One of the most beloved winter in Russia, and with the opening of ice palaces, already all-season fun is ice skating. So, the outfit for skating is bought, the skates are sharpened, the heart stops beating in anticipation of pleasure, the only thing left is to find out how to properly lace up the skates.
Pay attention when buying
Initially, even when buying skates, you need to make sure that they are correctly selected. The basic rule is that the shoes must be strictly sized, and they must be measured on socks or tights in which you plan to ride. This will help to avoid injuries and extend the life of the skates.
It is undesirable to use skates with plastic shoes, as they are not able to properly support the feet, and it is possible to get injured. Specialists recommend buying skates from well-known companies ("CCM", "Nordway", "Bauer") with leather boots. The stiffer the boot, the less likely it is to tuck your foot when riding. Skates with hooks are more convenient, lacing them easier and faster. It is better if the laces are elastic, nylon. And finally, you need to shoe and lace up your skates; convenience is a decisive parameter when choosing.
Highlights
In order for skating to bring only positive emotions, it is important to know how to properly lace up skates:
- Lacing should start from the bottom up. It is worth focusing on the fact that the stretch in the bow of the ridge is weaker than in the area of the leg lift. This is necessary in order to maintain blood circulation when the ankle is fixed.
- The upper part of the ridge (the area where the ridge usually has eyelets and hooks) should also be loosened for a more comfortable ride.
- Lacing the skate from the outside to the inside, that is, it turns out that the "cross" lies on the boot tongue from below.
- A good way to check the lacing tension is to squat after each pass through the eyelets. If the tension is correct, then this does not cause discomfort or discomfort.
- From a safety point of view, it is recommended to lace up the skates while sitting.
If everything is done correctly, then the skates sit comfortably, and it is impossible to stick a finger under the laces.
Hockey players have their secrets
But not all skates are laced the same way. For example, ice hockey skates have a slightly different look. They are more rigid, unlike speed skating and figured. They should also sit tight on their feet. How to lace up hockey skates?
- When shoeing, it is necessary to loosen the lacing to the third from the bottom of the eyelet, pull out the tongue of the boot and only then put on the skate.
- Before lacing, the heel should be shifted back, the tongue of the boot - to keep the foot in the selected position, the toes - only slightly touch the inside of the nose of the boot. Only after that the skate can be laced.
- To the place of the bend of the foot, the laces are tightened quite tight, then more freely.
It is curious that famous hockey players have their secrets on how to properly lace up skates. For example, Russian hockey players from the time of V. Kharlamov greatly tightened the lacing from the bottom, leaving two or three holes unzipped up from the top. Canadians, on the contrary, rigidly fixed the ankle joint. In hockey, the speed of movement of the player and the technique of riding depend on correctly selected and laced skates.
Important for skaters
The area of lacing of figure skates is usually softer for a more snug fit of the foot with the boot. A few tips on how to properly lace up figure skates:
- If they are new, then before skating it is advisable to unfasten and lace up the skates several times. This procedure can also be carried out in the process of riding, then the ridge boots will sit more tightly on the foot.
- With the correct lacing of figure skates, the heel should not move up or down.
- The nose of the ridge should be laced less tight to prevent circulatory disorders, the ankle should be fixed tightly.
- The upper part should not squeeze the leg or hang freely around the leg.
With long skating, the lacing of the skates weakens, it must be tightened.
How to lace up skates? This question, at first glance, is simple, but the comfort and safety of visiting the rink depends on the implementation of this procedure.