How to Break in Your Figure Skates
While a few individuals might be lucky enough to find a perfect fit of figure skates, most people generally need to put in some time to break in a new pair. Breaking in a new pair of figure skates used to be vital in the earlier days, but with the advent of heat-moulding, the process does not have to take that long. However, if your new pair of figure skates is not heat-moulded, you will need to give them some time, and break them in using the more traditional approach, in order to improve performance and get the most out of them.
Things Required:
– Figure skates with blades
– Gel sleeves or sponges (optional)
Instructions
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1
To commence the process of breaking in your new figure skates, proceed to put them on, and lace them up except for the top two hooks – leave these unlaced. Then, skate around for a short while – anything from 20 minutes to half an hour should be fine. This will kick-start the process of breaking them in. However, you must make sure that the first couple of times you use your new skates to break them in, you do not perform any moves that require a deep knee bend, or other jumps and spins that put too much pressure on the boots – take it slow.
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2
The next day, put the skates on once more, and leave the top two hooks unlaced yet again. Then, proceed to increase the amount of skating time – this time, you might consider skating for around 4 hours, to further the process of breaking them in. Continue prolonging your skating time gradually, and after the first three or four usages, you can lace them up all the way and then skate with them.
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3
In addition to skating at the rink, you can also wear your skates around the house, to help break them in. Sitting and climbing the stairs while wearing the skates is an ideal way to break them in – however, do not do too much walking while wearing the skates, as this will put unnatural strain on them. Throughout the process of breaking them in, make sure you pay close attention to how your feet and ankles feel – if there is too much pressure at first, you might use gel sleeves or sponges to ease it.
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4
After a couple of days, your new skates should be broken in, and comfortable to use. However, if the unnatural pressure or strain persists, you can always take them to a skate shop, where a skate technician can punch out (or stretch) the leather, to make the skates more comfortable.
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