So the other day I learned a fun fact about my coach. The woman spends eight hours a day in her skates barefoot.

Of course, I had a million questions about it, but she had to scoot. So I'm left to ask you guys ...

Who does this?
How did you even start?
And most important ... for the love of God, people, why?!

Ok, I'll start....

I do it.
I was SLIPPING INSIDE AND COULD NOT "FEEL" THE ICE
So, off came the nylons and out came the feeling...I can grip the ice, just like steel-belted radials! I don't slide around inside when my feet get sweaty. It just feels good! After a few sessions it became second nature.

The funny thing? I can't wear my sneakers without socks yet....or any of my other shoes, only my skates!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Lots of people skate barefoot. They claim it gives them more control. I've skated barefoot when I didn't have tights. I didn't find it better or worse. It's not that weird.

j

I skate barefoot. The longest day I have in skates is 4 hours though.

But the reason why is because my skates are too narrow. Yep- taking the nylons off really made a difference. My foot used to go numb in 10 minutes. Now it takes at least 40- which means I can relace between LTS groups and not have foot numbing.

However I find that the sweating actually makes my heels slip more. When I get proper sized skates in a year or so I might go back to nylons if not socks.

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Well, I forgot my socks one day and had to skate barefoot... and loved it.

It's just more comfortable, my feet don't feel as cold, there's no possibility of the tights/socks bunching in wierd places and having to be readjusted.

Plus, it's one less thing that I can forget.

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When asked what his "secret" to success was, Wayne Gretsky said: "Skate to where the puck is going and not to where it has been."
Is the figure skating version of this: Skate as if you're doing an axel and not just learning how to hop?

My coach suggested I try it when I told her my feet were slipping in my boots.
I will never go back! For the first several weeks, my boots stank, but that has stopped. I have no idea why. I just got new boots on Saturday, and am also barefoot in them. No bad smell yet.

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I haven't thought of the possibility that it could give my feet more space in the boots.
Maybe I should try skating barefoot one day and try since my boots stink anyways. I usually only wear thin ankle stockings anyways. But if that is going to magically give my right foot little toe a bit of breathing space... maybe its worth a try.

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Tidesong

I to like skating barefoot and the way it feels but my feet sweat a lot and it can be hard to get my boots off.

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

I've done it once, but didn't care for it. I know lots of people do, though - apparently many elite skaters wouldn't dream of wearing socks.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I did it for a while and liked it - as people have said, you can "feel" the ice much better. It did make my skates a little . . . fragrant . . . though

Then I found 40 denier microfibre knee-highs, £1.00 for two pairs, from Primark which I absolutely love and buy in bulk whenever I am there. I must have about 15 pairs now

Last week, I forgot to take any and had to skate barefoot again. And this time I didn't like it at all! I got terrible lacebite and real rubby areas in my skates!

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Amanda

"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance . . . "

My Skating Journal

I do As soon as I saw Michelle Kwan during a practice session, I decided to try it. Since then I never tried putting on socks again. With socks, I always kept slip sliding all over my boots and it was distracting.
I do get a better grip on the ice and able to really go deeper on my edges.

Here is Michelle at 00:13 putting on her boots

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Tim David's Website

I tried it once, and only got nasty blisters for my trouble. Hubby tried it, and got crater-sized blisters on his heels. (The gel bandaids work wonders for those, btw!)

I usually skate in disposable nylon knee-hi's, and that's perfect for me.

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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

Tried barefoot once. Didn't do it for me...that sticky feeling when you're peeling your foot off the boot... So now I wear trouser socks.

I recently wore full blown gym socks (the thick stuff) and I had one of my best skating session b/c I had enough grip around my foot to the boot. (Which tells me that I'm probably wearing down my boots by now...and it's time to start shelling out money for new boots... )

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

That's it! I'm skating barefoot this afternoon - if I wear half bunga pads is that considered barefooting?!!

I need my bunga pads but I don't think I need my socks. I have skated barefoot in the past and did like it. No way I can do that in the wintertime here though...oh no.



Had no idea so many people were skating this way!

Uh, well, this is all so "revealing!"

There's probably more about you guys that is yet better left unsaid!

I haven't hit that mark where i desire to go barefoot, but maybe the higher up the ladder one goes, the more we take off! ha ha

I LOVE the feel of my skates molding to my feet skating barefoot. Who cares that they make a sucking noise when I take them off!

Excellent. I love it. I'm skating barefoot for the rest of the summer.

I did wipe out badly on forward perimeter stroking today, but it is Friday the 13th and I haven't skated in 3 weeks.

I have to add that the idea of going barefoot really turned me off, and I only did it because I was desperate. The first time I tried it, I found a blister on my R big toe, and a nasty abrasion along the outside of my R ankle. The L foot was fine. After those healed, I stopped having to protect them. My new boots have not marked my feet at all, which I think is an indication of a perfect fit. It doesn't feel gummy or sticky at all. The new boots feel like fine kid leather gloves.

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I, like Flippet, got nasty blisters on the day I forgot my socks and had to "go commando." Never again, thankyouverymuch.

What kind of lining do you have? I've just ordered a pair and went with the suede. The skate fitter was subtly hinting that skating barefoot wouldn't be a bad idea. I currently wear cotton blend trouser socks as the combination of sweaty sock and clarino lining makes my foot stick to the boots I have presently. They're too large so this is my solution, but with customs, they'll apparently stick to your feel all on their own.

I have custom Klingbeils with the smooth leather lining. It's recommended for barefoot skaters.

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ok thanks. I looked at the smooth leather and it felt so yummy but maybe because I've always worn socks is why I was recommended to the suede. Ordering customs was the most overwhelming experience, I'd never had choices before, it's always been "oh good, I can get them on, I'll take them". However, I know several coaches that go barefoot, there's lots of foot deodorizer in the coach room.

That's very interesting because I wear custom Harlick and HAD smooth leather lining which cracked! One of the guys at Harlick said it was because I skate barefoot and I am now in clarino with a vapor barrier to prevent cracking again.

Yikes! The last thing I need is blisters. I was tempted to give barefoot a shot, but I'll wait until I order a new pair of boots and I'll consult with the fitter.

Thanks so much for telling me your experiences!

Hey DBNY,

I just got my custom Klingbeils re-made and would like to talk with you further about some questions.

How can we email each other?