Ankles not staying up

[sabre09923 0]

I think your friend just doesn't tie his skates tight enough, at all. I used to tie my skates kind of loose (they didn't look like that though), but I learned my lesson after going for a battle in a corner, catching an edge, then sliding feet first into the boards. It messed up my ankle for awhile, and even now, it still hurts sometimes. Ever since I've tied my skates tighter, and I've felt a lot faster, and I know I'm getting the proper support out of my skates.

[pantherfan 0]

Ya, i also think he isnt confidident on his outside edges so he's tryna stay on his insides to much.

Get him to try and balance on 1 skate in a straight line

If he can do that try and make him turn on his outside edges

^^Hopfully that would help him get more confident with his edges

[bulletproof_funk 0]

It's just like me to lurk throughout the regular hockey season and start posting again after it's over. :lol:

To respond to the original post about collapsing in on ankles...

IMO The boots are too big in every which way for the poster's friend's build. If the forefoot, heel areas are too wide, his foot would shift around too much. Ankle volume looks to be a problem too, i.e. boots are too big around the ankles. The combination of the two look to be causing the problem.

As a skinny guy with skate fitting issues, I've had problems with skates fitting loose around my ankles because the skates are desgned to fit (average) ankles thicker than mine. And wrenching on the laces does not help enough to bring the ankle material close together enough to provide adequate support, more so if a skate is too stiff (for the person's weight/build). I've seen one time at a public skate where this skinny girl was wearing brand new, lower end Mission men's hockey skates (likely an E width for a C or D width foot and too long a boot), and was collapsing in on her ankles badly like in the photo. Likely someone didn't know what they were doing when they fit her in that skate.

I never bought into the ankle strength myth myself. I skate just fine when there isn't a half inch of space between my ankles and the insides of the boot after they've been supposedly tightened. :P

My advice would be trying to find narrower skates that are not top-end skate stiff since someone not that big, especially a beginner. They will be easier to tie (seems to be a problem as well in the photo) if they fit right. Second thing to try is adding some padding inside where there seems to be too much room: I wear gel ankle wraps to fill in some of that space, in addition to some foam pads behind the skate tongue. It won't help if the skate's way too big, but can help fill small spaces to optimize fit.

[brokenskate 0]

I wear gel ankle wraps to fill in some of that space

Where do you get the gel ankle wraps -- and what kind? I've been looking for something like this to help with an injury and haven't found anything.

[gavin 0]

I'm working my way toward being able to do a "pistol" while wearing regular shoes. Someday I'll be able to do a "pistol" while in skates. Methinks a lotta single-legged squats with BIG weight (70lbs or more) will be required.

What is a pistol? (Dont say its a gun)

Is it a one legged squat with your non-contact leg held out in front of you? If so they are awesome, and even more awesome holding on to 70#.

That's the way I understand it. And even though I can do one-legged squats in my regular workouts (doing high reps of up to 135lbs), I can't do a SINGLE pistol.

There are all kinds of manuals on the internet for training yourself to do it, getting your balance, focus, control, strength, and stability to a point where you can attempt a single one with only your body weight. But I'm not there yet. If anyone has any clues, I'm all ears. I would LOVE to be able to nail this.

[bulletproof_funk 0]

I wear gel ankle wraps to fill in some of that space

Where do you get the gel ankle wraps -- and what kind? I've been looking for something like this to help with an injury and haven't found anything.

One of the shops that sells hockey equipment also sells figure skating equipment, which is how I found out about ankle gel wraps in the first place. The gel wraps are designed to help figure skaters break in their leather skates without cutting up their ankles is what they told me. It comes as a long "tube" that's about 1/8" to 1/4" thck, enough material for both ankles. I don't remember who makes the ones I bought though, it's been a few years.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

I am still new to hockey, have only been playing/skating about a year.

My ankles were the exact same way as those in picture.

From a beginner standpoint (as most here have been skating so long it feels like they were never beginners), you get comfort and stability on your inside edges, which is why, for a beginner, crossover seem so hard, having to trust your outside edges to not slip out from under you.

If the skates are the right size (I was fitted, and purchased the correct skates) what I would recommend to your friend is to simply go to public sessions, and skate up and down, in a straight line. Each time, lift one leg, and glide for as long as possible on each leg, to get familiar and stable on your skates, after you can go red to blue to center to blue to red on alternating one leg, start skating the circles, first on your inside edges, then on your outside, then going crossovers.

This all seems like really basic and simple stuff, but for me, its been a huge help. I started the thread about a week or two ago "click moments".

These simple exercises helped me to my click moment, where I am not feeling stable on my skates, on the inside or outside edge, and where my ankles are straight when I am standing or gliding.

Go back to basics, don't try to get ahead of yourself, once you get the stability you will see your ankles take care of themselves.

Hope that helps

[berndog 0]

I've been coaching kids up to age 11 for about 6 years now, there are a couple of reason I see people skate on there ankles;

Number 1 reason skates to big (mom's and dads Don’t do it),

Number 2 poorly tied skates,

Number 3 both of the above,

Solution If you feel week on your skates go for stability first then mobility of the ankle. Get a pair of skates that fit right, get the wax laces they don't move and tie the skates as suggested above snug on top of the foot and tight in the top 3 or 4 holes to set the ankle and hold everything firm, and last but not least tape your ankle. I play with some decent players you could put a postage stamp on and throw them in a mail box they use so much tape. (not my cup of tea but if it works go nuts)

If the person is an upright skater and /or a one legged skater I found only one way to break this habit and it works great. Get a chair on the ice have one person sit in the chair this ads weight, and the other push. Great drill to help skating. You must use inside edge with deep knee bends and push with both feet to move the chair straight.

[Cheesehead 0]

I've been coaching kids up to age 11 for about 6 years now, there are a couple of reason I see people skate on there ankles;

Number 1 reason skates to big (mom's and dads Don’t do it),

Number 2 poorly tied skates,

Number 3 both of the above,

Solution If you feel week on your skates go for stability first then mobility of the ankle. Get a pair of skates that fit right, get the wax laces they don't move and tie the skates as suggested above snug on top of the foot and tight in the top 3 or 4 holes to set the ankle and hold everything firm, and last but not least tape your ankle. I play with some decent players you could put a postage stamp on and throw them in a mail box they use so much tape. (not my cup of tea but if it works go nuts)

If the person is an upright skater and /or a one legged skater I found only one way to break this habit and it works great. Get a chair on the ice have one person sit in the chair this ads weight, and the other push. Great drill to help skating. You must use inside edge with deep knee bends and push with both feet to move the chair straight.

pushing the nets up and down ice is good too. also to add competitive ness make it a race.

[delpiero81 0]

Another variant of going in a straight line with only one feet is to try to follow a circle line with only one feet to develop outside edge. Just take some speed (not to much) and then lift off the outside skate and follow the circle line with the internal skate's outside edge until you stop (works also in backward skating).

Very useful!