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MrData

Foot pain/skate width question

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So I've had Graf Supra G535s for two months now, I've baked them twice, I've had them punched, I've gotten Superfeet footbeds, and I've switched the holders to TUUK LS2s. Yet, despite all these measures, I still get pain on the sides/bottom of my feet when I skate. The best way I can describe it is that it's a dull, fatiguing pain. The pain is most intense when I take off my skates, but then it goes away pretty quickly after.

My best guess is that my skates are too narrow for me. They're size 7.5 regular, and they fit very snug lengthwise, but not too snug. My right foot is slightly longer than my left foot, and it slightly touches the toecap when sitting. I always feel like my heels are too far forward in the skate, like they aren't snug in the heel pockets, but they don't move around when skating.

Based on this info, would you say that my skates might indeed be too narrow, or could this be another issue? Can you recommend a different pair of skates from what I've told you? I'm partial to Bauer because I like TUUK holders, but I'm open to trying something else.

Thanks for reading this block of text!

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I went through severe pain as you describe for a long time...went through numerous different skates over a period of 15 years till I finally found Bauer supreme comps in a wide width 18 yrs ago..Instant relief..never had any heel issues. Wish we had the internet back then..I did it all by trial and error with ALOT of errors along the way...Had a 17 year break from skating and now Im in CCM U+12 in an E width now..No problems with pain...Just have to get used to these super stiff space boots. My best internet guess is a width problem

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To me, from personal experience..it just sounds like you are in skates that aren't right for your feet. Your comment about the heels feeling like they are too far forward in the skate pretty much confirms that - and what that means is that the arch of the skate is probably not matching up with the arch of your foot and you are ending up with foot pain from a combo of the arch being off, putting pressure into your foot as well as the laces/tongue pressing down and creating even more pressure on the foot. My LHS manager had me try on a bunch of skates today in various sizes and widths and any skate that had strange feeling heel issues was a no brainer no go for me, you really want your heel secure and properly in the back of the skate, so you are getting the true length of the skate and able to tell if the arch is proper for your foot. You may actually fit into a smaller skate if you put on a boot with a proper heel pocket that accommodates your heel shape, and has arch support in the correct part of the foot for you.

In the event that isn't correct, it could be the width is constricting your foot which will hinder circulation and lead to pain when your pressing it into the boot with your skating strides. If you are also lacking in depth in the boot that could possibly cause similar discomfort as well.

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I have the same issue and have them with almost all my skates. I have mission ac2 9ee width (missions are similar to the bauer supreme fit) and easton eq40 in 8.5ee width. the missions no longer give me the pain but the eastons being much newer to me seem to get narrower near the arch, as it goes towards the back of my foot. i find my foot doesnt get narrow that quick and my foot stays wider as it goes towards the back and i feel it squeezes there. it seems to push in and wrap up on my foot in the front of the arch and there isnt much muscle or bone in my foot there to push out on the boot even though i baked them.

On both boots i use waxed laces and i dont tie the bottoms tight. the pain starts on the outside meaty part of my foot and then at times goes into my arch and causes some arch cramps as well. it doesnt hurt nearly as bad when skating, but sitting on the bench, and definitely after taking the skates off it starts to really coming on. it hurts to stand on them for about 5 minutes after i take the boot off. I use super feet in both and it helps but ,with the missions they eventually stopped doing this, the EQs only have a couple of skates on them but its getting a little better each time. I think i may take the EQs and put them on and hit it with a blow drier in that spot to hopefully remold it a little.

Ill also say the missions felt a little off when fitting but were the best of the bunch. The eastons felt a little narrow but were perfect after the bake, unfortunately the skates sat unused for a year and now when i put them on and skate they seem to need a bit more breaking in to be good.

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I have the same issue and have them with almost all my skates. I have mission ac2 9ee width (missions are similar to the bauer supreme fit) and easton eq40 in 8.5ee width. the missions no longer give me the pain but the eastons being much newer to me seem to get narrower near the arch, as it goes towards the back of my foot. i find my foot doesnt get narrow that quick and my foot stays wider as it goes towards the back and i feel it squeezes there. it seems to push in and wrap up on my foot in the front of the arch and there isnt much muscle or bone in my foot there to push out on the boot even though i baked them.

On both boots i use waxed laces and i dont tie the bottoms tight. the pain starts on the outside meaty part of my foot and then at times goes into my arch and causes some arch cramps as well. it doesnt hurt nearly as bad when skating, but sitting on the bench, and definitely after taking the skates off it starts to really coming on. it hurts to stand on them for about 5 minutes after i take the boot off. I use super feet in both and it helps but ,with the missions they eventually stopped doing this, the EQs only have a couple of skates on them but its getting a little better each time. I think i may take the EQs and put them on and hit it with a blow drier in that spot to hopefully remold it a little.

Ill also say the missions felt a little off when fitting but were the best of the bunch. The eastons felt a little narrow but were perfect after the bake, unfortunately the skates sat unused for a year and now when i put them on and skate they seem to need a bit more breaking in to be good.

Yeah I guess my skates are relatively new (probably 15 or less sessions with them), so maybe the problem will go away with time. Still, I've gotten them baked twice, so I'm having a hard time believing that they would take this long to break in, especially as they aren't the stiffest boots out there.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Helps to know I'm not alone in my troubles. I think I'll try on some more skates when I can, and I'll see if going to EE width helps. In the meantime, I'll be sticking with my Grafs and hoping...

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I would say with about 10 skates on them they should be broken in and I stopped having pain by then tbh. The EQs I baked twice so I don't want to do another full bake on them, thus me trying out the low heat blow dryer method.

I know you should get your foot measured and go by what they say and tbh I wore a size 10 skate which was way too big prior to getting sized as it just felt comfortable. But foot shape and feel also plays into it as well. I was measured as being on the bigger side of a D width (though the year prior the same shop said I was at least an E go figure) but only tours very generous d fit felt good to methough I didn't like the skate. I tried the ee on the missions and they felt very good if not better than the tours and that's what I'm using, the EQs I bought on a whim in ee and like I said above they fit prefect at first but I didn't use them for a year etc etc.

I find two problems with the measuring tools they use, one being they measure your width at it's widest and assume the widest part of your foot is the same on everyone where on some it may be further up or back, or your foot may stay wide where other get narrow. Traditionally. Another problem is if your skate size 6 or skate size 10 the traditional tool says that a D, E, EE width is at a set width no matter how long your foot is. We know skate sizes don't work like that, an ee width skate in size 10 will be wider than an ee width size 6 .

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Ya, they need to rethink the Brannock devices. They aren't relevant to new skates at all. I measure a 5-5.5 on the Bauer Brannock and fit fine into a 3.5 D width Nexus and wear size 7 shoes. I will most likely end up in a size 4 vapor or supreme, and it mainly boils down to how your arch and heel fit the skates - if your heel isn't fully into the pocket of the skate your foot will need a longer boot to get the toe cap in the right position, along with other issues (if width isn't right your foot will be squeezed and potentially not be in a natural flatten state so it may seem you have toe room but really shouldnt).

When people say to just try as many skates as possible, and try on sizes until they hurt/dont fit, it's for a good reason and i've found this out the hard way after years of thinking my feet were xyz wide and such. Another important point is that you really should keep the skates on and walk in them in the store for a good 15+ minutes to let possible pain issues arise before you make a purchase, they should be fairly pain free when you walk in em.

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That is the 1 good thing about getting skates on line. U can wear them around the house for hours feeling the padding compress. That would drive a LHS nuts if u have them on more than 15 min.

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That is the 1 good thing about getting skates on line. U can wear them around the house for hours feeling the padding compress. That would drive a LHS nuts if u have them on more than 15 min.

Technically I guess you could do that with locally-bought skates. Just don't get them sharpened or baked right away, take them home and wear them a bit, then return them if they don't fit.

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....

I find two problems with the measuring tools they use, one being they measure your width at it's widest and assume the widest part of your foot is the same on everyone where on some it may be further up or back, or your foot may stay wide where other get narrow. Traditionally. Another problem is if your skate size 6 or skate size 10 the traditional tool says that a D, E, EE width is at a set width no matter how long your foot is. We know skate sizes don't work like that, an ee width skate in size 10 will be wider than an ee width size 6 .

measuring at the 'widest' point for widht, is, of course, reasonable. KNowing how that width/point lines up in the general fit equation for any boot last in consideration is, of course, why there are boot and fitting eggspurts - give them their due...

The 'traditional tool' , being the regular Brannoc Device, does, of course, account for foot length in giving a 'standardized' width reading. Readings off a Brannock offer a 'benchmark' around which fitting can proceed.

Industry Skate sizing has never 'matched' brannock readings, because it never has. Some vary more than others, which serves to create and perpetuate the confusion we live with.

This seems to hold true for many other sports. Hiking/climbing being a notable exception.

Ya, they need to rethink the Brannock devices. They aren't relevant to new skates at all. I measure a 5-5.5 on the Bauer Brannock and fit fine into a 3.5 D width Nexus and wear size 7 shoes. I will most likely end up in a size 4 vapor or supreme, and it mainly boils down to how your arch and heel fit the skates - if your heel isn't fully into the pocket of the skate your foot will need a longer boot to get the toe cap in the right position, along with other issues (if width isn't right your foot will be squeezed and potentially not be in a natural flatten state so it may seem you have toe room but really shouldnt).

A Bauer Brannock is not a Brannock, it is an adaptation with Bauer's scales. It's missing an essential (to my mind) element which is part of the real, regular Brannock - the arch location/length measurement which is part of that inside slider, a key in measuring for all footwear, especially rigid and semi-rigid footwear.

The Brannock is fine as is, it's a solid 'reference' from which to start.

NEW Skates - the fact that NEW skates from Bauer don't match their 'device' measurements is a Bauer problem, which expert fitters take into account when with work with a customer.

Same is true for the recent, obvious change in 'sizing' for the CCM RBZ line.

The fact that sakte fitting is not 'online friendly', is a different issue - relating to/continuation of the old 'mail order' issues.

Biggest problem fitters face is that they have to interpret what the customer is saying and feeling, and that often is where things don;t quite work.

So these devices are a reference, a start.

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I think I have had a similar problem. My feet would kill on the outside and really hurt after I untied them. I tried many different skates and kept going wider and wider. And had them punched. Nothing seemed to alleviate the pain. I also ended up in skates that where too wide everywhere else. What I've discovered is that I've got a fat outside of my foot. I think that it was getting pinched no matter what I did to the skate. My solution was VH skates. No pain at all from day one. That doesn't mean that these are the only solution. Just that your foot might have something specific about it that needs to be addressed in all skates. So try a bunch of skates to start, then talk with your fitter about where you still have pain.

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I do have a fatter outside foot and it stays fat as it goes back. I also have a lot of volume as well to contend with. The supreme/mission cut in ee fits me nicely without being too wide thankfully but it isn't 100% perfect. If I knew I was going to do ice and had the money and skills to invest in the skate the VH skates look very appealing.

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My neighbor talked me into doing some beginner hockey. I can roller blade and have played ice hockey just a handful of times about 15 yrs ago. The first night I used rental skates. The bottom side of my left (larger) foot got slightly bruised and the area just above both ankles on the outside of my feet are still sore.

I was measured for a Bauer size 10.5 skate. I'm reasonably big--6'2" and 230 lbs, so I worry about support. Having a somewhat wide foot I went for the Nexus 400. The D width pinched the front of my left foot. I found a size 11 EE in the only hockey equipment store within an hour drive time, and it as a bit too long. There was plenty of room across the front, but I could get two fingers behind my foot when it was slid forward. Everything else the store had close to my size was at least $500.

Something else that bothered me with the Nexus was my heel/back of my foot felt esp cramped. I wasn't sure if that was due to the skates being new, or the fact that this model has a deep heel pocket.

What other skates are recommended? I don't want to blow a ton of money seeing as how I'm a noob and I can't even stop properly yet. I'll definitely stuff some cheap inserts in the bottom for comfort, esp since the bottom of my left foot is still sore.

I read that Reebok has a wide fit. I see some Reebok 12k in a 10.5 EE. They have that pump thing, which may help the pinch I felt in the back of the Nexus skate.

I can't afford for the Graf 709's. Those apparently have a wide heel and are good for wide feet.

Should I go with the Nexus 400 11 EE I found and just double up on socks? I'm having problems locating a 10.5 EE in the Nexus line. Would something like a EE width in the other Bauer lines work? I found a Supreme One.6 and Vapor X50 in 10.5 EE that are in my price range.

I found a video online that showed how to measure your feet to approximate sizing. Mine came out to 11.25" length x 4.5" width, which gives a "width factor" of 2.5, which equates to a EE. Looking at the tracing of my feet, I definitely would say I do NOT have a tapered shape.

Thanks for reading.

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Definitely recommend trying a CCM skate i also have a very wide foot. I tried every brand of skate that you did before finding CCM was best for a wide foot.

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My neighbor talked me into doing some beginner hockey. I can roller blade and have played ice hockey just a handful of times about 15 yrs ago. The first night I used rental skates. The bottom side of my left (larger) foot got slightly bruised and the area just above both ankles on the outside of my feet are still sore.

I was measured for a Bauer size 10.5 skate. I'm reasonably big--6'2" and 230 lbs, so I worry about support. Having a somewhat wide foot I went for the Nexus 400. The D width pinched the front of my left foot. I found a size 11 EE in the only hockey equipment store within an hour drive time, and it as a bit too long. There was plenty of room across the front, but I could get two fingers behind my foot when it was slid forward. Everything else the store had close to my size was at least $500.

Something else that bothered me with the Nexus was my heel/back of my foot felt esp cramped. I wasn't sure if that was due to the skates being new, or the fact that this model has a deep heel pocket.

What other skates are recommended? I don't want to blow a ton of money seeing as how I'm a noob and I can't even stop properly yet. I'll definitely stuff some cheap inserts in the bottom for comfort, esp since the bottom of my left foot is still sore.

I read that Reebok has a wide fit. I see some Reebok 12k in a 10.5 EE. They have that pump thing, which may help the pinch I felt in the back of the Nexus skate.

I can't afford for the Graf 709's. Those apparently have a wide heel and are good for wide feet.

Should I go with the Nexus 400 11 EE I found and just double up on socks? I'm having problems locating a 10.5 EE in the Nexus line. Would something like a EE width in the other Bauer lines work? I found a Supreme One.6 and Vapor X50 in 10.5 EE that are in my price range.

I found a video online that showed how to measure your feet to approximate sizing. Mine came out to 11.25" length x 4.5" width, which gives a "width factor" of 2.5, which equates to a EE. Looking at the tracing of my feet, I definitely would say I do NOT have a tapered shape.

Thanks for reading.

I'm fairly certain i've seen the measuring video you are referring to and while it's certainly a step in the right direction of getting skates appropriate for your foot size, it really is just as inaccurate as the Brannock devices you'll find in all of the hockey shops. There is just no substitute for going to a store (or ordering online if you can afford it or get free returns) and trying on every single skate you can in different sizes and widths until you get something very snug but not painful. Your heel should be completely locked in place (no up down or side to side movement from your heel), and your big toe should literally be able to touch the end of the toe cap with your smaller toes not being crushed or curled over.

Definitely don't let yourself fall into the whole "I must be an EE width" dilemma like I let myself for many years until finally being enlightened to proper skate fitting recently. You can always widen a skate, but can't do the reverse so you really want to fit your smaller foot perfectly, and if the larger one is just a tad too tight you can have the width increased by your local hockey shop or it might break in on its own (but you still dont want to be in pain). According to the measurements from the video you watched I am more extreme on width then you (9.75" long but over 4.1" wide so a ratio of 2.37 which is very wide according to that video) but find myself fitting snug but comfortably in lots of D width skates, whereas 2 months ago I would have ONLY tried on EE width skates and been unhappy with the fit.

If you can upload traces of both of your feet wearing the socks you intend with your skates (pics of your feet with the socks on or off themselves might help too, and if you trace your foot make absolutely sure you are tracing with the pen or pencil in a vertical position and don't angle it under your foot) we might be able to guide you to a particular fit that will work for you. I was leaning towards Nexus myself but the heel of it is just too massive and roomy so I get no heel lock. I am now looking at getting Vapors or Supremes so it is very tough to decide without trying the skates on. I'll also add that I was trying on size 5.5 skates and fit into a 3.5 nexus when I wear size 7 4E new balance shoes - another point of why going off shoe size or measurements is just very inaccurate.

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My neighbor talked me into doing some beginner hockey. I can roller blade and have played ice hockey just a handful of times about 15 yrs ago. The first night I used rental skates. The bottom side of my left (larger) foot got slightly bruised and the area just above both ankles on the outside of my feet are still sore.

I was measured for a Bauer size 10.5 skate. I'm reasonably big--6'2" and 230 lbs, so I worry about support. Having a somewhat wide foot I went for the Nexus 400. The D width pinched the front of my left foot. I found a size 11 EE in the only hockey equipment store within an hour drive time, and it as a bit too long. There was plenty of room across the front, but I could get two fingers behind my foot when it was slid forward. Everything else the store had close to my size was at least $500.

Something else that bothered me with the Nexus was my heel/back of my foot felt esp cramped. I wasn't sure if that was due to the skates being new, or the fact that this model has a deep heel pocket.

What other skates are recommended? I don't want to blow a ton of money seeing as how I'm a noob and I can't even stop properly yet. I'll definitely stuff some cheap inserts in the bottom for comfort, esp since the bottom of my left foot is still sore.

I read that Reebok has a wide fit. I see some Reebok 12k in a 10.5 EE. They have that pump thing, which may help the pinch I felt in the back of the Nexus skate.

I can't afford for the Graf 709's. Those apparently have a wide heel and are good for wide feet.

Should I go with the Nexus 400 11 EE I found and just double up on socks? I'm having problems locating a 10.5 EE in the Nexus line. Would something like a EE width in the other Bauer lines work? I found a Supreme One.6 and Vapor X50 in 10.5 EE that are in my price range.

I found a video online that showed how to measure your feet to approximate sizing. Mine came out to 11.25" length x 4.5" width, which gives a "width factor" of 2.5, which equates to a EE. Looking at the tracing of my feet, I definitely would say I do NOT have a tapered shape.

Thanks for reading.

Honestly, the best approach would be to find a shop with a bit of selection in the larger sizes and TRY skates on....

I would

Try to find all the shops within 2 hrs (if you have only one within 1 hr... and lacked stock).

Call each of them, speak with the manager and explain your situation.

Give them your 'shoe' size (forget the assumed measurement for now) and ask what he has in sizes which might fit you.

If there's a reasonable selection bettween models and Brands in your price range, then set a loose appt (loose on your side for actual time... firm for their time and attention).

A good shop will be happy to accommodate a reasonable, potential customer.

Ask the players whom you meet at the rink if they know the shop in question...

Then go and try on skates.

The whole internet thing is froth with traps and disappointments, hurting feet, and a trail of tears, for 'beginners' - skate buyers who aren't real sure.

no heavy/double socks,

take the time... it's a PITA, but wel worth the effort for some reasonable outcome...

best of luck

EDIT: The 'trying on' is only half of the equation, the other half is the Knowledgeable help of a person who does a good job fitting and knows each skate products characteristics. What a skate 'feels' like in a store try-on may be very different from the way it becomes after 10 or more sessions on the ice.

If you don;t get the manager's attention when you go to try on skates - I would, after making a decision to buy, go to him BEFORE paying and get HIS OK that what you're buying reasonable could/should work... Make him buy into you and your purchase decision. Then , as adjustments are needed, he'll be focused to making it all work for you - commonly, small adjustments sometimes needed.

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Solid advice moreoutdoor, I should have mentioned that the manager is probably who you want to deal with at the pro shops. The employees at my bigger LHS aren't the worst but the attention to detail and concern I got from the manager was much more genuine and helpful then the regular employees who are mostly just kids more interested in their cell phones then me and my hard to fit feet lol

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To the OPS, do you have any other foot issues like pronation, arches, supination etc?

I honestly don't know. Maybe I should get my feet checked out by a specialist. I'm guessing I do, because AFAIK people with flat feet are more likely to have foot problems.

And an update about my situation: I tried tucking my skate tongues instead of flopping them tonight. There was a noticeable difference in comfort and range of motion, so that definitely helped. I'll be keeping my tongues tucked from now on.

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If you have flat feet or pronation, your foot will tend to roll inwards in the skate. Oddly enough this forces the outside edge of your foot up and outward, placing a large amount of pressure on the outside edge of it (from the back of the little toe to in line with the middle of the arch, on the outside edge of your foot) because of the boot. When you remove the boot, the pressure eases, blood returns and the pain can be quite intense.

However you have Grafs which are easy to adjust to correct this, there are a few threads around that show how to move the holder inwards to correct pronation and other issues. Something that figure and speed skaters have been doing for years but the hockey world struggles to understand.

I'm not saying this is your problem, it could just as easily be the wrong shaped boot or it needs extra punching. But I would recommend getting your feet checked out.

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If you have flat feet or pronation, your foot will tend to roll inwards in the skate. Oddly enough this forces the outside edge of your foot up and outward, placing a large amount of pressure on the outside edge of it (from the back of the little toe to in line with the middle of the arch, on the outside edge of your foot) because of the boot. When you remove the boot, the pressure eases, blood returns and the pain can be quite intense.

However you have Grafs which are easy to adjust to correct this, there are a few threads around that show how to move the holder inwards to correct pronation and other issues. Something that figure and speed skaters have been doing for years but the hockey world struggles to understand.

I'm not saying this is your problem, it could just as easily be the wrong shaped boot or it needs extra punching. But I would recommend getting your feet checked out.

I think I may have pronation then. I feel like my feet are always tilting inwards, and I get pain on the outside edge of my feet which intensifies and then goes away when I take off my skates.

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Have a read of this then, it's a great article on pronation and how to fix it in skates (I don't like foot orthotics for the reasons the article explains well).

http://www.ladyinredcreations.com/Ankles_Down.htm

nice article to start a discussion; and it opens some key areas for many skaters.

But really, pronation, to some extend is way prevalent to most of the population. In the case of what essentially is a rigid boot means that 'SMALL' changes will have big effects.

Contrary to the opinion in the article, moving the holder isn't really needed for the majority of pronation issues. And even though forces are focused thru the runner blade, the support, like many architectural structures is carried up thru the holders, across the entire sole.

Flexible structures, like soft running shoes, are actually more difficult to really to solve pronation (and other) issues.

I'm a believer in small increments. Starting with methods which are easily reversible. Which means first dealing with alignment of the forefoot/heel/ankle/ leg.

Readjusting the foot within the boot works well for many. A caveat is that sometimes changes can be problematic. Our body, among other things, really adapts as much as possible to our issues. So long term issues, like pronation, are often adapted to. If a change is dramatic enough, the sudden change can cause issues not there before. Allow the body/foot to adapt over time and the change is often assimilated without issue.

Going to large change orthotics, in a high stress environment like many sports with very defined, sport specific footwear, can also cause issues as much as sovle them

If someone needs foot alignment/adjustment, it's always best to do that in steps. And do reversible options before hard coding changes.

Varus and heel adjustments can handle a lot of issues.

But, yes, boot design is the key. Just because one like the look of a vapor, or a RBX or something else doesn;t mean it's going to optimize that skater's performance.

But then, we all get down the ice, and when I go to 'sticktime' I see the vast majority skaters spending fulltime slapping the biscuit. Except, the kids in class. They're doing drills, working their skating skills.

We have some crazy good kids coming up, and some really good kid's coaches out there...

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I'm fairly certain i've seen the measuring video you are referring to and while it's certainly a step in the right direction of getting skates appropriate for your foot size, it really is just as inaccurate as the Brannock devices you'll find in all of the hockey shops. There is just no substitute for going to a store (or ordering online if you can afford it or get free returns) and trying on every single skate you can in different sizes and widths until you get something very snug but not painful. Your heel should be completely locked in place (no up down or side to side movement from your heel), and your big toe should literally be able to touch the end of the toe cap with your smaller toes not being crushed or curled over.

Definitely don't let yourself fall into the whole "I must be an EE width" dilemma like I let myself for many years until finally being enlightened to proper skate fitting recently. You can always widen a skate, but can't do the reverse so you really want to fit your smaller foot perfectly, and if the larger one is just a tad too tight you can have the width increased by your local hockey shop or it might break in on its own (but you still dont want to be in pain). According to the measurements from the video you watched I am more extreme on width then you (9.75" long but over 4.1" wide so a ratio of 2.37 which is very wide according to that video) but find myself fitting snug but comfortably in lots of D width skates, whereas 2 months ago I would have ONLY tried on EE width skates and been unhappy with the fit.

If you can upload traces of both of your feet wearing the socks you intend with your skates (pics of your feet with the socks on or off themselves might help too, and if you trace your foot make absolutely sure you are tracing with the pen or pencil in a vertical position and don't angle it under your foot) we might be able to guide you to a particular fit that will work for you. I was leaning towards Nexus myself but the heel of it is just too massive and roomy so I get no heel lock. I am now looking at getting Vapors or Supremes so it is very tough to decide without trying the skates on. I'll also add that I was trying on size 5.5 skates and fit into a 3.5 nexus when I wear size 7 4E new balance shoes - another point of why going off shoe size or measurements is just very inaccurate.

The D's I've tried just plain hurt. Being older I don't think I can put up with that like I could ten years ago. If it helps, here is the trace of my left foot (my big foot).

http://imgur.com/CwEM9yU

I wish I could try others on, but the inventory was very limited at the local-ish shop. I've been relegated to ordering a pair, trying it on, then paying to ship it back when it doesn't fit. And to boot, Bauer and various vendors said there are no more 10.5 EE in the Nexus 400 in their inventory. In June they will release the Nexus 5000 which they say will correspond to the Nexus 400. So my options are now to buy a skate that is obviously too big (I had found an 11 EE), keep ordering some different models hoping one works, keep using rentals until June, or bump up my price.

I did find the Nexus 600 in my size, but that is $269. Pretty steep for somebody just messing around. Heck, I'd use the 200 model if I could find that in my size.

Honestly, the best approach would be to find a shop with a bit of selection in the larger sizes and TRY skates on....

I would

Try to find all the shops within 2 hrs (if you have only one within 1 hr... and lacked stock).

Call each of them, speak with the manager and explain your situation.

Give them your 'shoe' size (forget the assumed measurement for now) and ask what he has in sizes which might fit you.

If there's a reasonable selection bettween models and Brands in your price range, then set a loose appt (loose on your side for actual time... firm for their time and attention).

A good shop will be happy to accommodate a reasonable, potential customer.

Ask the players whom you meet at the rink if they know the shop in question...

Then go and try on skates.

The whole internet thing is froth with traps and disappointments, hurting feet, and a trail of tears, for 'beginners' - skate buyers who aren't real sure.

I wish I could, but I'm probably three hours away from some of the better stocked places in Michigan. I really wanted to avoid the internet buying approach, but I can't even find the size I want online or with Bauer themselves.

I think I may have pronation then. I feel like my feet are always tilting inwards, and I get pain on the outside edge of my feet which intensifies and then goes away when I take off my skates.

I'm in the same boat. The bottom outside of my left foot is still sore from my initial skate 3 weeks ago. I have to throw in some cheap Dr. Scholl insoles to help cushion.

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Yeah, based on the trace of your foot i'd venture to say you need a Nexus-ish skate because of the width of your heel. Even looking at my own traces I can notice the different in relation to the rest of my foot (wearing socks). Tough position to be in especially if you are locked into a certain price point. I really wish you the best of luck finding something, i'd say wait until the new Nexus are out and available, certainly don't settle for a skate that is the improper size because its just going to end up giving you blisters or a myriad of other problems.

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