successful then I would need surgery to attempt to open my bile ducts. It’s a major operation that could damage the major artery and cause the need for a transplant very soon afterwards. This wasn’t the information I was planning on getting today.