Breaking in skate tongues

[Andoy 5]

Hey guys, a friend of mine is asking for advice on how to soften up the tongues on his skates. He moved from a low cut skate (S500 I think) to XXVs. He hates how stiff the tongue is (he says it doesn't give him enough forward flex) so he compensates by not lacing the top two eyelets. However, he's not getting any lateral stability at all. I told him to lace his skates up and just get used to it. Any other advice to softening up the tongues?

[starsfan71 9]

Tell him just to skate in them, it's the best way to break in a skate.

[Chappie 0]

Might sound like a stupid question, but has he gotten them baked?

[Andoy 5]

Tell him just to skate in them, it's the best way to break in a skate.

I did...

Might sound like a stupid question, but has he gotten them baked?

Yes he has gotten them baked. Fit wise i think he's set it's just he feels that he doesn't get enough forward flex due to the stiff tongues.

[Jarick 5]

You could try a heat gun on them for a bit and bend them forward. I use the XXV's and I skip the top eyelet. I also switched from putting the tongues outside to inside the shins. All those helped with forward flexibility for me.

[Andoy 5]

Thanks, I'll recommend the heatgun to him. He does tuck his tongues inside his shins but he's still really fussy about getting as much forward flex as possible. He's been using s500s for years and is having a hard time transitioning to new skates.

I skip an eyelet too but in his case I think that skipping two is pretty hardcore unless you have solid ankles.

[Law Goalie 147]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I've seen guys with little triangular notches cut out of the felt on the sides of their tongues, just above the top set of laces. Maybe someone has a good pic of this...

[ArcArsenal 0]

I have a friend who skips the second set of eyelets while still doing up the top. Says it helps him...

[JoeyJ0506 192]

you can try steaming them as well.

[TBLfan 25]

I skip the top eyelet in both my NBH skates(XXXXs now one95s). The tongue on the XXXX(my one95s have a different tongue) were too stiff. After the skates would dry, I'd lace the skates up to the eyelet before, on or above the elbow of the skate(alternating between the three). Then I'd tie down the tongue. After a while the tongue was nice and soft where it needed to be.

[adam14 182]

when not using them, tighten them at the top eyelet, then sit them upside down, so the tongue is folded and its sitting on the tenon guard.

[Bender 0]

I skip an eyelet too but in his case I think that skipping two is pretty hardcore unless you have solid ankles.

I almost find it hard to belive that some people can skate with the laces done right to the top eyelet. On my old RBK's i didn't lace the top 2, and really as long as the bottom of my foot is being held in place reasonably well, ankle support only matters a minimal amount. Since hockey skates come up so far above your ankle anyway, there is pretty much only so far your ankle can go before the stiffness of the boot begins to stop it's movement, take it far enough and your boot will hit the ground anyway. It's really just personal preferance on something like that, if it works for him, than let him go for it.

[lampliter87 8]

Your name is Bender for a reason...

I kid.