The effectiveness of any sport largely depends not only on the efforts of the athlete himself, but also on the quality of his equipment. Even the most professional clothes and shoes, improperly sized, can cause maximum discomfort, which will necessarily affect productivity. To prevent this from happening, choose equipment according to all the rules. Today, we will consider the features of the tables for matching the size of the skates, and how to choose shoes for a specific athlete.
Features of choice
We all know that a coward does not play hockey, and if a child decides to devote his life to this cold sport, then parents need to protect him as much as possible, making riding comfortable. First of all, it should be understood that each manufacturer offers its own table of sizes of hockey skates. BAUER, EASTON, CCM, GRAF and REEBOK are the most popular and sought after. The general recommendations for choosing skates from any brand will be fitting, because even with a complete match in length, the foot of each athlete has a different completeness, and it is not necessary that the skates sit comfortably and reliably on their feet.
Fitting Rules
Table size BAUER (and other manufacturers) provides for the size of the skates in the form of foot length, excluding any "reserves". That is, it is necessary to measure skates in the same socks in which skating is planned in the future, and they also must be special. The fit should be tight so that the boot can hold the ankle in one position even on steep turns. To ensure this effect, skates should be worn by moving the heel of the foot backward as much as possible so that it touches the back. In this case, the toes should only touch the toe of the inner boot slightly. If the fingers are squeezed, as soon as the leg begins to hang freely in the shoes, and after a tight fit, the fingers do not even feel the walls of the boot, skates should be taken one size smaller. Too big shoes can change the response of the equipment to the athlete’s movements, which will negatively affect its results and general riding comfort.
Fullness of the foot
For professional hockey players, it is very important that the BAUER table of sizes for skates provides the same shoe length for several options for leg fullness, which is represented by different rulers with certain markings. Manufacturers offer their customers a choice of standard completeness options that suit almost everyone, narrow and wide. The sizes themselves, depending on the brand, are unchanged here, only the designations may differ. So:
- standard skates are defined under the letters R or D;
- 0.25 inch models already - C or N;
- boots 0.25 inches wider than usual are indicated by W, E or EE.
Choice for baby
We all know how fast children grow, and when buying expensive equipment for their hobbies, almost every parent tries to save. In this case, buying skates “for growth” can lead to injuries, because a novice athlete will not be able to intuitively control their coordination in them, as a result of which he will be constantly distracted. The BAUER skate size chart for children does not provide for future purchases, so ideally it’s worth picking up the shoes just like an adult. Of course, if the baby is just starting to master the sport, and at his age, according to this principle, the shoes will have to be changed every season, parents have the opportunity to buy skates a maximum of 0.5 sizes larger, which will correspond to the thickness of one finger. To do this, when trying on, you need to stick it between the heel and the back of the skate, while the toes of the child should touch the inner toe of the shoe. It is forbidden to take sizes anymore, this can harm the baby's health and lead to serious injuries at such a young age.
A selection of figure skates
The popular BAUER brand also has a figure skating table for athletes in figure skating. The company offers its products for adults and children and also has certain recommendations for choosing the perfect pair of shoes. In order to advance to the store, to choose the options for yourself from the shelves available on the shelves, it should be borne in mind that almost always the actual size of everyday shoes is 0.5 sizes larger than the skates. In centimeters, the BAUER table will help you choose the size more accurately, but such a rule will help you to immediately weed out those models that are definitely not suitable for a particular foot. Also, during fitting, you need to pay attention to your own comfort, and not just the size, because all kinds of rubbing and squeezing will not bring any pleasure from sports, especially to the child.
The fitting process itself is similar to the previous one. First, the skates need to be fully laced and put on the leg. At the same time, they can squeeze a little fingers due to improper landing of the heel, which should be pressed as much as possible to the back. After that, the fingers should only slightly touch the wall of the boot, and the athlete can begin to fix part of his equipment on his leg.
Correct lacing
So that even perfectly matched skates according to the size table of BAUER or any other brand do not crush the leg while skiing, it is necessary to learn some rules for their lacing.
At first, the tightening of the shoelaces should not be strong until the athlete comes to the area of lifting the feet. A tighter lacing should be started in this place, since it is this binding that will fix the heel in the future and prevent it from moving inside the boot while riding. After raising to the upper hooks, the force must again be weakened so as not to provoke further crushing of the lower leg, which leads to leakage of the leg.
With all this, the leg should be fixed in the skates as evenly as possible.
Conclusion
Experienced athletes no longer wonder how to choose the perfect equipment for themselves or put it on themselves, but beginners are often interested in such questions. It’s not always that a trainer can be close by and suggest what it is better to choose, and sports shop consultants may be even less aware of the buyer. To choose the most comfortable skates for yourself or your child, consider the manufacturers' size tables, which are necessarily at the points of sale and are presented in the article for review.