Lateral v. Forward Bend Stiffness

[bl4 38]

Apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere, but I'm curious about the relationship between lateral and forward bend stiffness.  

For years, I wore the stiffest skates I could find because I felt better in skates that provided lots of lateral support.  One of my feet pronates significantly, and I skated better with more lateral support.  I never had any issues with my forward knee bend or lace bite despite tying my skates as tightly as I could up to the top eyelet.

In a more modern composite boot, though (Bauer One 9), I have struggled with insufficient forward flexibility (i.e., I feel like I'm not getting as much knee bend, and I developed lace bite), even as the boot has broken down and - over time - weakened in terms of lateral support.  Initially, I had concluded that the composite boot might simply be too stiff for me, which was causing the forward flexion issue.  But, I'm starting to struggle with pronation (usually a sign for me that the boot is breaking down, and it's time for new skates), and I still am not getting as much forward flex as I was used to in older skates (8090s, Grafs, old top of the line Vapors and Supremes).

I'm in the market for new skates and am curious if others have struggled with similar issues.  If so, did you conclude that the forward flexion issues/lace bite were caused by an overly stiff boot?  Or, are there skates that continue to provide grate lateral stiffness, while allowing for more forward flex?

[puckpilot 312]

There were/are things I do to address the forward flex issue. First I stopped using the top eyelet.

Second, I began practicing not using the top two eyelets and I eventually went down to not using the top three eyelets during practice. Found it strengthened my ankles and made it so I didn't have to tighten my skates as much.

Third thing I did was start using two laces on each skate during games. One for my bottom eyelets and another for the top eyelets, still skipping using the top eyelet. This allowed me to better control the tightness of my skates.

Fourth, I went back to using one set of laces per skate when I found a lacing method that gave me good lateral stability, great forward flex and great heel lock. Something you could try. If interested here's a link to a post with pics describing what I did. 

 

 

[Vet88 673]

You can have the stiffest boot in the world but as long as your volume is ok you will not get lace bite. Lace bite is caused by to much pressure on the tendons and this generally starts with a boot that is too shallow across the 2nd to 4th eyelets. The cut of the boot has changed over time, by the sounds of it you should look for a boot with a little more depth than Supremes. Or you can try what Puckpilot suggests or use eyelet extenders.

It's good to see that you understand what pronation is doing to your boot and how a stiff boot helps provide the lateral support you need to help with your skating. Downside with this approach is that your boots break down a lot faster than they would for other players. Without doing anything else to help your pronation, you need the stiffest boots you can find. Maybe look at AS1's or consider customs Trues with shotblockers built in and ask for extra reinforcing wrap on the inside rear quarter to the sole of the boot.

[bl4 38]

Many thanks, guys