puckpilot

I've used Speed Plates and Superfeet carbon, but right now, I'm just using the stock insoles. To start, I'd want to make clear that I've never had foot issues let alone arch issues. I used Super-feet for about a year after getting new skates. They were very comfortable and offered a lot of support. After a year I was fiddling with the set up of my skates, and I ended up putting the stock insoles back in just as an experiment. I had expected to go straight back to the Super-feet. When compared to the Super-feet, the stock insoles felt rock hard, which I expected. What I didn't expect was for my arches to start aching almost immediately. Before I started using Super-feet my arches did not ache when using those stock insoles. I also noticed how much thicker the Super-feet insoles were in comparison, and how much better I could feel the ice/my edges with the stock insoles.To make an analogy, the Super-feet insoles felt like I was driving a mini-van with a super soft suspension. The stock insoles felt like driving a sports car with a stiff suspension. In addition, the Super-feet lifted my heel up more and pitched me forward, something I really didn't notice until I went back to the stock insoles. For some this might be a plus. For me it was a minus. When I skating with the stock insoles for the first time in a year, I started to think about something odd I noticed with my feet after started using Super-feet. I play softball in the summer. I'm a fielder, so there's lots of running. During the past summer, I noticed after every game, my arches ached. I thought it was just me getting old. When my arches started aching when I went back to the stock insoles, I decided to stop using the Super-feet to see what happened. It was a week or so before my arches stopped aching when I skated, and the following baseball season, my arches did not ache after games. And years later, they still don't. I say this not to denigrate Super-feet, or any insole. I'm sure for some they are the difference between being able to play hockey and not. It's just that my experience makes me think supportive insoles are being overly pushed on the public. With muscles, it's use it or lose it, and if someone who doesn't need insoles starts using them, I suspect it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Where too much support weakens the arch. Obviously, sample size of one. With speed plates, I only used them for a few games. I felt like they didn't offer me anything better than the stock insoles. They felt harder, and I really didn't notice much, if any, difference in performance. I pull my insoles after every game, and pulling the speed plates out was a pain. So with not much to gain, I went back to the stock insoles.

If that's just a foam with no support, I've taken insoles out of old sneakers and used them when the stock insoles with the lip were causing issues.

Ice warehouse just released videos on the stick. They're just re-skins.

Speculation. You're in a fit 3 vs fit 2. Yes, the new skates may feel comfortable, but at the end of the day, there's more room. Add that to the fact that there's a new very fluffy liner, the skate probably isn't as responsive. Also because of the fluffy liner, you foot might not be sitting exactly on the same spot in the skate relative to the runners. A couple of millimetres off can be like adding a pitch to the skate, and now, the balance point of the runner isn't where you expect it to be when you try to bite. That's my best guess.

IMHO, profiles have their place. I've always treated them like a tool aiding me as I work to improve. They never fixed any of my issues. They never made me a better skater. At best they masked my flaws. I used a 13/26 profile with a negative pitch for like 5 years. It's what I needed as I worked on my flaws. About 6 months ago, I moved back to a 13' neutral profile, which is what I think I need/want now as I further work on getting better. I'm sure down the road, I'll probably move a little bit closer to the 10' stock profile, but we'll see. To me, profiles are like curves. A curve makes certain things easier/harder, but it isn't going to make you something you're not. Just because you use Ovi's curve doesn't mean you can shoot like Ovi. Just as using profile X isn't going to make you McDavid. Anyone who says otherwise is selling you a bridge.

I got a bit of a bum right knee. For me, the best thing I did for it was lose 25lbs. Still working on trimming down another 5-10 lbs. Not carrying around that extra weight has improved everything on and off the ice. Next thing I did was I started running. I know this may not be an option for some, but for me, when I first started, it let me know that despite skating 3-4 times a week, my knees weren't as strong as I thought they were. After about month or two of running, the little twinges I used to get if I bent my knee a little too deep or in a funny way, they went away. I also started to notice I was more stable on and off the ice. The way I'm reading things is that as I get older--I'm 51 now--I'm starting to loose muscle. The running slows that down and for now has reversed it. I actually feel better now than I did when I was 40. And lastly, I try to always warm up before I get on the ice for a game. I do 3 sets of 10 half squats in the dressing room to get my legs warmed up. After that, I feel infinitely better when I step on the ice. Legs don't feel stiff, and it definitely feels like I can get lower into my stance right from the get go. On a side note, I try to stretch every day now. I work my way through my whole body as the week goes a long. I find it helps lessen or eliminate with all the little nagging aches and pains I used to get in my back, shoulders, neck, and I'm sure it has helped the knees, too.

There might be some demand. I've heard teammates say they miss them. For me, scooped up a few packs as they were phasing out, because I used to use them as eyelet extenders to help prevent lace bite. You might also take a look at these. https://www.hockeyworld.com/CCM-Skatelock-Eyelet-4Pack They sold these as replacements for the lace locks if you didn't like the locking mechanism. I was trying to get a hold of some, but couldn't, so I settled for the lace lock versions to address my issues. But you could sell these as eyelet extenders to help with lace bite, because there are always people that need help with that.

NVM. Misread something.

Where did you get that template? Everything I've seen, even stuff from official prosharp sources, never mentions this. Thanks for sharing.

Pitch and profile are two different things. Unless specified, I'd imagine the shop gave you a neutral pitch, well, unless they pitched the profile without you knowing. Assuming, you're on a neutral pitch, you may naturally balance yourself forward on you toes more than you're supposed to. The super smaller radii on the forward section of the profile makes it super easy to rock forward and get up on your toes, which is by design. Because I have super small feet, I used to have issues with getting onto my toes too much. I went to a 13/26 profile with a negative 1 pitch. After a bunch of years on that and lots of practise, I was able to corrected my issues and went to a 13" neutral pitch.

Making significant tweaks after one skate is not a wise move. The feel of new skates can and will change after each skate as you get dialed in on how you tie your skates and as the foams compress. The new, fluffy foams can cause your foot to seat slightly different each time. You need time to see how things settle and feel things out.

I had a similar issue when I went down in size in skates from a size 5 to 4.5. I found it was way too easy to get up onto my toes. I went from the stock 10' to 12' to 13' and then settled on a 13'/26' with a negative pitch because they didn't have larger templates for single radius.

I'll echo the comment above. All you have to do is goto a competent shop and ask them to profile your skates to what every profile you want and ask for a neutral pitch or what ever pitch you want. Simple as that. And yes, changing the pitch can make a significant difference. How much? I depends on the skater.

I've worn a neck guard for probably around 25 years. It's been so long I don't know when I started. I've always found a new neck guard feels uncomfortable for a little while, like any piece of new equipment does, and then, it breaks in a little and you get used to it. It just becomes what it's like to be kitted up for a game, and you forget it's even there.

The trick I found that worked for me was to simply not use the first set of eyelets. It opens up the forefoot area where the toecap meets the boot quite a lot.