I feel like I should make a post and add links to all my newbie questions (I have a feeling they will be numerous...) so it can be made a sticky.

I made my first venture out onto the ice today, yay. Started slow but by the end wasn't doing too badly (luckily there weren't many people out on the ice). However, my skates rubbed my ankles, and it's a bit sore. Over my Achilles tendons (and I see to have small swollen bumps, or maybe I always have bumps there and I just didn't know), and on the outside of my right ankle (I'm guessing I was turning my foot in too much...bad).

Do ankles grow callouses, lol? Or is there something I can use for padding just in that spot? Or is it an issue with my skates not fitting, or maybe snugger socks?

Bunga pads are a skater's best friend.

http://jenskates-llc.amazonwebstore....source=froogle

I just answered your question in the Trading Post. Did you wear rentals, or buy used skates already? If you are in rentals, I wouldn't spring for the Bungas, as they are quite expensive, and getting your own skates may solve the problem. The ones I recommended to you, the Jackson SoftSkates, are very well padded, and none of my students who wear them have needed any additional padding or gel sleeves with them. If you do need gel sleeves, Silipos make a less expensive one which are just as good as Bungas.

__________________

I have a pair of the leather-lined Lake Placid skates right now (and will likely stick with them for a while) but I also know they're a bit big for me and I might need to try something else within a few months, or sooner if these start to bug me. They don't seem uncomfortable or difficult to skate in...I guess first I need to figure out if it's the skates, or my socks sliding around. Maybe next time I go out I'll try different socks and see if that makes a difference.

Nothing should be sliding around in your boots. I'm sorry to tell you that Lake Placids are really not good skates at all. I've never seen a pair that actually fit anyone. They somehow seem not to be made properly for human feet. If you can get a better fit by changing socks, then go for it, but don't put your money into Bungas because the SoftSkates are only about $55 to $60, and may well solve all the problems you are having and some you don't have yet, but will. If I seem to be pushing the SoftSkates, it's because I have put at least a dozen skaters into them with absolutely no problems. Furthermore, they are the only skates I've ever seen that seem to come from the factory with an adequate sharpening.

__________________

I think 95% of skaters who have trouble controlling their skates, and wobble around or slide, have trouble because they don't lace tight enough. I've been going around to beginners who have trouble, suggesting they tighten them, and it almost always works.

Try making them as tight as you can stand, but don't cut off circulation. It's not enough to just tighten from the top, and be sure to use a double knot so it doesn't slip and loosen again. Do not loop the laces around the backs of the boots, cuz that will stretch the lace when you bend and make it loose again too.

If they just don't fit, you can make almost any skates fit, and eliminate the sliding, with some work.

http://mgrunes.com/boots.html

I don't know that brand, so don't know if the skates are worth it. If they aren't stiff enough to prevent injury, that matters more.

On the other hand, if thicker socks do it, great! Higher end skaters often find thick socks too squishy for precise control, but I don't see anything wrong for beginners.

I think the Nike SoftTex and the Reidell similar boots that DBNY likes feel wonderful! They break down fast doing what I want to do, but that won't be an issue for a beginner.

__________________
Mitch Grunes ModifyingBoots FallingGently HomePage

I dont know about callouses, but I developed bursers (like bunions on your ankles) but they cleared when I sorted the problem out, but I could have been in danger of keeping them if I hadnt sorted it out soon enough, you may need to change your boots if it persists.

You had earlier posted that you picked a pair of Lake Placid skates for a song at a yard sale, so I knew this thread was coming, chuckle. I must be psychic. Those are not good-quality skates -- Lake Placid skates have little to no support and rarely fit correctly. I've also seen some with misaligned blades. Sounds like the skates are not sized properly if you KNOW they're a bit big. At least it's just your ankle hurting; most people who wear too-big skates tend to find themselves tripping and falling. They always blade those dratted toepicks, but it's really because their skates are too big.

If your rink has decent rentals, give them a try, or check out the pro shop at your rink. They can measure your feet and tell you what size skates you should buy, as well as recommending a good-quality entry skate.

__________________

It's the top of the ankles rubbing...I thought I wasn't suppose to lace the tops really tight? Hence, they slide around?

With a good skate, you do need to be able to put just the first joint of your thumb in the back of the skate. Any looser than that would be too loose, and any tighter will keep you from being able to bend your knees (because your ankles also have to bend at the same time). However, in a very low end skate which has no reinforcement in the boot at all, like the Lake Placids, you do need to have the entire boot laced up very tightly. You should start at the bottom and pull at each hole, gathering in the slack as you go.

__________________

I'll try that next time then...maybe it'll help. Thanks!

Not only do ankles grow callouses, you can get bone growths which never, ever go away and this can happen within a matter of weeks. It has to do with something like an inflammation or irritation of the outside of the bone which makes the bone grow... Nasty. Happened to me due to ill fitting skates

Use bunga pads or some other gel cushions (I find the gel pads in gel saddles are better than real bunga pads, but that's just me) and get better fitting skates. You don't want to ruin your feet because of 50 bucks. You're in with your feet for the long haul of oh, about 80 years or so, after all.

You are SOOO funny, Sessy! By the way, maybe I missed something.. but does your signature line mean what I THINK it means? Are you back on the ice?

I don't think my feet are going to get wrecked just from recreational skating--which is my plan until classes start up again this fall and I can start taking one: just get used to being out on the ice and skating around...but I found that Rainbo Sports has a store location not too far from me and they sell used skates, so I'm thinking I could go in, have them fit me, and buy skates from them too. And, later this summer I have a dance competition in the same town they're in so I'll probably pop by after my comp (it's about a 20-mile drive so combining things for the trip makes Kat happy...yeah, I know, 20 miles is nothing considering I drive 30 miles one way to work each day, but still).

I'm definitely worried that skating will wreck my feet, knees (falls) or legs or something, because of my dancing...Highland dance is more important to me than skating could ever be (sorry guys ) and I certainly don't want to fall on the ice and break a knee and not be able to dance or something. *shudder* Am thinking about looking into knee pads too....just in case.

Honestly, if your skates don't fit you right or do not offer you enough support, you just might get hurt just trying to learn how to skate. I am a recreational skater who sometimes takes adult classes. I'm also mom to an 11 y/o skater. I speak from experience when I say how important it is to make sure your skates fit properly. Even a beginner needs to have a decent fitting and supportive skate to avoid injury and discomfort. I made the mistake of buying myself inexpensive skates last year. They not only were inexpensive but they were too big too! UGH. A couple of months later, I was in new skates and that time they FIT! What a HUGE difference it made.

So, my advice is to go in and be fitted. Take a look at the used skates and see what advice Rainbo has for you. Once you are in a decent fitting skate, you might be VERY surprised at the difference it can make! I think a lot of people give up on skating because of a poor fitting skate. If every beginner wore a skate fit just for them, I think more people would skate!

Good luck to you. Skating is a ton of fun and great excercise too!

__________________
skating mom to 3 angels on earth and 1 in heaven

You're not alone - many people try to get by on poorly-fitted or low-quality skates and end up quitting the sport without realizing why they're struggling, or replacing them, which adds to landfills. (Or as front-porch decorations, which is what I did with a bad eBay purchase, lol.)

Better to get some help upfront and get skates that will be useful longer.

Just a note: skate shops don't always have every size and width in stock; you might want to have your feet measured so you can keep an eye out for bargains. If you wait until your dance competition, you might be wasting a trip if Rainbo doesn't have that size in their used stock. Some pro shops have more than one store, so if you call beforehand, they might be able to bring over a few pair that might fit. Having the correct measurements for your feet will definitely help them out.

__________________

What was stupid on my part was that I KNEW better! My daughter had been skating for a little over a yr and I had bought her 2 pair of skates by then. I had her measured for the second pair(I had learned by that point!) and got lucky with the first pair becuase they actually fit her! She was in good skates both times(Riedell 21 and Reidell Bronze Medallion). Then I buy myself a pair of skates and I was determined to spend less then 100. I bought a pair of Glacier skates. There are worse skates out there but even with my limited experience, I could tell that the blade wasn't that great(didn't hold a sharpening long which made it hard to work on edges) and like I said, the boot was too big. So, I went from my 70.00 skate to my Riedell Gold Medallion skates in a matter of 2 months. The reason I went with Riedell was simply because I could be fitted for them and I did not want to go through the experience of having a skate that was too big again. That said, after that experience, I knew exactly why coaches and skate fitters tell parents NOT to get more then a 1/2 size bigger in their kids skates.

__________________
skating mom to 3 angels on earth and 1 in heaven

Kinda. I've been back on ice once. Amazingly, everything was still there except the biellmann spin, spiral and oh, about 60% of my speed and "power", which is no surprise at all. Do you have a youtube account? I can show.

They eventually went with, it's not post traumatic dystrophy, it's a different nerve problem which causes me to walk differently which causes an inflammation... So, I have to re-learn walking, walk in a totally different way which is a major pain in the *** because - well you know, habits that die hard 'n stuff.
PT insists I have to skate but... It's been hopeless to get any summer ice because we're moving this summer (yes again... or still, however you wanna see it) and clubs over here that DO have summer ice - a rarity - don't really care to share it with someone who'll be leaving anyway, especially if said someone cannot participate in the lessons and essentially needs a patch to slowly ease into it. Boo hoo. Anyway, I'd be too afraid to really go back in case I'd re-injure myself in a fall just yet, my gut feeling is bad about that and I'm usually all for disregarding fears, but my gut feeling I tend to listen to because it's usually right. I'm thinking it's more of a blessing in disguise that I have to wait till september now, which is why I didn't call *every single* person I could've called for ice. Is that self-sabotage?

Right now I'm working with my PT on building muscle strength back. I'm really starting to love the rowing machine, for one. Leg press, not so much... I spend like the whole day of PT and the next day in bed and I tell you it HUUUURTS. At any rate, that's apparently normal, as long as it subsides after that.

If you're worried about that, you should get yourself some gel knee protectors which are virtually invisible even beneath tights or, if you're cheap, make some yourself from sponge/gel and lycra. Still though, I'd say getting bone growths on your feet is much more likely than doing anything to your knees that'll bother you for more than a few weeks. I skated in ill fitting skates for about 6 months and the result, I don't fit into my latin dancing shoes brand anymore and only barely in my ballroom shoes brand. Plus, I have bone growths on my heels and inside of ankles which now make it that much harder to find fitting skates. 6 months was all it took, but really, the worst of it happened in just the last 2 months in which I was doing lots of jumping...

Seriously, if you don't wanna dish out on new skates, dish out $25 on gel disks (or $5 on a gel bike saddle cover you can cut up, at least). You can use the gel disks when breaking in your future skates or even with dancing shoes, it's not money thrown away. A ballet dancer ex roomie of mine used the same products skaters do.

I'm glad to hear you're working with a PT.. and it's probably not self-sabotage by not getting back on the ice as long as you're already having all the other challenges. From what I can tell, you're one very determined person and you'll get back on the ice when you know it's going to work out, rather than be a stop-and-start kind of thing... which might be worse for you in the long run.

Good luck and I'm still sending you lots of "positive energy".

Think of it this way: How much fun would dancing be in shoes that were the wrong size and didn't fit your feet? You'd probably get blisters and bumps and risk injuring your legs if your shoe fell off - or if you slipped sideways or tripped.

Skates are just as important (maybe more so because there is the element of danger in that you're on ICE and not a floor). Skates HAVE to fit in order for you to learn to skate, do it safely and have fun.

So new skates that fit are probably the best expenditure you could make if you're going to try out the sport. If you have to use your ill-fitting ones, then Bunga pads or gell sleeves might help with the rubbing but there's no guarantee you'll still be able to learn much in skates that don't give you proper support, any more than you can learn to dance correctly in shoes that are too big.

I have to add to this. Even if you are just recreationally skating (versus taking classes to learn to skate) and your skates don't fit, your foot could slip inside your skate, or you could trip, or any number of things just while skating in circles or trying basic steps. You may not even realize that your foot is slipping inside the boot, but if it slips slightly sideways or forwards in your boot, you could fall and seriously injure yourself.

Since I've had two knee surgeries in two years due to this very thing (and I am a competitive skater, but didn't realize they were too big as I was breaking them in) while I was just doing some stroking or something simple, it can happen to you too. Oh yes, and I'm a dancer as well and I haven't been able to take class or perform in those two years.

Please, for your sake, even if you are just skating about in circles, get skates that fit.

__________________
"Without a struggle, there can be no progress" ~ Frederick Douglass

I broke a leg in second hand skates that fit loose, after just a few months of skating. Now I know enough to have modified them to fit (I prefer boots that start slightly loose, so I can), and now I know how to fall, but I didn't then. People probably make the most mistakes that cause both short term injuries and long term problems when first learning. It has to do with being stiff with fear or beginner's over-control, and being uncertain what to do when stuff goes wrong.

You don't really need bunga pads, etc. Blisters covered with band-aids (or other brand adhesive strips) (including while you skate!) will most probably go away. Even a few layers of sports wrap, which is cheap, would probably do it - they all just move the friction away from the skin.

Most beginners think you can just tighten skate laces from on top. But then the loose part migrates upward. So start at the bottom, and work your way up. Try to cover the lace holes as you do (or use waxed laces), so it can't slip back.

I don't leave it loose on top, for the same reason (though there are tricks, like lace locks, or extra knots in the middle between the tight and loose part). Instead, I don't use the topmost hooks at all. But like a previous poster said, with thin leather boots, you should make it tight all over.

__________________
Mitch Grunes ModifyingBoots FallingGently HomePage

Hi Sessy

You are so right, about extra growth near the ankle. I discovered them about 5 years after I learnt my ice skating. My mom brought me to see some kind of specialist doctor, who told her that the growth is just like a cyst, and if that growth does not affect me or anything, then I can just leave them alone lol, (as my mom originally wanted surgery on my growth on the ankles).

londonicechamp

You could still end up needing it. A girl who did (Dutch) nationals and skated at my former club, she had those bumps for years then suddenly they inflamed. She had to have them removed and then she was off-ice for like 2 months. She was allowed to do all the off-ice training still, just not put on her skates. On the bright side, after the surgery she could just put on her skates and that's it, instead of fussing around with sports tape and gel pad constructions for what seemed like ages each time.