Goal pads looseness

[U of M Goalie 0]

The trend now seems to be changing to leaving most goal pads loose at the toes for mobility and blocking. I use the V2's and just am wondering if anyone has given the loose toe ties a try, if they like it or not and how loose do you leave it an inch, more?

[jimmy 194]

The trend now seems to be changing to leaving most goal pads loose at the toes for mobility and blocking. I use the V2's and just am wondering if anyone has given the loose toe ties a try, if they like it or not and how loose do you leave it an inch, more?

I use to have V1's. I wore every strap loose except the one under the knee. For the toe strings, you should tie a knot 1-2" down from the bridge knot, this will allow the skate to come out of the cradle easier when you butterfly, and prevent injury as well.

[U of M Goalie 0]

Yeah Patrick Roy, Kari Lentonen, Roberto Luongo, Aebischer and Giguere all seem to be a part of this. And I mean how can you argure with that lineup, I tried it and so far its working for me, only drawback is its much harder to play a a standup style or even make just one standup save as the pads cant be squeezed together because they will move. But your right its much easier on the joints.

[rausch27 1]

are you al montoya? or ur just a fan

[Netminder32 32]

are you al montoya? or ur just a fan

Something tells me Al Montoya already knows how to tie his pads...

Anyway, there is a really good article on the Vaughn website describing what you are asking about.

Vaughn Velocity Users Guide

It describes the best practices for tying the toe strings and adjusting the straps as well as why this works. Enjoy. :D

Just as a side note: I leave a two inch gap in my toe strings. They are knotted once at the pad, once again one inch up and once again two inches up. I found this works best for me. The reason for the extra knot at the one inch mark is to keep the strings from falling under the skate blade when slack.

[U of M Goalie 0]

Yeah like I said right now I am currently using about a two inch gap, at one point i took the tie toes out all together and used nothing but that was WAY to much movement as the pads rotated so much pucks would actually go under them because they would spin halfway around my leg. So far it seems no more than 2 inchs works best. Especially for me I have had groin injuries in the past and this is so much easier on my joints.

[The Webster 0]

i dont use toe ties at all i think its easier to get into a butterfly without it

i do it for roller and ice

[U of M Goalie 0]

I tired it, it was just to much movement. The V2's do a pretty good job of rotating on their own so the loosest I keep them is two inchs at the toes. With them loose like this and the extra knee lift I had vaughn put on my pads I can easily have each skate touching both posts and hold the position in comfort. So keeping the tie toes loose takes some getting used to but overall I think it is better for you game, unless you are a pure standup goalie.

[Scarey 0]

I heard that V2's are supposed to be don eup tightly.. but I have Icecaps so I need to knwo this before i go off and order my V2's gotta be ready

[U of M Goalie 0]

Well the V2's have that common thick elastic strap at the knee, so if you leave them tight at the skate they will be tight at your knee as well. I have tried this and it puts more pressure on your knees and hips, also i cant widen out as much or recover as fast. I have tried both ways and am currently leaving them loose at the toes, but if you leave them tight my advice is to not use that elastic strap at all, the pads have to be loose either at the knee or your skate pretty much.

[The Webster 0]

i got v2's and i dnt use toe tie downs they take too long to put on

but anyway i have no problem wiv them sliding round infact i think it make the pads easier to get into a butterfly

[U of M Goalie 0]

Exactly, if you are a pure butterfly I would say keep em loose at the toes, if you are a stand-up or a hybrid who tends to stand up more I say keep em tight at the toes and dont use the velcro strap. As for me I like the feeling of loose toes, and how can you argue with the lineup of goalies who also leave them loose at the toes. Giguere, Luongo, Aeibischer, Fleury.

[calvin 0]

i go with no toe laces. i tried to play with em on, then off, and i really cant tell any difference. plus now i dont have to worry about how they are then undoing the double knots by themselves in the middle of the game. :)

[U of M Goalie 0]

LOL I tried that but it was to much pad rotation for me, pucks were actually going under my leg pads because they were moving around my leg TO much, but I have since found the right amount of space to leave, it really is better for your hips and back, not to mention your butterfly coverage.

[calvin 0]

just curious where you heard it is good for your hips and back? i have never heard of that before. :) maybe it differs with each pad, but i can do bflys no problem with the pads i got without the laces. it works pretty good for me just to have the lower straps tight, getting looser as they head towards the thigh.

to each their own, and no laces for me

[U of M Goalie 0]

WWW.OVERDRIVEBLADE.COM Go there and click on "video+info", the at the bottom of the drop down "profly" and it tells you exactly why you need to leave the tie toes loose. The human body wasnt meant to really do what standard leg pads make it do, ie when you have the tie toes tight it elevates your toe off the ice, but if you drop to you knee's without leg pads on and widen out like you would in the butterfly position you'll notice that you toes drops and eventually become almost vertical. With your tie toes tight you toe is not allowed to drop and thus you cant get as wide with your butterfly, and if you try and force it, it can put alot of unnessary pressure on your hips and back

[calvin 0]

that's a great site. maybe i'll reconsider the toe laces. :)

[U of M Goalie 0]

Yeah loose toes are really the way to go, although I have the V2's and the guy running the site thinks that the thikck elastic bands at the knee's are bad to , but I got to have some stability so i leave those tight and seem to play fine

[ihockeyiregoalie43 0]

i cant play with toe laces tired, it effects my mobility. i know for fact though,that with other goalies it helps by making the legs feel more solid. im a butterfly tender myself,and just hate the restriction when i drop!

will

[U of M Goalie 0]

I know exactly what you mean, plus you can stretch alot farther on kick saves and you can recover from the butterfly much easier

[Scarey 0]

The trend now seems to be changing to leaving most goal pads loose at the toes for mobility and blocking. I use the V2's and just am wondering if anyone has given the loose toe ties a try, if they like it or not and how loose do you leave it an inch, more?

Ok does this happen to any one here... how like the skate isnt n the center of the pad after a while.... like it kinda drifts off to the side... look at this photo of me then look at my toe......

is that normail... if not how the heck do i fix it

[U of M Goalie 0]

Most pads even if you wear your tie toes very tight will turn a little bit. Many of them are almost designed to by having the very flat toe area thats designed to let your skate move a bit. If you dont like this movement the only thing you can do is tie them as tightly as you can put a strap through the back of your skate as tight as possible and through the middle of your skate as tight as possible. But after butterflying a few times you pad will rotate a bit, but not as much.

[Scarey 0]

So then that toe far off the center of my pad in the above photo is normal?

[U of M Goalie 0]

If you are using tight tie toes yes. The majority of pads today are designed with very flat toes areas of the pads, this is down for more blocking surface and to let the pad move a little. When I first got my v2's i wore the laces and straps tight, and they would always turn, however it was sumthin i quickly got used to and came to like. The only other thing I could tell you is start using Graf skates, the Graf skates have a big hump on the toe area of the skate specifically designed to prevent the pad from moving. But to be honest with you the pads moving a little bit is good for your body and good for your butterfly, the move you are doing in the picture is much easier because of it.

[Scarey 0]

Great.. thanks... and I use Grafs already