本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛This is one of the biggest problems skaters face. Sometimes they choose a boot that is too stiff or too soft. Maybe a Lambs Wool Tongue would be better than Rubber. Do you need Orthotics or Inside Wedges? Will a Dance Backstay help with toe points? These are just a few of the possible considerations.

When purchasing new skates, the most important thing to remember is not to get the skates too big. Trust me on this one, I learnt the hard way. Make sure there is only enough room to fit a pencil behind the back of your heel.
Also, you must purchase skates designed for your skating level. Going with too strong a boot can hurt your feet, going with too low a boot can seriously hurt your ankles. Make sure you get the proper amount of support. Call several stores or suppliers and see what they recommend for your level, height and weight. It may also be helpful to send them a copy of your foot stating all the mesurements. This should guarantee a proper fit.

Unfortunately there are no set choices that will meet everyone's needs the same. You must take into consideration many factors.

<ul>
<li>How old is the skater? </li>
<li>How much does the skater weigh? </li>
<li>Is this for Dance, Free Style or Figures? </li>
<li>What kind of jumps is the skater doing? </li>
<li>How many hours a week will you be skating? </li>
<li>What model boot is currently being used and does it meet the skaters needs satisfactorily? </li>
<li>How long does a pair of skating boots usually last for you? </li>
<li>
</ul>
These are the kind of questions you need to ask yourself. Lets review why.

The age and weight of a skater are important because it helps to know how stiff the ankle support and weight of the boot need to be. If a skater is 70lbs. or less you should consider a lighter weight, two piece constructed boot. In a stock boot this would be a Classic or Competitor Model. In a custom request a Two Piece constructed boot. Ankle support can be adjusted softer or stronger by adding or deleting different ankle strengths such as Duo Bond, Double Duo Bond, or Quadrabond for very stiff. For a soft boot do not request any ankle support at all. For someone over 70lbs. it usually is best to stay with the standard three piece construction boot and the appropriate ankle support. In stock that would be the Tester and Finalist Models.

The above also would depend if the skate is for Dance, Free Style or Figures. Normally a Dance boot is the softest of all the disciplines. But again it depends on the individual. Men usually need more ankle support than women. Free Style is usually the most supportive boot.

If a skater is a recreational skater and will only be skating two or three hours a week, naturally will not need as stiff a boot as a competitive skater skating fifteen to thirty hours or more a week. It could take months or years for a recreational skater to break in a boot that is designed for a competitive skater.

Too often a skater will be fitted with a boot that is too stiff because they are trying to make it last longer. This is a mistake because they spend months trying to break it in and they end up with sore ankles and blisters. This is a hindrance to your skating. A skater can not improve or advance when their feet hurt or the boots wont break in. It is always better to favor a lighter or softer boot because if it does break down it can always be reinforced to restore the ankle support.

The average life of a pair of skates can range from a few months to several years depending on who and how the boots are being used. Advanced Free Style skaters usually get one to two pair a year. Dancers can get one to two years per pair. A Recreational Skater can usually get twice the time out of a pair.

A good guideline to follow for choosing a boot is to decide which Stock Boot would be closest to match your needs and then choose the Custom Options to match, or improve your Custom Boot to best serve you.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net

本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛During the break-in it will be necessary for you to occasionally stop and retie your boots. This is due to the stretching of the new laces, and the boots conforming to the shape of your foot and ankle.

Begin by putting your boots on and lacing them leaving the top two hooks unused.

Skate in your boots in this manner for approximately 4 to 6 hours. This time should be accumulated time. For example you may skate the first day for 30min. to and hour and the next day for 1 to 2 hours, your choice. Continue skating until you have accumulated the necessary time. During this time you should not be doing any jumps, spins or other moves that will cause you to do deep knee bending.

Next lace your boots leaving only the top hook unused. Continue skating as above for another 4 to 6 hours following the same precautions as above.

Now you can lace them all the way to the top if you desire and begin your regular skating routine.

This may seem like a waste of time and unnecessary. Your boots may feel very comfortable and you will want to perform all of your regular jumps, spins and routines. What could happen if you do, is your boots can break-down instead of break-in. Lacing your boots all the way up and jumping in them before they break-in puts pressure on the boots ankle support and hooks, causing among other things, the boots to crease in the wrong places. This can also put tremendous pressure on the muscles and tendons of your foot and ankle.

Take the time to follow the correct break-in procedures and you will have better performance and fit from your new Boots.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net

本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Care for your skates is also extremely important. NEVER leave your skates in lockers, skate bags, closets, or any other small area. They must be completly dried before storing. If the boots are very wet, it could take up to 36 hours for them to dry completly. It is also recommended that you do not place your skates near sources of direct heat such as heaters. This can damage the boot. You must also remember to dry the blades off before you put them away, so that they don't rust. You should never store your blades with the plastic guards on them, this is just and invitation for rust to come and eat your blades away. Instead, wrap blades in a dry towel, or use fabric blades covers designed for that purpose.

The most important thing you can do to take care of you boots is to keep them dry. Moisture from the ice is your boots enemy. They can cause your boots to loose support, longevity. As soon as you have finished skating dry off your boots and blades with a towel completely. Then loosen the laces so that you can pull the tongue back which will allow air to circulate inside the boots and dry out the inside.

<i></i>Many people keep their boots in a bag, locker, trunk of the car etc. All of these are bad places to store your boots.</i> There can be no air circulation in these conditions to allow the boots to dry out. If you do store them this way you will probably start to see some green stuff growing inside your boots. Do you really want to put your foot into something that looks like it is alive? It is OK to transport your boots in a bag or a trunk of the car, but as soon as you get home you should take them into your home or office and remove them from the bag. keep them near a low speed fan or other location where there is some air movement. The air movement will carry the dampness away from your boots and allow them to dry. There are boot dryers that you can buy for the purpose of drying them out over night. This is a good controlled way of drying your boots. You can contact Harlick if you want more information about them.

<b>Never, Never, Never</b> put your boots in the oven or microwave. This will destroy your boots. Some of you may chuckle at this, but I can't tell you how many times we have had people send their boots back to us looking like a Pork Chop that got left on the bar-b-que. Leather needs to dry out slowly and gradually as described in the paragraph above. When leather dries out too fast it causes it to separate and curl at the ends. Where the screws attach the blades, the leather will become brittle and cause the screws to fall out. The layers of leather in the soles will crack, separate and start to roll up. Believe me, it is not a pretty site.

<b>Blades</b>

You should remove your plastic blade guards from your blades when you take off your boots. You should replace the plastic ones with a "soaker". Usually a Teri cloth cover. If you leave on the plastic guards you will probably end up with rust on your blades.

When attaching blades, apply some silicone gel to the threads of the screws before screwing them into the leather sole. This will seal the screw hole and keep moisture from entering at that location. Also, throw away the screws that come with your blades or at least use them for something else. Go to the hardware store and purchase some stainless steel screws. Stainless steel screws will help prevent the leather where the screws are attached from deteriorating.



Remember that you can't skate good unless your skates are taken care of.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net

本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛There are some relatively objective signs that a boot has worn out or is being used beyond it's limitations and others that are purely subjective or require reference to a coach. Certainly, a skate is finished if the leather in the boot has started to wear out -- fissures in the inner lining, rips/tears in the outer boot or a cracked/crumbling sole that won't hold screws.
Judging when a boot no longer offers adequate support is more difficult. If the top flops over of it's own accord, it's obvious, but more subtle signs are when the normal creases which afford forward flexibility begin to look like accordion pleats that go all the way around the skate -- a sign the a the boot is free to flex sideways at the ankle.

Some more subjective signs are the feeling that you need to tighten the laces more to make things work, even though they are still tight, or the feeling that your foot is free to slide around in the skate, or your heel lifts even when the laces are tight. You might also feel that you're having trouble keeping your ankles erect or holding clean edges on tight edges, turns, spins or jump landings.

On the final front, your coach/instructor may make observations that your boots aren't doing their job or suggest that it's time to upgrade. This may be based on close observation or rule-of-thumb. Asking your instructor is always a good idea, while talking with other skaters can either be helpful or lead to a lot of confusion.

Keep in mind that boot requirements are highly relative. Given the model of boot that you have and the amount of "wear" you've put on them, they may be entirely adequate for what you're doing, or they may be an obstacle to further progress. A recommendation on buying new skates might differ depending on whether you're skating recreationally and just interested in picking up some jumps, or planning to go from singles to triples as quickly as possible to get into serious competition. Also, the recommendation for a petite woman would be different from that for a mid-sized athletic woman or a mid-sized or larger man...更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net

但也有不少是在练"企鹅"步.