How to Properly Fit Hockey Skates

Technical Manual

By Clayton Dinger

IntroductionToday, turnover is one of the highest costs faced by businesses in the retail sector. The volatile nature of retail employment, consisting primarily of part-time positions held by students, forces these companies to spend millions of dollars each year on rehiring and retraining efforts. Whether a student employee doesn’t have time to work during recreational activities, whether they move out of town to pursue post secondary education, or whether they just find a new job they like better, companies can only afford to spend so much on filling the voids they create.

The specialty retail store industry is stricken by this problem more so than their non-specialist counterparts because of the amount of training that goes into preparing each employee to provide a service at the company standard. With the high expectations from a specialty sales team for quality and service, resources are essentially invested in employees in the form of training. Although the intellectual capital invested in each employee is permanent, it is not easily transferable. For this reason, when a specialty retail employee leaves a company, they are leaving with that company’s intellectual capital. This evokes a need to fill the void that has been created, which requires a brand new investment.

This manual will serve to help combat this problem for hockey equipment retailers, specifically for their skate sales associates. Many companies have incorporated their own training and selling techniques into the skate fitting process, but this manual will provide a complete overview of only the essential steps required to properly fit an individual for skates.

Table of Contents• Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………..........................................

1

• Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………………………..........................................2

• Analyzing the Foot……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...3

-Measuring Length……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4

-Measuring Width…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5

-Measuring Volume………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6

• Selecting the Right Skate…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7

-Using the Footbed…………………………………………………………………………………….................................................8

-Preparing the Skate………………………………………………………………………………….................................................9

-Setting the Heel……………………………………………………………………………………………...........................................10

-Lacing the Skate……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...11

-Testing the Skate…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...12

i) Step One……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...12

ii) Step Two……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..12

iii) Step Three………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12

• Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..13

Analyzing the FootWhen analyzing a customer’s foot you will want to take note of three specific qualities; length, width, and volume. This section will outline the approach to accurately determining these features so that you can help the customer make the most informed decision when it comes down to selecting the best skate for them.

You want to provide your customers with the gear that’s going to help their performance on the ice. When it comes to skates that means ensuring each pair fits just as well on the ice as they did at the store. Before you begin analyzing your customer’s foot, verify with them that they are wearing the same socks that they would be wearing if they were about to head out on the ice. Regardless of whether they wear thin socks, thick socks, ankle socks, or no socks, you want to make the skate fitting process as similar to the real thing as possible, so keeping this factor consistent is critical.

This is a brannock, the most commonly used foot measuring tool.

Measuring LengthThe length of the foot is described as the heel to toe distance, and this is what determines the numerical value, ranging from 1-13, that we describe as “skate size”. The optimally fitting skate will be long enough so that a customer’s toes feather the toecap of the skate. It is difficult to determine the length of someone’s foot with the naked eye, so we use a foot-measuring tool called a brannock. This tool is specially calibrated to measure foot length, translating it into your skate size. Skate size is determined by the number line on the brannock that the tips of your toes approach, but do not overlap.

Skate sizes are similar to shoe sizes but tend to be 1-1.5 sizes smaller

Measuring WidthSkates are usually available in two widths to accommodate people with different foot types. For skates, the standard width is denoted as “D” and the wider width is denoted as “E” or sometimes “2E”. Being able to judge the width of a customer’s foot comes with practice, but before you are able to determine this on your own the brannock is a useful tool for this application as well.

To measure a foot for width using the brannock, slide the moveable arch length pointer into place by lining it up will the ball of the customer’s foot at the base of the big toe. Next, slide the moveable width bar up against the outside edge of the customer’s foot. Locate the customer’s skate size on the movable width bar and compare the size’s location relative to the width scale found directly below the moveable width bar.

The width scale on the brannock used for the following example can be found in image on the left, and ranges from 3A-3E, moving from narrowest to widest respectively. Because there are only two widths available for any of your customer’s skate selections, you can determine whether they need a standard or wider width by selecting the most appropriate class on the width scale corresponding to their measurements. Classes along this particular scale are separated as follows: narrow (3A, 2A, A) standard (B,C,D) and wide (E, 2E, 3E).

Measuring VolumeAlthough the brannock allows you to measure arch length, this does not necessarily translate into an accurate evaluation of foot volume. When analyzing your customer’s foot for volume, you will need to note two main determinants to complete a thorough evaluation.

another way to verify your evaluation of arch depth is to ask your customer to place their foot firmly on a rubber mat for a few seconds. When they remove their foot a moisture imprint of it will remain on the mat. When looking at the imprint, the more of the middle that is left behind, the flatter the arch is, and the greater the total volume of the foot is.

Before you move on to the next section, make sure you have completed this process for BOTH FEET! Often times these measurements can vary from one foot to the other.

The first aspect of your customer’s foot that you will want to look at is the heel width. If the heel contours in and thins towards the Achilles tendon we consider the heel to be narrow and have less volume. Conversely, if there are less obvious differences moving along the separate parts of the back of the foot, and this contour is less pronounced, we describe the heel to be wider having more volume.

The second aspect of your customer’s foot that must be taken into account is the arch depth. Having either a high arch or a low arch can help describe the flatness of your customer’s foot. The flatter or lower the arch of the foot is, the more total volume the boot of the skate will require.

Selecting the Right Skates

After you and your customer have decided upon the most suitable skate options available to them, you will want to try each separate pair on one pair at a time. This section will outline the appropriate technique for trying on a pair of skates in the way that provides your customer with the most realistic evaluation of each skate’s on ice performance.

Once you have analyzed your customer’s foot it is time to select the skates that will provide them with the best on ice experience possible. Now armed with a thorough understanding of the different features of your customer’s foot, you can use your product knowledge training to make recommendations for which brand will provide the best suited fit. The table below serves as a general rule of thumb and as a good reference point for determining which brand best accommodates specific foot features.

Using the Footbed

Before putting the skate on pull out the footbeds and place them on the ground in front of your customer’s feet. Then, ask your customer to place their heels in the back of each footbed, and finally to stand up. The footbed is not quite as long as the boot of the skate so that it is able to fit inside, which means that an optimal fit should place your customer’s toes right at the edge of the footbed.

Preparing the SkatesRemoving the footbeds from the skates also allows you some time to prepare the skate for the customer. While they are setting their feet in the footbeds, you should be lacing the skates so they are ready to go on once the footbeds are replaced. To eliminate any struggle when putting the skates on your customer’s feet, make sure that they are open wide enough by keeping the laces undone for the first 2-3 eyelets, and allowing them plenty of slack down the boot to prevent the tongue from restricting the opening.

high performance skates can be very rigid when the box is first opened because they have been squished down under so many other boxes of skates in storage . To help loosen them up for the customer place the heel of the boot against the ground and push the toecap towards it. This will open up the heel of the skate and restore it to the way it was intended to fit.

Setting the Heel

Once the customer has the skates on their feet, ask them to lightly tap the heel end of the skate blade against the rubber mat. This is an important step in making sure that the foot is properly placed inside the skate, with the foot of the heel fitting snuggly into the heel of the boot. In the heel more than ever, if there is too much room and the foot has room to move around and lift up, this will cause blisters. At the same time, a loose fitting skate sacrifices the skate’s overall performance because it does not provide the optimal stability.

Lacing the SkatesOnce your customer’s feet are properly positioned in their skates, you can begin to lace them up. Starting at the bottom eyelet, grab both the left and right lace and pull them outward and up, pulling the eyelets inward and wrapping the quarter panels of the skate around the tongue. Keep consistent tension on the laces so they wrap the boot of the skate around your customer’s foot securely, preventing it from moving around inside.

Be sure that you aren’t pulling so tight that the boot is squeezing or putting excessive pressure on your customer’s foot. This will cause pain and discomfort, and won’t allow your customer to make a true assessment of the way the skates fit. Ask your customer to let you know if you are lacing up the skates too tight, and make sure that they are comfortable before progressing to the next step.

Testing the SkatesThe final step is actually testing the skate to demonstrate its performance and overall feel to the customer. Initially, ask the customer to stand up with their feet shoulder with apart. In this position, your customer’s toes should just be feathering the tip of the toecap.

Next, ask your customer to to spread their feet outward, bending their knees slightly to assume an athletic stance. In this position, your customer’s heel will be drawn back into the heel of the boot and their toes will ease backwards slightly, no longer able to touch the toecap.

The final step in testing the skate is to mimic skating strides. At this time, you want to ask your customer to shift from side to side, transferring their weight from one foot to another. Start off stationary, but gradually get your customer moving around, mimicking overdramatic skating strides and pushing off with their skates as they would on the ice. You will be able to tell which skates are best suited to your customer by watching their movements.

From this visual display, you will be able to determine if the skates are providing enough support. If the boot is not rigid enough, this will cause your customer’s ankles to pronate and bend inwards. If the boot is too rigid, your customer will not be able to push off with much power. You will notice a skate is too stiff if it restricts the knees from bending, shifting your customers weight towards their heels, and limiting the ability to generate power with forward momentum.

ConclusionOnce you have repeated the “Selecting the Right Skates” process for all skates your customer has selected, the decision is in their hands. However, you can be sure that by having followed the outlined steps, your customer will be able to make the most informed, confident decision when making a final purchase selection.

Although now you have been introduced to the entire skate fitting process, you are still not completely prepared to replicate this process the way it was intended. Internalizing the skate fitting process takes time and repetition, and practice is your fist step towards getting yourself on the sales floor. This manual has been provided to you as a resource to aid with your training, and it will serve well as a reference tool whenever for you need a refresher in the future.

Good Luck!