Simple Modifications for Better Fitting Figure Skates!

Hello Skaters! Today I am visiting the pro shop at my local ice rink to chat with skate technician Shawn, and learn about modifications you can do to your skates to give them a better, more comfortable fit. You will learn about Heat Molding, Skate Stretching, and Boot Punching. I hope you enjoy the video!

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My Figure Skate Blades are MK Gold Star Revolution

Coach Julia has been skating (first on roller and then on ice) for over 30 years. She was a competitive skater until she turned 21 when she got her first contract as a professional show skater. Julia has been a figure skating coach for 15 years, is a USFS Gold Medalist in Moves in the Field, and an ISI Gold Level certified judge. She has held positions as the Skating Director of the largest skating program in the United States, as well as Head Coach at two different skating clubs. Julia has now turned her skills towards a larger audience and is bringing her love and knowledge of skating to all of you!

[StillAliveAndKicking_]

I had very expensive hockey skates and didn’t realise they did not fit, there was no lateral ankle support. I recently bought new boots which are incredibly thermoformable, and I was able to heat mould them round my foot. The right one was not perfect so I rebaked it, put it on my foot, wrapped it in a towel, placed a piece of wood each side of the ankle, and a pair of clamps to pull the wood together and compress the skate until cool. The fit is perfection. I was for years struggling to learn powerpulls and inside three turns. A month after getting the new skates I my crossrolls are now very good with deep edges, powerpulls are very good and so on. Skate fit is key. The difference in ease of skating is incredible. There is a company that makes heat mouldable carbon fibre figure skates, which are far more mouldable than others. They were developed by Scott Van Horne who developed my hockey skates.

[lauren]

Doing gods work getting the skates to that perfect fit. These methods have worked great for my 9 year old who grows all the time.

[idabengtsson]

Thank you so much for this video. 💕I had no idea that you could do all these modifications. Been having trouble with my skates ever since I got them, so this really helped me! Thank you💕

[deesterdee]

Yes, I do all these with mine as well. Thankfully these options exist!

[deesterdee]

Fun to see how it is really done behind the scenes!

[orange_leaf]

I ABSOLUTELY need to punch and maybe stretch my skates (I have had them heat molded) hello centered turns

[yevan]

That’s very interesting ! I actually learned a lot from this video ! 👍🏻

[JoakimFröding]

This was really a good teching program.I love it.I wonder if Edea Icefly boots can be stretched.My daughter skates here in Sweden and use these boots but sometimes when she change boots she feels a pain.

[chiutwan]

Great video! Can you also talk about how adjustment to insoles might help skates fit more snug and help correct blade mounting issues? I had problem skating on a straight line when I was on one foot until I added small pads under my insoles between arch and heel. Somehow using insoles with any arch support hurts my arches, so I’m glad to find this adjustment. I used to also have pain when I skated backwards. A coach told me adding some padding under my insoles on the front part might help and it did! My feet still have slight pain when I do certain things such as spins, so I’m still experimenting with different adjustments. It’d be nice to pick your brain on this subject.

[Cyphlix]

Got some new skates and only now realising my asymmetric navicular heel bulge, skate punching sounds perfect :D

[kristynnlee]

I had two out of three done today by Keith!!

[Fanyullette]

I am suffering through break-in hehe. But I didn't punch out anything cause when I described the pain area they told me it will be fine with time. Now I wear them around the house and do crossovers & cross rolls lol. Seems to be working tiiiiny tiny bits by the day (boot got here Thursday)

[lelija]

Hey coach Julia! This is completely unrelated to the video but i wonder if you have advice on what to do if i get really bad headaches when doing my spins? I am practicing on ice and at home and after 3 spins i am so dizzy and nauseous i actually vomited once and i get really painful headaches when spinning. Like pretty bad. I cannot spin over and over because my head feels like exploding. I can do one spin and another and then i need to rest for 10 minutes and i dont even rotate more than once when spinning. I really wish i could get this fixed because it is forcing me to go out of my spin and stop because its so bad and painful i feel like i will vomit on the spot and that my head will explode at the same time. Thanks in advance!

[rosytellez]

Thank you for this video! It came just in time for our new skates. I have a question, can you talk about the difference between blades? Which are recommended for freestyle?

[pattyl]

Thank you for the video! It is very informative and helpful. Are there any options to change the insoles of skates to adjust for flat feet? The skate technician at the pro-shop said skating is different than walking so don't need orthotics if I don't feel pain or discomfort. However, my toes are always crunching up and toe picks scratching the ice when I skate backwards, not sure if missing arch support can contribute to the problem.

[jockef]

Hi!
I'm from Sweden and follow your great tips a lot and gets inspired and learn so much.
I hope you can help me.I got some heel pain in my boots.How can I fix that?
🤷‍♂️🙄🤔

[PatriciaPureora]

This is fantastic ! Unfortunately, we don't have that in our country. Where is this place ? I might consider traveling.

[juliagreen]

Hello! This was a great video that was very informative. I also had a lot of ankle bone pain and needed to punch out the left foot quite a bit for it to not make me cry during sessions :). Unfortunately, there is now some extra space in the boot that is letting my foot wiggle a bit too much for a stable skate session. Are there any recommendations for this to help make my boot conform more tightly around my foot?

[Michelle_Volk]

What about over the top of the foot, can they punch out the tongue? I feel like mine is putting a lot of really uncomfortable pressure over the top of my foot. I have to leave my laces pretty loose over that area because of the pain

[micahramos]

Hi. I have second hand skates that are hardly used (Wifa Champion light, wide). I believe the fit in terms of length is good (size 37). But I feel some space in the area of the ball of my feet. Would you please give me tips to make my skate more snug fitting?