I have been working on spirals and have come across a problem. i can get into position fine and hold the spiral position whilst gliding aloong the rink, but the skating leg is bent.

i tried to straighten it (the skating leg) but that made the top of the back of my boot to dig into my leg and it felt like i was pushing against the resistance of the back of the boot. also, when i tried to straighten the skating leg my heel lifted off the bottom of the boot and all my weight went onto my toes! as a result i lost my balance and almost fell.

when i stand in my skates, my legs are bent at the knee and i have the same problems when i try to straighten them as when i do my spiral. it kinda feels like the boots are bending my ankles forwards.

has anyone else experienced this? do you think there is anything i can do about it?

Can you tell us a little about which boots you have and what state they're in?
I'm asking because my mother had a similar problem. In her case, the boots were simply too stiff and unaccomodating to her ankles - so the boots had to be punched out.

However, while this did fix the problem of the heel lifting in the boot and the knees being unable to straighten, it did not solve the problem on her spirals. This is because one of the things to learn about a spiral is how to have your balance on, basically your heel (well middle of the foot, not toes though).

i have WIFA prima boots (one of the least stiff models) and i have had them for about 2 months of skating 5hrs per week.

So have you considered taking this problem to your skatefitter?

i did mention it when i got my blades sharpened 2 weeks ago but at that time i also had another part of the boot that was hurting me so he concentrated on that and didnt really say what to do about the spiral problem.

so do you think that they can stretch that part of the boot out?

They can stretch anything about the boots you have, the question is, will that solve the problem. It will only solve the problem if you are now not touching the bottom of your skates with your heels when you're standing up. If this is the case, your whole weight will be on your ankles and you should be in quite some pain too. This was the case with my mother, who had skates far too hard for her level.

when i stand up my knees are bent, when i attempt to straighten them, my heels lift off the sole of the boots and all my weight goes onto my toes. the top of the back of the skate then digs into the back of my leg creating a lump and a bruise and a line

definitely something you should take up with your skate fitter then!!!

okay, i will do then.

thankyou for all your help

Aaahhh! Sounds like your boots are too wide in the heel area (my feet are also one width narrower in the heel than in the front of the foot and it's very common). If that's not the issue, then they might just be too big all around.

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hmm, oh dear

ill ask my skatefitter what he thinks. iv only had them for 2 months.

is there anything that can be done if they are too wide in the heel?

I think they can be dented inwards, too.

A coach once told me to try to feel as if someone is pulling your free leg back not up. This might help you to get off the toe of the skate and let you straighten your skating leg without falling forward. Worth a try.

i will try that next time

not sure if it will work though because i cannot straighten my legs when i am wearing the boots even when im just standing up straight on 2 feet.