Loose vs Tight Ice skates

[jirwin1097]

Hey guys I apologize in advance if this is not in the correct thread, or forum for that matter. I was wondering if I can get some input from those who play/played ice hockey...

So ihve been playing ice hockey since I was 7 (I am not 27). My whole life I been tying my skates up as tight as possible. I even loop the top lace around my calf for extra support. I just really like the feel I guess. But recently a teammate of mine brought it to my attention that by lacing my skates so tight I'm sacrificing edge control. Is this true....

Also, I gave it a shot about a month ago, and tied my skates looser. Not only did I not like the feel, but I almost blew my knee out when trying to make a stop! Did I tie them too loose??

I maybe experiencing the two extremes. If this is the case can someone give me a good rule of thumb, to tell how tight skates should be.... Tight enough to offer support to the ankle and knee, but loose enough to utilize edges.
Thanks!

 

[jorbjorb]

not too loose not too tight is for me.
waxed laces so they hold up throughout the game.

 

[Ozz]

Some people like wrapping the laces and going extra tight, I was never one of 'em.

Different skates, to me, require different tightening specifics, but for my current Bauer Vapors I'm tightening everything very much except the top eyelets which really lay into the tongue. When I tie those eyelets, I lean forward a little to mimic my stride and then tighten to that "measurement". When I stand they feel a tiny bit loose (but fully seated/supported) at the top, though when I skate/flex they feet tight where they should so I don't lose any support, feel, edges, etc.

Perhaps a mix of tightness throughout the eyelets would be worth exploring?

 

[SCBlueLiner]

Hey guys I apologize in advance if this is not in the correct thread, or forum for that matter. I was wondering if I can get some input from those who play/played ice hockey...

So ihve been playing ice hockey since I was 7 (I am not 27). My whole life I been tying my skates up as tight as possible. I even loop the top lace around my calf for extra support. I just really like the feel I guess. But recently a teammate of mine brought it to my attention that by lacing my skates so tight I'm sacrificing edge control. Is this true....

Also, I gave it a shot about a month ago, and tied my skates looser. Not only did I not like the feel, but I almost blew my knee out when trying to make a stop! Did I tie them too loose??

I maybe experiencing the two extremes. If this is the case can someone give me a good rule of thumb, to tell how tight skates should be.... Tight enough to offer support to the ankle and knee, but loose enough to utilize edges.
Thanks!

Tying your skates so tight and wrapping the laces around the top doesn't sacrifice edge control, it reduces ankle flexion. Basically, it prevents you from getting the proper knee bend since you can't bend at the ankles and therefore you cannot get full extension when you stride.

It is personal preference and a matter of getting used to, but you should tie your skates firm (not overly tight) at the bottom and through the mid part of the skate to lock your ankle in and then a bit looser at the top so you can get bend in your ankles to have a proper skating form. You sometimes see players leave the top eyelet or two undone so they can get good ankle flexion. The price you pay for that is decreased lateral support.

The reason you almost blew your knee out when tying them looser is because you lack ankle strength and balance. Starting about age 9-10 I have the kids I coach tie their own skates. Imagine a 10 yr old tying his hockey skates, not very tight, right. Helps them develop strong ankles and balance. I coach 11 yr olds now that barely have their skates tied and they skate great. They're used to it.

I'd start gradually tying them looser at the top and not wrapping extra lace around the ankle. Eventually you will get used to it. You will never develop the ankle strength you need and develop a proper skating stride until you get used to your skates being looser at the top.

 

[capebretoncanadien]

I like em real tight with the wrap at the top and some tape also maybe that's just me.

I don't know about this ankle flexion stuff I skate just fine and have for 25 years.

 

[MattGTI]

Admittedly, I over tighten my laces as well. I really tourque them down. Its how I have done it since a kid.
I just feel my form is better when my skates feel super tight.

I don't tape around the top of the boot, or wrap the laces around the top though.

Just tighten and tie.

 

[jirwin1097]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

[Razzmatazz]

I read somewhere that Paul Coffey wore undersized skates so that they would be extra tight, painfully tight. My first pair of skates were a little looser, and I used them for a few years, but I felt like I was lacking something in the skating department. I went a size smaller on my newest pair of skates, and unfortunately then wasn't able to skate for a couple years. When I went to an open skate recently, it was too painful to skate for prolonged periods, I had to come off and completely remove my skates every few minutes. I went for several days in a row, and probably around the third day, my feet stopped hurting, and suddenly I was flying. I feel, once you break in tighter skates, you have much more smoothness, speed, and control in your stride then looser skates, I just hurts a lot more at first.

 

[TheRedShadow]

I struggle with this. Too tight and I get numb feet quite quickly. Too loose and my skates have too much [play and I don't have the feeling for corners. These days I tighten them only just snug then do a lap or two and tighten em a bit more.

 

[izzy3]

I believe it's preference, but I like em loose.

There's a lot of factors going in, I have pretty wide feet, so even my wide Reeboks fit snug in the footbed, I do not really need to tighten the laces to have a snug feel. I lace up loose, just enough so that the skate hugs my foot. Then I pull pretty tight on the skatelock to keep my heels locked (can't do it with anything else, only with skatelock), then VERY loose on the top, I do like a deep kneebend.

I know a lot of guys who lace painfully tight though, and they're awesome skaters.

 

[iamjs]

I read somewhere that Paul Coffey wore undersized skates so that they would be extra tight, painfully tight.

It was either three sizes smaller than his street shoe or three sizes smaller than his recommended skate size.

I tried going down 2 sizes for a game since I had a broken blade and couldn't get it fixed on short notice. It might have been one of the worst games I ever had. Not because of how I played, but I kept on waiting for a point where the pain would go away. It never happened.

 

[Thesensation19*]

I need tight but obviously not blood stopping tight. And I tried the whole laces around the ankle thing and found it just limits my range of motion in my ankle.

 

[SCBlueLiner]

There is a difference between a snug fitting skate and wrenching down tight on the laces. Your skate should be a snug fit. You should have no heel slippage and your toes should at least graze the end of the boot. What I posted earlier referred strictly to tying your skates so that you can get proper ankle movement.

Personally, I wear a size 13 street shoe and a size 11 skate for coaching. When I push it in drills I feel slippage in the boot and very sloppy but since I'm just coaching I'm going for loose and comfortable. If I was going to go back to playing I'd go with a 10.5. maybe even size 10.

 

[American in Paris]

I've experimented with looser skates over the last 2 seasons and have found that the looser I make my skates the better I skate. I now skip the top eyelet and lace/tape my skates with my ankle in the fully bent position.

This has increased my agility - mohawks, transitions, tight turns... - quite a bit.

 

[goonx]

From my own research and experience, wrapping the laces around your angles is never a good idea.

takes away the flexion from your ankles and won't give you that deep knee bend to "power" your strides.

I tie my skates by hand (no lace puller). Snug from bottom to ankles. I tie it up to the top eyelet with a bit of looseness.

Like another poster said, I can skate with my skates untied because of balance and strength developed. My advice is NOT to wrap your ankles and slowly train your skating again by going to public skating

Waxed laces.

 

[TimbeS]

I guess I fall to the "loose" category as well. Never played hockey in a club but my dad thought me to not tie them too tight.It's probably just personal preference

 

[moreoutdoor]

tying laces is a very personal thing.
I tend to vary the tightness as I move up.
there is a way to 'lace' the skate so that each eyelet can be adjusted separately for tension.
Convention is to bring the lace into the eyelet from 'under'.
I've laced using bring the lace into the eyelet from 'over', since ??? steel holders ??? allows you to adjust tension each eyelet, cause the over lacing 'locks' the tension, reduces the need to 'adjust' after some skate time...
pic - left side is 'convention' lace under
right side is 'lace-over'...