Hey Ryan, can you maybe do a video where you can show us "How to tie your skates" for the best skating experience. I just want to know how tight it should be at the different areas of the skate . I often have the feeling its not tight enought or its too tight so i didnt feel my feet after 15 minutes. thx
It's all about the feel. Did you watch this entire video yet Steve? As far as your specific skates... can you bake them, or are they not heat-moldable?
Thanks for the tips, coach! What are your thoughts on skipping the top eyelet for increasing ankle flexion? I typically get in a deep knee bend prior to lacing up the top eyelets but I'm wondering if there's a better way as I still feel a bit clunky. I also wear my shin guards over tongues and I'm finding that maybe I should step down in size. At rest, my knee is perfectly in the shin guard knee donut while it sits on top of my skate midfoot. I only tape below the knee and not at the ankle though.
Great ? I would start by saying if it's a high-level skate it's been engineered to be laced up all the way. With that being said it's all about feel and ankle strength / control for me. I'd probably keep them laced all the way up. If you are looking at different shin guards online is super tough. Your ? might be solved by actually going to the shop and trying them on with skates to see the exact fit. Hope this helps! I'd hate for you to lose protection for performance, but I understand. Coach Ryan
I have been struggling with this. I am a novice skater with a fairly new pair of Bauer Supreme M3 skates and I can't stand the feeling of having them laced tight all the way to the top because can't flex my leg forward and it feels like I'm trying to skate in a ski boot. But when I tie the top laces slightly looser to give me a more natural flex, I can skate much better but my ankle can flex side to side a lot because it isn't strapped down tight - I feel like I have almost no ankle support which makes getting on the outside edges terrifying. Every experienced skater I come across I ask about this and they all say lace them up tight, when most of them don't even use the top eyelets. Do I just live with the lack of ankle support and strengthen my ankles? Any advice is appreciated.
First off thanks so much for watching. So much free advice is do it my way it's the best. I tend to think more....use the best facts but find your way. I would never tell someone to skip the top eyelet. Maybe you can go snug but not super tight and find the right middle ground for you! I would look at off ice drills to strengthen as well as keep your ankle mobile and flexible. The biggest thing is the mind body connection not talked about. When I try to play guitar, I have a couple of stubborn fingers that just won't go to the string position I want so I keep trying to build the connection....hope this helps!
Great video! Thank you! I started playing hockey as an adult and as a goalie. I was always used to wearing short goalie skates with a lot of ankle mobility and weak ankles was not an option. Last summer, I started skating out and was gifted my first pair of player skates, some old-school Grafs. I always laced the skates tight at the toes, snug over the top of the foot, and loose at the ankle. I had beginners commenting how my skates are loose. I feel having a tight ankle forces you to skate on your heels and off-balance. I like heavily-waxed laces because you can make them tight at the toes, loose up-top, and they will not loosen up. About 6 months ago, I bought a light-used pair of Bauer S29 skates and they are rock-hard and stiff compared to the old Grafs so I swapped over my heavily waxed laces into the Bauer's and wear them even more loose around the ankle. Modern Howie's laces are not waxed enough in my opinion and I pray my current laces don't fail. Basically, I came the skates just tight enough to be comfortable on the balls of my feet and without the heel coming out of place. Anything tighter than that limits mobility. With regard to shin guards, I wear mine over the tongue. I tried the shin guards inside the skate once and hated it. I found socks that are tight over the shin guards and don't require any tape to stay in place. They may move a few times during the course of the game, but a small adjustment to recenter it is all it takes. Not using tape allows the shin guard to move freely with the leg and forward-flexion is easily overcomes the sock material stretching. I see beginners making the skates tight all the way up and they are skating with straight legs and usually out of control and off-balance.
100% agree and thanks a ton for watching! It's so much of a balance and feel and you almost have to coach a player to find their feel and needs. Everyone is not the same..... Some players are like Coach Ryan I love loose ankles and ankles are bending so much... I'm like Whoah!!! That is great, but you are not ready for it, then like you mentioned some are so tight and the skate and the ankle they are not flexing forward enough. Just found a player who was so tight in their pants it was hurting their deep knee bend. Really need to experiment Aye! Happy New Year and have a GREAT ONE!
Hey Ryan, I just wanted to reach out again and thank you so much for the great videos. Yesterday the coaches came to watch the players skate, the head coach came to be directy and asked where did jr learn to skate like that. Lol lol He said I didn't think he could even get better. Adding all your tips into place really made the difference. I feel the best change over was dealing with the lower body then adding your tips on the upper body. Thanks again so much Do you have a link to buy sweaters? Thanks
_Russ all I can say is I'm honored that it's making a difference and I'm trying really hard to make a push to get more of my coaching out there to help! Thrilled that Jr. is having success. I have a company working on sport tech shirts, but need to figure out how to easily get my sweaters made to dropship. Had a company back in the day that did my hockey school jerseys but that was a local place. I'll work on it and you keep Jr. making gains on the ice!!!!! Cheers Coach Ryan_
@@russaitken8055 Oh man how cool would that be! Where are you at in the world? The farthest was a hockey family that flew out from Utah. I was like Wow are there no closer powerskating coaches out there in Utah?
@@DuPrawPowerskating We are located in Winnipeg, MB there are many coaches in this world some love the game some love the money, you love the game. I love going back and recap on your drills multiple times. I was studying this one guy who people thought was awesome until I found the same videos from Russian trainers 18 years ago he copied it to a tee. Lol lol We are definitely flying out there. I dont work all winter just study and train with jr. Thanks so much
@Russ Aitken I was a lot closer to you growing up in Michigan! You made my day, some local people still don't know much about me because I'm how you say.... not really good at tooting my own horn! I love what I do and I'm so glad it comes across. BIG FAVOR! Would love your permission to post this on my Facebook page. Had a parent tell me his son couldn't improve from videos and working virtually with me. No pressure... Thanks again for the support... Go Jr. have a great season! Coach Ryan
