What Do I Need?
Boots & Blades
You can't skate without skates! I require beginner skaters to wear figure skates. Only advanced hockey skaters may wear hockey skates. Double-runner skates are not permitted. Any skate with a hockey-style blade and adjustable "grow with me skates" are not suggested for beginners in lessons.
Figure skates are different than hockey skates in that the blade has less of a rocker and a toe pick. You may rent these from the arena to begin your skating journey.
Skates are the most important piece of equipment that a skater will use. So, skates need to fit properly and support your ankles.
Incorrectly sized and fit ice skate boots can cause foot discomfort, affect skater performance, cause premature skate breakdown, and lead to injury. So, it is essential that your skates fit properly, whether you own them or rent them!
- It may be counterintuitive, but wear thin knee socks! Thin socks, such as knee highs, allow you contact with the boot and do not bunch up in the boot. I only wear skating socks from Nita Sports and highly recommend them!
- One of the most common mistakes skaters make is to assume your skate size will be the same as your street shoe size. Like quality shoes, each brand of skates has different sizing.
- Skates should fit your feet today and fit like "Cinderella's slipper!" Boots sized too large with the hope of the skater being able to grow into them is a mistake because the skater's foot will not be balanced correctly over the blade!
- Skates that are big don’t fit or support the foot properly and can cause discomfort, breakdown, and could lead to injury.
- Length: is the foot resting comfortably flat in the skate and not putting excess pressure on the toes?
- Width: does the skate provide adequate comfort for the ball joint area of the foot and allow proper arch support?
- Heel: is the heel of the foot seated comfortably and snug in the heel area of the skate to provide maximum foot control?
- Ankle: does the skate fit comfortably & properly around the ankle and shin area to allow the desired firmness and strength?
- The end of your toes should lightly brush the end of the boot. You do not want to be able to slide your toes side to side in the skate. If your toes slide sideways in the skate, this indicates that the boot is too wide and a narrower width is needed. Another way to determine if the skate is the incorrect width: look at the boot when laced up with firm lace tension. The lacing width should not be too close together if it is the boot is too wide for your foot. Also, if the lacing width is too far apart, the width is too narrow.
- Boots laced too tightly can cause numbness and pain in your feet. To be your best on the ice, your boots must be properly laced.
Your blades need to be sharpened, on average, after every 20-40 hours of ice time. The specific depth of hollow will vary depending on the skater. I have my skates sharpened by Greg at Polar Skate Shop and highly recommend him.
Should I Buy My Own Skates?
Boots and blades are every skater's most important equipment. I highly recommend that all skaters have their own pair of skates.
The advantage to owning your skates rather than renting is that you have control of the blade sharpening, boot, and lace condition. You will also experience consistency from session to session. You can even customize the blade setting, depth of hollow, and mold the boots for a perfect fit!
Inexpensive skates from a big box store or a “great deal from a yard sale," are often not the value you think they are.
Specifically, I do not recommend that my skaters wear "adjustable" or "grow with me" skates. This is because the blade is always the same size, which is not appropriate for learning to skate. My personal experience is that skaters that wear this kind of skate will struggle. I have often taken them off the ice and asked parents to rent skates instead.
I also do not recommend hockey skates or any skate with a hockey-style blade to beginner skaters because the blade design makes it more challenging to learn how to skate.
Never go more than a half-size bigger than your skater's foot. They should be sized for today, not next year. Skaters trying to learn to skate with too large skates often struggle.
When I discover this issue, I take skaters off the ice and recommended that the parents rent skates to continue with the lesson.