ankle room - "skates are not ski boots"

[DrVenkman 0]

I'm a little confused about my skates I just purchased today. To give some background -- I was reading Laura Stamm's book, the part where she talks about how skates should fit. She says they should not restrict movement and allow for ankle flexibility. Some NHLers don't lace the top eyelet, some even unlace the top two. She says that a big mistake young and older skaters have is that they wrap their laces around the boot or tape up the boot. "Skates are not ski boots," she says.

So, I go to buy new skates today. The Easton Synergy EQ5 seemed to fit best -- nice and tight throughout the entire boot, great heel lock, everything. With a little punching on the side (I have a wide forefoot but a thin heel) they fit like a firm slipper. EXCEPT -- there is a lot of space just above my ankle bone. Standing straight up and pivoting with the blade on the ground, I can lean the boot about 20-30 degrees to the left and 20-30 to the right.

Is this too much movement? I've already bought the boot since I had the Laura Stamm quote in my head when I was trying them on, and this is the only pair that fit me this well (I tried on the lines from Bauer and Graf). I haven't skated on them yet, but I was reading some other threads where people are talking about taping the top of their skates, etc etc, and I got to thinking...

Is this too much wiggle room just above the ankle? Will it invite ankle problems?

Thanks for all the help.

[rachael7 1]

It's way more room than I like, I'll say that. If you have super strong shins and calves, it might be fine. But if you have any tendency to bend your ankles when you skate, it could be a big suck.

[forbs02 20]

Take them for a skate and see how you like them. If there is too much room just crank down on the laces to pull them tight. I like them a little loose up around the ankle.

[Jarick 5]

I like a super tight fit around the heel/ankle area. And I think Stamm was referring to skate stiffness rather than room in the boot.

[Chadd 916]

I just can't picture being able to tilt the skates 20-30 degrees without your ankle giving way. It's just not physically possible.

[jcp2 2]

I have the same book as well (both an earlier and a later edition). I think she is referring to not lacing or typing up the skates to reduce flex forwards and backwards. Lateral flex should be a lot less. I agree with the other posters to give the skates a chance before you decide they are too loose up top.

[mug25 2]

The day I stopped taping my ankles and wrapping my laces around my skates was the best thing I've ever done for my skating.

Great book BTW

[Sidorov96 0]

I've never wrapped my laces around my boot or used tape to tape them up. But I love a super tight fitting skate. Personally I always tighten the top two eyelets the most. For me I find it give my ankles more support because I dont have very strong ankles but I also find it gives me much better control over the skates too. But thats just personal preferance.

[zachary 2]

Some things are preference like stated and I lace mine to the top and even tie them very tight in the top three eyelets. I still have an considerable amount of movement in the ankle as well.

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

Just wondering...when was the book published?

[DrVenkman 0]

Wow, thanks for all the responses, you guys (and gals) are great.

Chadd: Maybe a little less that 20 degrees, I skated on them today and it was pretty wobbly. I have to get used to a looser fit. But it's forcing me to work on my technique. Good thing my beer league game was cancelled, it's probably not safe to go out on these until I figure them out. (I'm coming from a pair of One30's, which caused a severe case of lace bite.)

Rubo: Do you mean the reinforcement around the 3rd to 6th eyelets? (or around that range) That's a composite material to increase durability, apparently. The rest of the boot is a more traditional heat-moldable weave (I forgot the material... the kind they used to use before they started putting composite into skate bodies). Anyway, I don't think that reinforcement alone is causing the stiffness, it's just a stiff material to start. I think I have to ride the boot hard to get it to loosen up. I'm afraid of snapping the tongue insert in half though, if I work it to hard. Anyway, what happens is the boot doesn't wrap around towards the ankle very much, and that's causing the extra room. maybe this will get better as I work it in?

Anyway, until that happens, I ought a Bunga ankle sleeve. That should help. Until it arrives I'll just skate carefully.

What I'm really wondering about: if Laura Stamm suggests a lose boot up top... How loose is loose? I can fit a finger down both sides of the boot until it hits my ankle bone, and the ankle bone has a little bit of wiggle (unless I wail on the top 2 eyelets, but that prevents any forward movement and really makes bending my knees cause a lace-bite type of pain on the bottom front of my shin).

Mug25, jcp2: I'm liking the book. I have the 3rd edition. Is there a reason to go and get the 4th?

Mcdougalfa...: 2001, I think. The more recent one is, what, 2009? I'm to lazy to check amazon.

[zachary 2]

If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been skating and are you still developing a smooth skating technique? I would just try taping your ankles if you already purchased the skates and tying em tight in the top and you think they are moving too much.

[DrVenkman 0]

The day I stopped taping my ankles and wrapping my laces around my skates was the best thing I've ever done for my skating.

Great book BTW

Could you describe the amount of side-to-side and front-to-back movement in your ankle before and after you changed this? And could you describe how the difference affected your skating?

Ok try these lacing techniques, the white eyelet is the one you skip, the red one is the one you lace, all in the order of most effective forward flex.

http://i54.tinypic.com/b89qvb.jpg

Meaning, 1 is a little bit of forward flex, 4 is the most forward flex? Very helpful, thanks for that! I'll try it out after I break in the skates a bit more.

If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been skating and are you still developing a smooth skating technique? I would just try taping your ankles if you already purchased the skates and tying em tight in the top and you think they are moving too much.

I've been off skates for about 15 years, but I used to play competitively into my teens. So, definitely there's an aspect of relearning going on here. Yesterday I just wailed on the top two eyelets, and this seemed to help.

The main thing I'm wondering though, is how much forward and side-to-side flex was Laura Stamm talking about? If I don't really tighten the top two eyelets, then I can describe the fit like this: below the ankle the boot fits very snug with perfect heel lock. It's like wearing cross country ski shoes, in that the bottom part is very attached to the blade, but at and above the ankle there's a lot of freedom of movement.

Is this what Laura Stamm (and others who don't tie their top two eyelets) was talking about when saying "skates are not ski boots"?

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Does anyone have the first edition of Laura's book? I have the one with Kevin Dineen on it but I need the first book - reason being is because a good friend of mine was one of her first instructors and he is in the book with a wicked duster mustache and I'd love to embarrass him.

[mug25 2]

Does anyone have the first edition of Laura's book? I have the one with Kevin Dineen on it but I need the first book - reason being is because a good friend of mine was one of her first instructors and he is in the book with a wicked duster mustache and I'd love to embarrass him.

JR, one of the coaches at a rink near my house told me about the book when I first started ice. He SAID that he had the first edition...not sure if he still does. I will ask him. You wanna buy it off of him or just want a picture of your buddy?

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

JR, one of the coaches at a rink near my house told me about the book when I first started ice. He SAID that he had the first edition...not sure if he still does. I will ask him. You wanna buy it off of him or just want a picture of your buddy?

Either or really...i could exchange for the second edition.

[mug25 2]

Either or really...i could exchange for the second edition.

ill talk to him next time i see him