How to: Laces

Sadly, seeing badly laced boots at the Ice Rink is an all day every day occurrence. I watch teenagers in skate hires flying around with them unlaced or unclipped, and many others with their figure skates laced so tightly that they must be cutting off the blood supply to their feet! Neither of these scenarios is ideal, and many people will be told to ‘tie your skates as tightly as possible’ which isn’t helpful, nor is it the correct advice. I would wager as little as 20% of the people I take for lessons have their skates laced correctly.

Lacing your boots correctly is fundamental to both your ability to carry out movements on the ice and also for the longevity of your boots. Plus we need to keep away irritations and injuries such as lace bite or shin splints, which can occur if your boots are always too tight – the result being time off the ice due to pain and discomfort.

So what is the correct way?

Before lacing make sure your heel is placed correctly in the back of the skate. As you lace from the toes upward you’ll need to feel snug but not tight. At the last couple of eyelets and first hook you’ll need to lace a little more snug, and then for the last 2-3 hooks a little less snug to allow for full range of movement. 

You should always be able to get 2 fingers down behind the tongue (or skate hire clips) when you are fully laced. If you cannot, your boots are too tight and you will not be able to make your knee bend reach your ankles which is essential to your ability to move around the ice. 

When lacing your hooks, lace them over and down rather than under and up (see images), this will keep them more secure and you’ll be less likely to have to retie them during your training. 

*Please do excuse my old and greying skates!

Hopefully this advice will help you to get the maximum out of your skating, your boots, and help to keep you safe and prevent unnecessary injury.