My first time on the ice in years!

[Sawyer365]

I went skating yesterday for 30 minutes, I stayed by the handrail for 2 minutes and then started just skating around and I only fell once! :D
I was in overly puffy rental skates that were too small and made me bleed but it was so amazing and so fun!!
My only problem is that my feet kept going in, not pointing in just like folding in at the ankles...do I have weak ankles? 8O If I do will they ALWAYS hinder me or can I fix them? :frus:

[sarahspins]

Your ankles might naturally pronate.. which means they tilt to the inside. This is pretty common.. a lot of skater's ankles do, especially if you have flat feet. Mine do, I wear special insoles in my cycling shoes to adjust for it (to keep my knees in proper alignment while clipped in to my pedals, otherwise long-term it can cause joint damage), and as I am returning to skating after a 10 year break, I'm currently having orthotics made for my skating boots because I need more help now at almost 30 than I did as a teenager when those boots were made for me... and I think being aligned better in my boot will help a lot (that's actually why I joined the forum last month, to search for more info on anyone who had done that).

That said, it could also be un-supportive rental skates being a majority of the problem. With your own skates you can also adjust the position of the blades a little.. rentals obviously, are fixed in place.

[Clarice]

I would guess that the rental skates are almost certainly the problem. Many people think they can't skate because of weak ankles, when really the problem is boots that are not providing enough support.

[dbny]

You say the skates were too small, but falling inward at the ankles is a sign that the skates are too big, or not laced tightly enough. If you have wide feet, you may have had to wear skates that seemed too small because they were actually too narrow, but also too long. Did you lace them tightly from the bottom and all the way up to the last hook? You should not have tucked in your pants or worn double socks. In any case, I wouldn't worry about your ankles not being strong enough, as this kind of problem can almost always be remedied with a combination of the right skates and the right insoles.

One more thing - many rental skates are so broken down (big creases at the ankles) that they cannot provide proper support, so if you have to wear them again, check both the size and the condition of the boots.

[Sawyer365]

They were really tight on the sides of the front of my foot and I actually had no idea how to tie skates but I definitely did NOT tie them tightly. The lace wasn't long enough to reach the top hook either! :frus:

[Sawyer365]

Now let's just say I DO have weak ankles, I read that standing on the stairs and lifting your heels up and down will strengthen weak ankles. Is that true? I mean, it's pretty easy to do and I have the time so I might as well try it. Even if it doesn't help Weak Ankles it must work some sort of muscle that comes in handy for Figure Skating. :D

[Isk8NYC]

If you DO have some sort of orthopedic problem with your feet or ankles, you should get a sports medicine specialist's guidance first.

The old folks needed something to blame their sore feet on after they skated on poor skates, hence the Myth of Weak Ankles. If you think about how little support old skates had and how heavy the blades were, it makes more sense to blame the skates, imo.

If you're in good foot health, then yes, the exercises you mentioned will strengthen the ankles and feet.

[phoenix]

Floppy ankles in rental skates--pretty much always the fault of the skates, which don't provide much support & once they're broken down are just this side of useless. It will help to tie them as tight as you can bear (you pretty much do this with all skates anyway), but if the boots are too broken down, nothing will help much.

'Weak ankles' is definitely a myth--it is the job of the skate boot to hold your ankles steady.

[dbny]

They were really tight on the sides of the front of my foot and I actually had no idea how to tie skates but I definitely did NOT tie them tightly. The lace wasn't long enough to reach the top hook either! :frus:

That really sounds like they were too narrow for your feet, so you had to get a larger size just to get your foot in, which made them too long. Also, too loose as you couldn't lace them all the way up.

A quick lesson on tying skates:

Put the tail of the blade on the floor with your toe pointing up. Pull the laces tight from the very bottom, holding them as you go up. Tie a single knot before you do the hooks, to hold the bottom tight. Lace the hooks tightly all the way up (do not tuck anything into the tops of the boots). If there is too much lace, do not go around the ankles. Instead, tie a single knot and go back down one hook, cross and come back up to tie your bow. Be sure the laces are pulled all the way into the hooks when you do this, so they don't come loose when you skate. If there is still too much lace, make very large loops and tie a bow (no knot first) with the loops.

When you get your own skates, and start being more stable on the ice, you will want a little room at the top (enough to stick just the first joint of your thumb in the back of the boot), but for now, get them tight all the way up.

[Sawyer365]

I have a quick question that I don't really think needed it's own thread.
The indoor rink is for "Serious Skaters" only, once I start taking lessons I'm able to go in there but is that only while I have a lesson going on? Where would I go to practice?

[Mrs Redboots]

I have a quick question that I don't really think needed it's own thread.
The indoor rink is for "Serious Skaters" only, once I start taking lessons I'm able to go in there but is that only while I have a lesson going on? Where would I go to practice?

Your teacher will tell you that sort of thing when you have your lessons.