In order to skate or play hockey effectively, you need skates that fit well, and skate laces that keep your skates as tight as possible around your feet and ankles. Loose skates can cause ankle pain, inward skating and other injuries, so it's important that you know the proper way to lace hockey skates to keep you injury-free. Choose the right kind of laces, and take your time each time you put on your skates to ensure that your laces are tied properly.
Step 1
Choose the type of laces that you feel most comfortable with. Regular laces are more like shoelaces, only thicker. But wax laces are covered in a fine film of wax for a better grip, notes ProHockeyStuff.com. They are also often braided. Beginners may choose wax laces because they are easier to tie and last longer, but more traditional hockey players may prefer regular laces.
Step 2
Remove the laces from the skate. You should re-lace your skates every time you put them off for the tightest fit. Put your skate on your foot, and thread the lace straight across the bottom two eyelets until there is an equal amount of lace on either side of the skate.
Step 3
Thread the left side of the laces into the next highest eyelet on the right-hand side, diagonally across the tongue. Do the same thing, only this time threading the right lace into the left eyelet, creating an "X" pattern across the tongue. Pull the laces as tight as you can with a swift tightening motion.
Step 4
Continue the pattern all of the way up the skate. Make sure you tighten each time you make an "X" with the laces. Play Sports TV recommends that you tie the first two to three eyelets as tightly as you can, then relaxing the tightness across the ankle area and returning to tightness again at the top of the skate. This ensures good blood flow out on the cold rink.
Step 5
Tie the laces at the top into a double knot by tying once into a bow, then crossing the bow and knotting once more so there are less loose laces and less chance that the laces will come undone. Some hockey players wrap the laces around the top of the skate before knotting for a tighter fit at the top of the skate, but it isn't necessary unless you have a lot of excess lace.
Step 6
Remove the laces when you take your skates off after playing, or, at the very least, remove the laces to the halfway point on the skate to ensure that you lace your skates properly every time you use them.
Things You'll Need
- Laces
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