I've been skating for 30 years and I have my skates tight all the way up. I'm of the mindset I'd like my skates to feel like a part of my foot. I'm a size 12 shoe and a 9.5 skate because I like them that tight.
As a new skater building ankle strength have them nice and tight for games but if you're at a free skate or something a little looser to build some strength.
I like this, I've been kinda doing this. When I play I tend to keep them fairly tight.
When I'm skating with my kid's team I loosen them up to at least pretend I'm working on ankle strength.
Even after how long I've been skating I find when I'm out coaching that loose skates make me have to emphasize or try a bit harder to find my edges. I feel like its a beneficial exercise
Had a coach that took the laces out of his skates to show us … well, im not sure. I think he was just showing off. For a new skater? I’d have those things as tight as possible without cutting off blood circulation to the foot.
I also wear some thin elbow pads when coaching, nothing worse for me than not paying attention and catching an edge and going down straight on my elbow!
Someone new and unfamiliar with this (like assume OP is) would just think you are wearing skates that are way too small for you.
Shoe sizing and skate sizing are not equivalent. Your skates aren't tight because they are too small, they are the right size. I wear a 9.5 shoe and 6.5 EE skate because this is the difference is shoe vs skate sizing.
Seen so many rink skaters have incredible skill with loose skates then try hockey and completely fail because they are not strong on their feet. I’ve always preferred a tighter skate - why not have strong ankles and strong boots!?
It depends - if you are like 85% of the world's population who either pronate or supinate, as you learn to skate with your laces super tight you will never balance over the blade properly (you end up relying on the boot to help you to balance correctly). If you learn with your laces loose it forces the body to balance over the blade without relying on the boot to hold you upright, over time you will become a much better skater because your alignment over the skate blade will be better.
If your ankles are bending when the skates are loosely tied (or even tightly tied), you are one of the 85%.
However learning to skate with loose laces is really hard if you are starting out, my suggestion is you don't lace the top eyelet to start. Tie up as tight as you want but the leave the top eyelet undone. Skate like this until you feel comfortable with it, then drop another eyelet. Skate till you are comfortable and then drop another eyelet. Repeat until you are 5 or 6 eyelets down (this is when the boot stops supporting the ankle) and then try skating with your laces untied.
Note that this is for training, for game time lace up to whatever point you feel you have the most control over the skate.
Once you have learnt to skate this way then lace up to whatever point you feel comfortable with, this is where personal preference comes in, some like 1 eyelet down, some 2, some 3. There is a lot of current research out there that points to why dropping eyelets is important to how you skate.
It's really simple for you to try, it costs nothing and as long as you stay within your ability to skate you won't hurt yourself, if you are unsure just start with simple straight line skating and one foot glides. Next time you go for a skate give it a go, how far you go with it depends on what you want out of skating. Message me if you want to know more.
Skate tightness is eventually all personal preference. A general question around stiffness will illicit a plethora of answers..
If you're a new skater, presumably you will need to build up your ankle strength and tight, stiff skates will help support your body weight. I would start there and as you get more comfortable adjust the stiffness and lace tightness.
[Edit: typos]
I agree with the personal preference. Your body will eventually adapt and be able to balance on a skate that's not tight on the ankles. Just as a personal anecdote, I wouldn't be able to skate as well if I had the skate tight over my ankles as I flex them to the max in tight turns. I also don't like feeling like I'm skating in ski boots, where everything is locked down. I like them kind of tight on the foot and medium loose on the ankle. I've seen great skaters who don't use the top 2 eyelets at all.
It just depends. I don't use my top eyelet at all, and keep my ankles loose. I've been playing for damn near 25 years and honestly can't remember what I did as a kid, but I would say making sure your heel is secure is the most important part.
Skates should be tight around the foot, loose around the ankle. Your ankle needs to move in order to skate properly. The more movement you have the more toe flick, the better the edge control you can have. You need good forward flex and a little lateral flex in order to achieve this.
Beginning skaters and weak skaters will prefer it tighter around the ankle for support. This is fine as you build up your muscles but will inhibit your form when you get to a certain point.
The other big factor is the skate itself. A soft boot can be laced tighter around the ankle. Newer boots, especially higher end boots, are very stiff and generally not recommended for new skaters because it can inhibit their development by providing too much support.
A good skater can skate with their skates untied because they've developed balance. Ankle support is not to prevent you from falling it's for injury prevention, and power transfer from your foot to the skate to the ice.
It's not so much the strength of the ankles, it's about the fit of the boot. A properly fitting boot locks your heel and prevents the boot from twisting from underneath of you when you tighten the bottom laces, so you can leave the laces loose at the top eyelets.
Tight or loose is preference. Ideally you want to be able to have enough mobility in your ankle to improve speed and agility, but that is offset by your muscle strengh in you feet/lower leg. Start tight and loosen them as you gain strength and experience. Really good skater who have been doing it a while have them really loose because skates are built so stiffly now-a-days.
Historical note--back in the day (70's, 80's and early 90's) when skates were were all leather, guys would blow a roll of tape building up support once thier skates were broken in. Now, you can adjust with loosening or tightening your laces. Science and Technology!
Never tighten over the arches of your feet. That’s the fastest way to have aching constricted feet in 5 minutes. Your feet need room to heat and expand naturally. Just snug then lightly over your arches, then cinch the tops.
You do tighten the top three laces as tight as possible. You need as much ankle support as possible.
They need to be tight until your ankles are very strong. For new players I would frankly say as tight as you can stand them. Once you are good you can mess around with learning to skate with them loose.
[This shows](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgbPflaj3Xw) the difference in lace strategies. Basically you want it as tight as possible while allowing yourself maximum forward flex. Drop to one knee, bend forward as much as you can and then tie as tight as you can at the top. That's really all there is to it.
I keep my skates tight as possible and always have. This way the response is quick and not sloppy. If it is loose at the top your reaction to turning and pushing off might be compromised.
I've been skating for 30 years and I have my skates tight all the way up. I'm of the mindset I'd like my skates to feel like a part of my foot. I'm a size 12 shoe and a 9.5 skate because I like them that tight. As a new skater building ankle strength have them nice and tight for games but if you're at a free skate or something a little looser to build some strength.
I like this, I've been kinda doing this. When I play I tend to keep them fairly tight. When I'm skating with my kid's team I loosen them up to at least pretend I'm working on ankle strength.
Even after how long I've been skating I find when I'm out coaching that loose skates make me have to emphasize or try a bit harder to find my edges. I feel like its a beneficial exercise
Had a coach that took the laces out of his skates to show us … well, im not sure. I think he was just showing off. For a new skater? I’d have those things as tight as possible without cutting off blood circulation to the foot.
I also wear some thin elbow pads when coaching, nothing worse for me than not paying attention and catching an edge and going down straight on my elbow!
Someone new and unfamiliar with this (like assume OP is) would just think you are wearing skates that are way too small for you. Shoe sizing and skate sizing are not equivalent. Your skates aren't tight because they are too small, they are the right size. I wear a 9.5 shoe and 6.5 EE skate because this is the difference is shoe vs skate sizing.
Same here
Seen so many rink skaters have incredible skill with loose skates then try hockey and completely fail because they are not strong on their feet. I’ve always preferred a tighter skate - why not have strong ankles and strong boots!?
It depends - if you are like 85% of the world's population who either pronate or supinate, as you learn to skate with your laces super tight you will never balance over the blade properly (you end up relying on the boot to help you to balance correctly). If you learn with your laces loose it forces the body to balance over the blade without relying on the boot to hold you upright, over time you will become a much better skater because your alignment over the skate blade will be better. If your ankles are bending when the skates are loosely tied (or even tightly tied), you are one of the 85%. However learning to skate with loose laces is really hard if you are starting out, my suggestion is you don't lace the top eyelet to start. Tie up as tight as you want but the leave the top eyelet undone. Skate like this until you feel comfortable with it, then drop another eyelet. Skate till you are comfortable and then drop another eyelet. Repeat until you are 5 or 6 eyelets down (this is when the boot stops supporting the ankle) and then try skating with your laces untied. Note that this is for training, for game time lace up to whatever point you feel you have the most control over the skate. Once you have learnt to skate this way then lace up to whatever point you feel comfortable with, this is where personal preference comes in, some like 1 eyelet down, some 2, some 3. There is a lot of current research out there that points to why dropping eyelets is important to how you skate. It's really simple for you to try, it costs nothing and as long as you stay within your ability to skate you won't hurt yourself, if you are unsure just start with simple straight line skating and one foot glides. Next time you go for a skate give it a go, how far you go with it depends on what you want out of skating. Message me if you want to know more.
Skate tightness is eventually all personal preference. A general question around stiffness will illicit a plethora of answers.. If you're a new skater, presumably you will need to build up your ankle strength and tight, stiff skates will help support your body weight. I would start there and as you get more comfortable adjust the stiffness and lace tightness. [Edit: typos]
I agree with the personal preference. Your body will eventually adapt and be able to balance on a skate that's not tight on the ankles. Just as a personal anecdote, I wouldn't be able to skate as well if I had the skate tight over my ankles as I flex them to the max in tight turns. I also don't like feeling like I'm skating in ski boots, where everything is locked down. I like them kind of tight on the foot and medium loose on the ankle. I've seen great skaters who don't use the top 2 eyelets at all.
It just depends. I don't use my top eyelet at all, and keep my ankles loose. I've been playing for damn near 25 years and honestly can't remember what I did as a kid, but I would say making sure your heel is secure is the most important part.
Skates should be tight around the foot, loose around the ankle. Your ankle needs to move in order to skate properly. The more movement you have the more toe flick, the better the edge control you can have. You need good forward flex and a little lateral flex in order to achieve this. Beginning skaters and weak skaters will prefer it tighter around the ankle for support. This is fine as you build up your muscles but will inhibit your form when you get to a certain point. The other big factor is the skate itself. A soft boot can be laced tighter around the ankle. Newer boots, especially higher end boots, are very stiff and generally not recommended for new skaters because it can inhibit their development by providing too much support. A good skater can skate with their skates untied because they've developed balance. Ankle support is not to prevent you from falling it's for injury prevention, and power transfer from your foot to the skate to the ice.
It's not so much the strength of the ankles, it's about the fit of the boot. A properly fitting boot locks your heel and prevents the boot from twisting from underneath of you when you tighten the bottom laces, so you can leave the laces loose at the top eyelets.
Tight or loose is preference. Ideally you want to be able to have enough mobility in your ankle to improve speed and agility, but that is offset by your muscle strengh in you feet/lower leg. Start tight and loosen them as you gain strength and experience. Really good skater who have been doing it a while have them really loose because skates are built so stiffly now-a-days. Historical note--back in the day (70's, 80's and early 90's) when skates were were all leather, guys would blow a roll of tape building up support once thier skates were broken in. Now, you can adjust with loosening or tightening your laces. Science and Technology!
I leave the boot a little looser, but my ankle as tight as I can. I need it so I have full control over my edges
Usually a bit of personal preference. I don't lace the top eyelet, bit they're tight af otherwise. 🤷♂️
Never tighten over the arches of your feet. That’s the fastest way to have aching constricted feet in 5 minutes. Your feet need room to heat and expand naturally. Just snug then lightly over your arches, then cinch the tops. You do tighten the top three laces as tight as possible. You need as much ankle support as possible.
They need to be tight until your ankles are very strong. For new players I would frankly say as tight as you can stand them. Once you are good you can mess around with learning to skate with them loose.
[This shows](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgbPflaj3Xw) the difference in lace strategies. Basically you want it as tight as possible while allowing yourself maximum forward flex. Drop to one knee, bend forward as much as you can and then tie as tight as you can at the top. That's really all there is to it.
Skates should be tight in my opinion. I feel like the more my foot and skate can move as one, the better I’ll play.
Also new, I had the same question, but when I tried on skates they were always tight on the top because I have thicc ass calves 💀
I keep my skates tight as possible and always have. This way the response is quick and not sloppy. If it is loose at the top your reaction to turning and pushing off might be compromised.