Skates are your most important piece of equipment. Their main purpose is performance rather than protection, therefore considerable care should be taken when buying them. Never buy skates that are too large. A poor fit will not provide proper ankle support and hinders the skater's ability and progress, causing disappointment and frustration. At younger age levels, good used skates can be found at equipment sales. Many of these skates have been outgrown, not worn out!

 

To fit properly:

1. When trying on skates wear the same weight of sock that will be worn when skating. Experts recommend wearing a thin sock, so that the boot can mold itself to the foot and yield a custom fit.
2. While sitting down, the skater should put the skate on and kick his/her heel back into the skate. The toes should barely touch the toe cap. While lacing the boot, continue to kick the heel back to ensure a tight fit.
3. When laced, get up and walk around. The foot should feel comfortable with the heel area snug and resting on the foot bed. The toes should be extended flat. This will prevent cramping of the foot while skating
4. When fitting children, allow ½ size extra for growth. Anything over the recommended ½ size could result in premature breakdown of the skate.
5. Walk around for at least 10 minutes so you get the proper fit and feel of the skates. If the heel does not slip or move, the skate feels snug but not uncomfortable, and the toes just feather the tip, then you have a pair of proper fitting skates.
6. For used skates that may not quite feel right, since they may be partially molded to the previous users foot, you can heat the hard plastic components with a hair dryer then wear the skate while it cools to help the skate mold to your foot. Do not over heat the skate or use a heat gun as this will damage the skate.

Drying Skates

Always remove skates from your hockey bag and place them in a dry room with plenty of ventilation. Dry the blade to prevent rusting. Although most blades are made of stainless steel, don’t take a chance. Dry them thoroughly. Remove the footbed to allow the insole and inside of the boot to properly dry. This should prevent rivets from rusting and premature breakdown of the boot.

Sharpening

Now that you have a properly fitted pair of hockey skates, it's time to hit the ice. However, if you just purchased a new pair of hockey skates, they need to be sharpened before taking the ice. Why must skates be sharpened? In order to control your movements on ice, skates must have an edge to grip the ice. Skates, which are properly sharpened, have two edges. (An inside edge and an outside edge.) This is accomplished by grinding (sharpening) a concave shape into the bottom of the skate blade. This concavity is called the radius. Children under the age of 11 should have their skates sharpened with a 1/2" radius. Once the player becomes more proficient with their skating skills, they can then experiment with a 5/8", 3/4" radius or more. To maintain these two edges, the skates need to sharpened approximately every five hours of use depending on the conditions of the arena ice and surroundings. Walking on concrete, steel surfaces, driveways etc. will immediately destroy the edges. Remind your player to be careful what surfaces they are walking on to preserve their edges. Items such as "soakers" and "skate guards" also help protect the edges while the skate is not in use.

How can you tell when skates are getting dull?

1. If your skates slip sideways when pushing against the ice they are dull.
2. Hold a skate upside down. Scrape the face of a fingernail against the edge. If fine nail shavings are left on the blade edge, then the blade is okay. If no nail shavings are left on the blade it is dull.
3. Check for large nicks in the blade edges. If they cannot be removed with a honing stone have your skates sharpened.

Remember, good skating technique is made easier when skates are sharp.