HELP!!! I dont know how to tie my skates! ok i just got new skates and i dont know how to tie them. I usually tie them tight at the top and loose at the bottom but i cant bend my knees when i tie my lace tight at the top. How do i tie my ice skates? Please help
Thanks in advance;
Tiffany

When I get a new pair of skates, I don't tie the top hooks until I get them broken in a bit, so that I can bend easier, especially if you have a stiff pair of boots.

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- Ashley

They should be snug across the foot (not too snug or you'll cut your circulation off!); tighter across the bend of the ankle (your heel should not move up or down); looser at the hooks so you can bend (I don't even lace my top hook after 1 year on my new boots).

Some people do weird back and forth twisty things with their laces also. Whatever works!

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

ok so how loose should i tie at the very top?

I pull them reasonably tight, but not super-tight, through the holes. Then on the hooks, I pull them all very tight, but leave the a little bit of looseness in the very top hook (just keep experimenting with ankle movement until it gets the right feel to it), or sometimes I skip the top hooks entirely.

But I think everyone's probably got a different preference for what works best for them.

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You should be able to stick the tip of your thumb into the back of the boot at the top. Lacing is an art, and there is no one right way for everyone, but this is what I teach my students who ask or who have obvious problems with lacing:

1) Put your foot into the boot and kick the heel in, by kicking the tail of the blade against the floor (rubber matted, of course).

2) With the tail of the blade on the floor, and your toe in the air, lace the bottoms as tightly as you can stand and tie a single knot before beginning the hooks.

3) To lace the hooks, put your skate flat on the floor and push your knee over your toe. Then lace the hooks as tightly as you can. When you are done, your heel should be snug, and you should be able to stick half of the first joint of your thumb into the back of the boot at the top.

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My coach recommends to me a different technique:

-Make sure your heel is snug in the back of the boot
-Tighten the laces all the way to the first or second bottom hook. This holds your foot in place and supports your ankle
-Loop the laces on the top two hooks, but not nearly as tightly as the rest of the skate. This gives you support, but allows for knee-bend.

When breaking in my skates, I left the top hook undone for a while.

I just keep mine undone, and it's been about a year. I swear these things are bricks! I still have no creases! I think they were mis-labeled and I got the Jackson elites they are so stiff!

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

LOL, Skate@Delaware! Hate to tell you this if you're looking for creases to appear, but I've had my Competitors for over 2 years now, and there are *still* no creases! (Plenty of scratches and punch-out marks, but no creases.) And they still feel like boards along the sides, and I still leave my top hooks undone (it's either that or I can't bend the knees - and you all know what coaches say about bending the knees!)

It's nice to know that I've got good company! I'll stop looking for creases, then. It also pains me to know that I've got to get new boots next year as these are too big (I lost weight and my feet got smaller...) and having sized the next size down-my blades won't fit them so I'll need new blades also $$$.

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

Yes, but what a nice reason for having to get them! My congratulations to you.

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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!

Well, there's at least one bonus of no creases - you should get a good price for the current set on the secondhand market...which will help the hip pocket when the time comes to get the smaller pair. And I second Mrs Redboots - congratulations!

I have Jacksons and no creases too! I thought it was because I wasn't bending my knees. Mine are 4 years old and just getting creases.

Me three--I've had my Jacksons nearly 3 years and the landing foot has had very mild creases for about a year, but the non-landing foot has no sign of creasing. But I don't feel I was overbooted to begin with, and the breakin period was fairly short for me, mostly consisting of discomfort around the ankles, even in bungas.

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are jacksons a good boot?

YES!! If you get a high enough model, but not too high!! I know that sounds confusing!?!?

I was going to go for the Freestyle, but got the Competitor instead. It's just a bit stiffer and has better features-foam tongue instead of a wool-like padding. And, like everyone else here has mentioned, stiff enough to last for years! I paid about $200 for just the boot, but you can get a boot/blade combo for about the same price so if you average it out over 3-4 years, that's a good price to pay!!

It's heat-moldable and feels great after 5-10 hours of break-in (sometimes even less). When I first got mine, I skated in an ice show after only 5 hours of break-in time.

I absolutely love my Jacksons!

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

I'm good with Jackson boots, too. My fitter (Jonathan English, Peabody Mass.) Reccommended the Elite over the Men's Freestyle (no Competitor model for men). It was the right choice for the ice. I also bought a pair of Freestyles last summer & put inline skate frames on them. The tongue is padded with a wool-like felt pad and the fit is far less conforming.

The women's Competitor sounds like a little of both. Probably the right place to start unless you're like me & had a strong skating background on hockey skates. Sometimes I think I bend my knees TOO much!

Thanks, Annabel! I think you are to be congratulated also!

I'm going to have to break down and get another pair of skates...but I'll sell the others on e-bay. I'm sure I'll have takers, as larger sizes get snapped up quickly. And, seeing how I've even got one pair that's a D-width, it won't last long.

My husband almost died when he saw how much his "used" skates will cost when he needs to buy a new pair!!! He bought them for $75 and they were pretty well abused but he may be able to get another year out of them....maybe. He is gravitating towards a dance boot though. I didn't have the heart to tell him blades are separate!

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

- Tie your skates while pushing your heel down into the boot.
- Tight in the toes and front of foot
- Less tight in the arch area
- Tight in the ankle
- Don't lace all the way up to the top hook. Leave the top hook unlaced until you feel the need for additional ankle support.