I have Jackson Competitor skates with mirage blades. I can't seem to brake them in. They have been baked according to the manufacturers specifications. I have not been able to do backwards crossovers nor learn anything new in nearly two months. Also I feel like I am spinning on my toe pick. When I try to rock a little backwards I fall back. I was about a freestyle 1 or 2 now I have been demoted back to a basic 5. My coach wanted me to get custom skates. He did not like it when my mom told him that I was going to get Jackson skates (because they had a boot that fit my measurements perfectly). He told me to get Jackson Competitors instead of Jackson Freestyles. I think the Competitors are too stiff for my level and body frame. What can be done?

get new skates. Try and see if you can sell your old ones to make some money

Soak a pair of your skating socks/tights in warm water, wring them out and put them on at home, wear the skates this way for about 20 minutes. Do not walk around in them, but if you have to, be sure to step down flat (no heel toe action). Try this for several days in a row. Meanwhile, while skating, do not lace the top hook. When you take your skates off, pull the laces as tight as you can and store them that way. It helps pull in the edges.

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I will defer to more experienced skaters, but that 'try to rock backwards and fall over' sounds like a possible blade adjustment issue too.

I have a pair of low end Jacksons with the Mirage blade and after two years they still are not broken in to my satisfaction. I've had them molded twice.
Rather than lace them to the top, I left the top two hooks undone and used ponytail elastics there instead (a trick I got from an old show skater). I've also left the bottom hook undone then laced them to the top when I was doing some problem solving regarding getting a deep enough knee. I don't know if you could jump in boots laced like that.

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I started in Jackson Competitors, but weighed a lot more than I do now (at that time I was about 200 lbs)...and they were very hard to break in. I also skated with the top hook undone for the longest time. I don't know how much either of you weigh if that's a consideration or if the Competitors are just like steel? (I have Elites now and they weren't as difficult to break in although I'm much lighter, but I still had to skate with the top hooks undone as well).

I did a lot of back crossovers, squatting up & down at the boards and doing the same with my skates on at home just to speed up the process.

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

I am at least 5' 4" and about 105 pounds. After my skates were baked they were soft for three days then they hardened again.

When you say "the skates won't break in", do you mean that they remain so stiff in the tongue that you can't bend your ankles properly forward to increase knee bend, or that they are rubbing ankles/toes/other random protruding bones etc, or both? If they're rubbing, specifically where are they rubbing?

Also, what were you wearing before?

Thanks for those tips. I've been having similar problems getting enough knee bend in my dance boots. I know I've just got to put "ice time" into them, but I'm lazy and quite often go for comfort in my free boots because I actually want to make some progress in practice. But I think wearing them at home and doing squats in them might be something I can cope with and hopefully will help get some ankle creases.
I just too much of a wuss on the ice to actually force the boots to bend and so opt for lack of knee bend and then wonder why my back turns have gone west (I'm actually quite impressed I can do them at all - coach is less so!).

Are there any other exercises to get ankle creases into boots?

Not that I can think of, you just have to keep bending in them and you will get a severe case of lace bite, unfortunately. I wore gel sleeves for relief until mine broke in. Keep at it, my Competitors were somewhat broken in within 2 weeks (keep in mind I was fairly heavy and I think that helped). If you skate a lot that will speed up the process, it will be slower if you only skate once a week.

((Now I'm on the other end of the spectrum and my Elites are breaking down...and they are too soft! At least I have a summer to break new skates in (we have no ice but I can wear them around the house).))

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

Already on gel sleeves so should miss lace bite. (I decided after I lost the skin above my ankle on the first outing that I needed gel sleeves).
I think my problem is that I like a lot of knee bend and don't bend enough if I hit any resistance, so whilst I've got enough bend for most things, it's never enough for a nazi-dance coach (BEND more!).

My elites are also getting to the breaking down point, but I've decided I actually like ankle bend in them, and there still tough for ankle support, so I'm ignoring it for the time being. And I can't face breaking in new boots again for a good long while after these ones.

I do like the wearing them around the house idea. I did it when I first got them, but once they hit the ice I stopped and I think possibly you're right, just more house time and squats might get a bit more of a crease in them. (It's that or I'll be taking a hammer to them in desperation).

My feet only hurt in these for one public skate. When I bend my knees my skates rock all the way forward to my toe picks even if I lean back while bending. I have talked to a lot of coaches about this and they say it is because my boots are too stiff. They are so stiff that I can not lace my skates tightly. I was not measured properly for my old skates (Riedell Bronze Medallion 280 with sapphire blades) my skates were a size to big and wide instead of narrow. I was constantly in pain although my skating other than jumps (my feet used to slip out when I would jump) was 100% better.

Speaking as someone who suffered boots that were too stiff for over eighteen months, didn't make any progress during that time, was in almost constant pain, and, as you said, couldn't lace them tightly because they were so stiff, my advice is to cut your losses and get a less stiff boot. If you're lucky you won't need new blades as well, which should save a little money.

Sell the old boots on ebay - if they're completely uncreased (as mine were) they will be fine for someone to use second hand, and you can at least get a little of the money back.

Get to the pro shop, ask them to check why you're rocking to and fro. Often the pro shop guy will know about how your blades will affect your skating and whether any realignment is needed. Coaches may not be necessarily be trained to see how well the boots are mounted and can't do as good a job as the pro shop person.

To help us in answering your question, are you considered light for your age and height? What elements are you working on? How often and intense do you skate per week?

All these will have a bearing on the stiffness of boots needed.

Coming from someone who has Klingbeil S2 Stock for more than a year and STILL not making creases, it depends on how you lace your skates too. I didn't have the option of getting another pair, so I laced loosely and missed a hook. Changed my laces since it's too short and sometimes i accommodated my laces instead. I would lace all the way up, pulling lesser on the way. And then i would hook the laces at the bottom hook and knot it there. Gave me some leeway in bending.

Are your blades too long or short? For both pairs of skates I've gotten, my blades are too short but I didn't know until coach told me. Some people adjust accordingly and can't feel a thing. Others will be very unbalanced.

So, how has your new skates affected your:
-stroking
-spins
-jumps
-turns?

I had Jackson Competitors when I first took figure skating lessons and they took me about about a month to break in then. But once they were broken in they only lasted me a year and I had to switch to Graf Edmonton Specials which only took me a week to break in. But my Jackson Elite Plus boots they took me a year to break in. I should have only bought the Elite boots so that they wouldn't have taken so long to break in. But these boots are now going to last me for years to come unless I all of a sudden start landing lots of 2 jumps.

What I found that was the quickest way to break in the skates was to get to jumping as soon as posible besides wearing them around the house. Yup my skates are now 1 year and 2 months old and they are finally comfortable. Although I do still have to put a shim in between my blade and boot so that I can the required outside edges for Junior Bronze dance, to not cheat my forward spin spiralling edges, get my backspin back to 3 revs after years of now being able to do it and to get my camel spin back.

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When I went from competitors to elites, i really thought I'd been screwed over by my boot fitter...they felt like cement blocks! But, once they broke in, they felt better. I do have to mention that skating in the summer (in a non-airconditioned room on synthetic ice) helped to speed up the break-in for my elites (altho I'm sure it helped contribute to them breaking down already).

A competent fitter would have taken your skills and body into account when fitting you for boots & blades and not placed you into a boot that was too stiff for you.

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

I have custom Klingbeils and have pretty good knee bend (tho my ice dance coach does ask for more once in a while) and no sign of ankle creases in my boots. I've always had strong legs and can even push my intermediate level brand new ski boots down far enough (per a coach who checked it for me). Ankle creases are not necessary for sufficient knee bend if the boots are properly fitted.

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It sounded as though the coach pushed the OP into this boot, though, and the OP and parent probably didn't know any better than to repeat what the coach said.

If you are intent on keeping these boots, lace only the first 2 hooks until you can actually SKATE in them. Then work up to the 3rd hook (which should take a couple weeks from the sound of your size and level of skating) and when you feel you don't have any support left and that you are wobbling in the boot, then lace them all the way up.

I don't know if I am light for my age and height but I know I am a lot smaller than the other girls my age at the rink. I still wear child sized clothes and most people can't believe I am a teenager.

I am landing a single toe loop, salchow, and waltz jump. I used be able to spin in different positions but since getting my new boots and blades all I can do is a scratch spin. I am also learning the pre-preliminary moves in the field test.

My stroking has improved in my new skates. I don't feel as steady as I used to be when I am spinning. My jumps have gotten to be a much higher level of skating than the rest of my elements since getting my new skates. My turns are the same as usual. I just haven't been able to do backwards crossovers without hitting my toe pick or falling backwards.

What does your coach say about the B crossovers? Ask your coach to check how far you can bend your knees both forwards and backwards. It might be that you just haven't gotten entirely used to the new boots/blades yet.

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This does happen, it happened to me with blades.
Once you get used to your boots, you can start lacing them up higher and that should help. Give it about a month or two (more like two because you are lighter).

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

The difference between breaking in and breaking down boots is only a matter of degree, so don't take this too far, but many times repeated heat moldings will break in (and eventually down) the leather of your boots.

Specifically, use a hair drier to warm up your boots (but no more than 160 degrees, just in case the leather or glue can't take it), put your feet in, lace up tight as you can. If that isn't enough, you may need to bend your ankles forward and back a bit, while it is still hot. Repeat until broken in.

If a crease starts to form, you are breaking the leather down - very, very bad. You may have a misfit inside your boots - space near the point of the crease. You should have pretty close to uniform pressure anywhere inside the boot. If you have space in front of or behind your foot anywhere (as many people deliberately do, near the top) you WILL break down the leather. You may want to pad it first so there is no such space.

Breaking in and breaking down are pretty close to irreversable. Do not go too far.

If the wet sock routine works instead, that is probably way more gentle.

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Mitch Grunes ModifyingBoots FallingGently HomePage

Thanks for all your help! I tried a combination of most of your suggestions and I have finally gotten used to my new boots. I have also learned how to balance on my new blades (but I will need to switch to a freestyle blade soon anyway) thanks to other Threads and the advice of another skater's coach. I am so grateful to everyone that has helped me with my new skates over the last month. Well, anyway thank again!

You're welcome. Glad we could help. What blades are you using now? If you go with a blade that has the same rocker as your current blades, it won't be so much of a change for you.

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YES!!!!!! This is the best way to break them in without giving yourself shin splints, knee/hip problems and lacebite. It should also allow you to bend your ankles and knees again, so you won't have that weird rocking thing going on.

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