Proper lacing of hockey skates is a guarantee that your skating will be held in complete comfort. However, if your skate does not fly off your leg, this does not mean that it is correctly laced. A slight gap may not be felt, but improper lacing of the skates is poor movement during a game or skating. This is very important, since the main thing in hockey is the speed of movement.
Skate selection
Only branded shoes are of good quality, as they are designed taking into account all the features of the legs, which ensures maximum comfort. Skates must be chosen exactly in size, if you do not follow this rule, then the period of their use will be greatly reduced, and the likelihood of injury will increase, and this is very unpleasant.
Skates measure immediately on those socks in which you have to ride. The stiffness and model of the shoes are chosen in accordance with the level of riding. Most importantly, skates should sit comfortably on their feet and hold their ankles tight. In the case when skates are bought for recreation, you should not choose sports models, it is better to give preference to soft and comfortable things. Lacing hockey skates (photo on the right) is slightly different from lacing figured.
What is lacing
Lacing of skates is an important component of a comfortable stay of the foot in the boot. The boot is laced from bottom to top gradually. To ensure normal blood circulation, it is weaker in the area of socks, to protect the ankle from injuries and to maximize fixation of the heel in the area of leg lift, it is denser. The upper hooks are weaker, this is necessary to increase comfort. Pull the laces from the top of the hooks around them. In order to improve the girth of the foot with the boot and to facilitate lacing, they try to make its area softer. It is advisable to lace up and undo the shoes several times before the first ride. Also, these actions can be performed during the ride itself.
Successful Lacing Tricks
It is important to know that the shoe will not sit well until you have the right lacing. To do this, remember a few tricks. Firstly, the laces should in no case be thick. It is better to give preference to nylon, they stretch well.
Secondly, in the area of the flexion of the foot, the shoes are laced tight, after which they are tightened with a simple knot with the additional lacing crossing over the knot itself. Thirdly, it is better to lace up from the outside to the inside. Crosses from the laces will lie on the tongue of the boot. This type of lacing provides a snug fit to the foot. Proper lacing of hockey skates, the photo of which is presented in the article, will avoid many injuries.
Proper tension distribution
Many people make a big mistake by tightening the lacing tighter directly near the fingers, thus disrupting blood circulation. But it is also impossible to leave too easy, because the leg can scroll inside the boot, and the toe will separate from the insole. The lower and upper pair of holes is pulled together so that the heel fits very tightly not only to the back of the boot, but also to the insole. Lacing the skates should end with a slight pull, this is necessary if you plan to do deep squats while skating. A quick tip: on each pair of holes or hooks you need to check whether you can sit down.
Which is better: holes or hooks?
Many people prefer skates with hooks rather than holes. Why? Skates are denser and more comfortable sitting on the foot. The lacing process is greatly facilitated. You can freely take off your shoes to warm your legs, there is an opportunity to relax more often.
Correct lacing of figured skates: on the laced skate, the distance between the hooks is 2 or 2.5 cm. When lacing the top of the
shoes, the lace is thrown on top of the hook, then winds down under it, then - up in the direction of the next hook. What happened: a loop around each hook. It is needed so that the lacing holds better. After that, it is advisable to check whether the shoe is squeezing the foot (check with a squat). Another point: with the correct lacing, it is impossible to put a finger in the horse.
Figure Skating Lacing
You learned how to lace up hockey skates, now let's see how to lace figured right:
- Weaken the lacing of the boot to the third hole from the bottom. We pull the tongue, deflect it forward and put on the skate. The foot should feel comfortable staying on the insole and fill the boot completely. There should not be empty or too free zones (especially for fingers and lifting).
- Before starting the lacing, slide the foot in the boot well back, the heel should fall into place.
- Lacing of the skates should start from the toe of the boot. The tension should be moderately strong so that the skates fit snugly on the leg and the toe does not separate from the insole. Also, it should not be too long, it can disrupt the circulation in the foot.
- As in hockey skates, the lower and upper pairs of hooks are tightened so that the heel is properly attached to the back of the shoe.
- Figure skating is constant attacks and squats. In order to freely perform the trick, the lacing should not end with excessive tension. Each pair of hooks should be laced slightly weaker than the previous one, but still be reasonably tight.
- Then we try to get up with our legs closed. Check if the heel is moving forward and moving in different directions. Does the shoe itself sit on the foot tightly, but comfortably, and the fingers lightly touch the cape of the shoe? Congratulations, you completed the lacing successfully.
- It is customary to lace up the shoes several times, so they sit more densely on the foot. But if during riding you felt something was amiss: pressure in the boot is too strong - loosen the laces, if the position in the leg is too loose - pull them up.
Now you can lace up any skates yourself, whether they are hockey or figured.