Buying the Right Skates 

[ downloadable document pending ]

Parents buying skates for their child are confronted with a bewildering variety of styles, pricing and locations from which to purchase.   Not to mention the desires of a child to buy the skate that they saw on older children or in the most recent flyer.  However, the single most important aspect of skates, the correct fitting, is often one of the most overlooked.  This article is an overview of selecting a proper fitting skate for your child’s foot. 

For help with this article I went to the people at Duke’s Source for Sports in Etobicoke and photographed my son being fitted for skates.  They have years of experience fitting skates and stay current on what is new in the industry.  What follows is a distillation of that process as well as my experience teaching in the Learn to Skate programme of Etobicoke Ringette. The downloadable document also has helpful, play-by-play photos.

Where do I buy my skates?

Unless you are comfortable fitting skates, avoid retail outlets that do not have trained staff.  Fitting a pair of skates is a lot more time consuming than just making sure they aren’t “too big” or “too small”.  Many skate manufacturers have training sessions for retail personnel to make sure they know how to fit their type of skate.  Choose a location by their knowledge.  Does the store send their people to these training sessions?  How many skates has your sales person fitted? 

A properly fitted skate starts with the depth of knowledge of the fitter.  How well do they know the differences between the various manufacturers and between the various product lines?  How well can they match your child’s foot to the proper model?

Hockey or Figure Skates?

The Etobicoke Ringette Learn to Skate programme is closely related to the house league system.  Most of our children move on to playing ringette.  The equipment requirements are almost the same as hockey.   We strongly recommend that you purchase hockey skates for your child.  Many parents still purchase figure skates for their girls and view hockey skates as being “for the boys”.  There is no such thing.  Hockey and figure skates are two different styles intended for two different purposes.  Buy the right skate for the programme your child is in.  

Over the years we have noticed that the children in figure skates always seem to have more trouble learning to skate than the children in hockey skates.  The picks at the front of the blade allow children to “cheat” and push off with the picks rather than with the blade edge.  Also, the picks, which are so useful to figure skaters as they perform jumps and spins, cause many unintended stops and falls with our young learners.   Ringette, like hockey, requires frequent stop starts, sharp turns and fast acceleration. 

How Much Should I Pay?

For good quality skates, for your learn to skate child, expect to pay a minimum of  $100.00   With proper fitting, this level of skate should perform well as your child learns to skate.   Avoid the $50.00 “specials” that are fitted by inexperienced staff.  Every year we have at least one child that skates “on their ankles”.  We’ll talk about this more below.

The Fitting Process

So, we’ve selected a reputable store, we have our budget and we’re off to buy hockey skates.  What follows below is a discussion of the fitting process

2.  The measurement tool used is called the Brannock Device.  It is familiar to everyone from getting their foot measured in the shoe store.  This gives the fitter a starting point for selecting the proper size.  Different skate manufacturers have different devices.  There is movement in the industry to standardize their sizing, but this has not happened yet.  Make sure both feet are measured.  Most people have one foot larger than the other.  It is important that the larger foot is accommodated.  The smaller foot’s skate may need to be stretched or heat molded so that it fits properly.  A good store will be able to take care of this.

3.  Now that we are trying on a skate, start by unlacing the top 3 to 4 eyelets, or completely unlace them and pull the tongue out.  Have the child move their foot forward so that their toes are just touching the front of the boot (toe cap).  Their foot must be flat in the boot and their toes must not be bunched up.    We are looking for a “snug finger” space in the back.  About a third of an inch.

Have your child tap the ground with the back of the blade to “kick” their heel firmly into the back of the skate boot before lacing them up again.  In fact, this is a good practice for children to follow when lacing up their skates at any time.  The heel of the foot should always be firmly placed in the heel of the boot before lacing up.

  4.  To get a feeling if this boot is correct for the foot stand up in the skates.  Rock back and forth.  Assume various stances and try crouching.  While many people will walk around in their skates to see if they fit, this really only works for street shoes.  The rocking and crouching more closely simulates what skating will be like than walking in your skates.

Remember: If the skates are too big, the will cause blisters and foot cramps.  Too small and they will make your child’s foot feel numb and cold.

5.  Some pain or pressure points are acceptable.  The skates must fit snugly to provide proper support.  They will stretch and mold in certain areas as the skate is used and this discomfort will go away quickly.  Areas that are acceptable are as follows:

• Side Ankle Pad
• Side Fore Foot

6.       Unacceptable areas of pain and pressure occur in parts of the skate that will not “give” over time.  These areas must be comfortable from the start.

• Toe box.  This is a hard plastic and rarely molds over time.
• Bottom of foot, arch support.  If your child experiences pain in this area, the arch support is in the wrong area.  The skate is either the wrong size or is not an appropriate type of skate for your child.
• Top of Laces.  If there is pain in this area, the skate is the wrong depth for your child’s foot.  Go with a wider skate or change to a different style of skate

Skating on the Ankles

Does your child skate on their “ankles”?  This is not the result of “weak ankles”.  It is the wrong type of skate for your child’s foot.  If the heel of the foot is not securely anchored into the back of the boot, the heel will lift out and the foot rolls over onto the ankle.   Tightening the laces further simply cuts off the circulation and the child is in great discomfort.  People, and their feet, come in all different shapes and sizes.  Each manufacturer of skates makes various models that accommodate various types of feet.  A good fitter will help select the right skate for your child’s foot.  

Don’t buy “stiffer skates” in the same model.  The stiffness of the skate is related to the material above the ankle.  The problem we are tying to solve is the fit of the heel.  Try a different model or different manufacturer.

Heat Molding

Heat Molding is a technique where the skates are heated and then laced on the skater’s foot.  Pliable material in the skate, softened by the heating process, sets as it cools to the shape of the skater’s foot.  This is similar to what happens as skates naturally break in but it happens in a much shorter time.  Not all skates are designed for heat molding. Don’t ask your fitter to heat mold skates that are not designed for this . 

Tightening of Laces

For the beginning skater, that has properly fitted skates, we recommend that the laces be snug right from the bottom.  Snug does not mean “reef them as hard as I can”.  To support the skater, the boot must be secure and not allow the foot to move around inside.  However, it cannot be so tight as to cause discomfort to the child.  Nothing kills learning to skate as quickly as painful, cold feet. 

The top two or three laces are very important to secure.  They effectively pull the skate heel support into the heel of the foot.  If you have to loosen laces because your child is uncomfortable, try loosening the bottom laces a little but leave the top laces snug.

Used Skates 

There is no difference to fitting used skates as opposed to new skates.  There are a few additional things to watch out for. Are the stitching and liner still in good shape?  How much blade is left?  What is the condition of the rivets and the eyelets?  You can save some money but be sure to purchase and fit them from a knowledgeable source.

Sharpening

Skates do not come sharpened.  Once you’ve selected skates, have the store sharpen them. Once sharpened, the edges of skates are very sharp, so pick up a pair of skate guards. Skate guards will help keep your inquisitive child from cutting themselves and allow them to walk in the rink dressing rooms and walkways without ruining their new edges.

As for sharpening, how often becomes a personal preference, much like blade contouring.  However, this is beyond the scope of this article. 

We hope this gives you enough information to help you select a good fitter and to be aware of what goes into the process for selecting a proper skate.

See you at the rink!