@antmanb, I'm amazed you could lace up your boots all the way and do so much the first time out. How stiff are (or aren't) your boots?
The advice to not lace up the top notch left me wondering if the weird feeling at the back of the boot was because I hadn't laced them all the way up or because of the boot.
I laced them up to the top and didn't find it an more uncomfortable so went with it.
...I wasn't up to skating fast but eventually braved a Mohawk and back cross overs in both directions....the tongue is so stiff I couldn't bend nearly enough (best excuse ever to throw at the coach now for the next few weeks/months).
...Backwards still feels strange I can't figure out if its the padding and stiffness of the tongue (the tongue padding on my old boots was all but gone), or whether the new boot (exact same model as before) has a slightly lower heel or cut lower down the Achilles but it definitely feels like i'm more on the back of the blade.
Leaving the top hook unlaced is mainly about knee bend. You talked about not being able to bend because the tongue is stiff, and the issue with going backwards. I'd suggest you try again with the top hook unlaced, and see if that feels better. It should allow you the knee bend you need while you're breaking in the boots/tongue. If you do this, let me know how it works for you.
@antmanb Not that this will help you right now, but if you are having issues with finding that sweet spot between stability and flexibility, you may want to consider a lower-cut boot model somewhere down the road (if you aren't in one now). Not sure what brands aside from Jackson offer one (which is what I wear), but they have worked out great for me.
Not completely, but considering I skated 10 hours/week on them for 3 years and then coached on them for another 3ish years, it's probably time. At the very least I need new laces. I have ankle creases from all the spread eagles/bauers, which tells me they're somewhat broken down.If your boots are still in good shape, no need to get new ones, especially if they work well for you. Are yours broken down?
No ice at the rink again today. The management at the rink are just completely clueless they always manage to mess up the ice when the weather gets warmer.
So I don't get to skate today : it's been three weeks since I've been on the ice, and next week i'm away with work. If my flight lands on time I might be able to get to the rink for a short 45 session, but if it's delayed i'll miss another week.
I'm never going to get these new boots broken in if I can't actually skate in them.
I had that same problem with my new boots. Try skipping the first hook and then lacing up to the top.I did try leaving the top hooks unlaced and it did allow for greater knee bend going backwards, however, skating forwards it felt like I didn't have enough support and felt a little wobbly so I laced them all the way up and persevered.
Don't forget to take things easy @misskarne I find skating does aggravate my back issues so just remember to take things slowly.