Among all boots questions we get asked, what upsets me most is “but she’s comfortable in her boots, even though they are too large”.
There’s more to it –
We always stress Skates shopping different for buying conventional shoes – its performance should be valued more than the level of comfort. While we do understand Skaters who have to wear larger sizes due to foot injuries; it should never be a common practice when choosing a size.
The reason why we want to encourage Skaters to get the right size is not because we want you to suffer in very small and snug boots, but for the fact that the size choice will have large impact on the boots performance and your skating level for the following reasons:
1. Skating boots are anatomically designed, meaning when the foot is inside the boots, every part of the foot should be in the right place. If it’s too large and if the feet are sliding inside or not sitting in the right place – You are likely to experience premature boot failure. If the boots break down too fast, consider the top 2 culprit: Incorrect lacing and wrong boot size.
2. The Blades/Wheels are designed to sit under certain part of the foot to make it easier to perform skating elements. If the boots are 2cm longer than the Skater’s feet, the spin rocker / front wheels become 2cm away from it’s designed position. We say this over and over again, because we personally know many Skaters who struggle with a certain toe jump, specific turns and spin consistency for years because of this sizing issue (and it is the least likely to be noticed!)
3. Sometimes wrong boot size often cause mysterious foot pain for no obvious reason. Again because of the same reason, things are just not sitting in the right place.
It is also a common practice to choose larger boots because the recommended size is not wide enough. We have a strong reputation in boot adjustment and customisation, and this is backed up by many of our customers who have not so ordinary feet (kiwi wide feet).
To completely get rid off the uncertainty and the guess game, purchase our Remote Fitting Tool Kit here. $15 tool kit to save thousands of dollars that could be potentially wasted on ill-fitted skates!