Lace Basics Series

Lace Basics: Do’s and Dont’s

Mastering the art of lacing up your ice skates or shoes can significantly impact your comfort and performance. To ensure you get it right, here are some essential do’s and don’ts to keep in mind:Do’s1. Start with the correct tension: Begin by loosely lacing up your skates or shoes from the toe, gradually increasing the tension as you move towards the ankle. Ensure the tension is even to provide a secure fit without sacrificing comfort. Add 1-2 Panther Teeth lace lock devices to lock in your tension for a comfortable, secure fit.2. Use the appropriate lacing technique for the activity: Different activities require different approaches. Whether it is a loop heel lock, strategically skipping eyelets, or adjusting your tension with Panther Teeth, using the correct technique will ensure comfort and improve performance.3. Re-adjust when necessary: During physical activity, such as ice skating, it’s normal for your feet to swell slightly and for laces to stretch. Pause to re-adjust the lacing if you feel discomfort or your foot shifts inside the skate or shoe. Adding Panther Teeth to your lacing routine can help you lock in your lace tension, provide lasting comfort, and provide consistent lacing results.Don’ts1. Avoid over-tightening: Over-tightening your […]

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Lace Basics: Stop Fighting Your Skate Boots

As any hockey player knows, having a properly fitting pair of skates is crucial to your performance on the ice. Tightening your skates is one of the most critical factors in achieving a perfect fit. With today’s skates being stiffer, getting them tight and staying tight can be difficult. Here are some tips on how to do just that.1. Use waxed lacesWaxed laces are an excellent option for tightening your skates because they grip the eyelets better than regular laces. This makes pulling the laces through the eyelets easier, allowing you to get a tighter fit.2. Start at the bottomStart at the bottom and work your way up when lacing up your skates. This will help ensure that the entire skate is tight and secure.3. Use the “Lock” techniqueThe “Lock” technique involves crossing the laces over each other and then pulling them tight. This helps create a more secure fit around the ankle, which is essential for support and stability.4. Use a lace pullerA lace puller is a handy tool that can make tightening your skates much easier. It lets you get a better grip on the laces, making it easier to pull them tight.5. Use a “Figure Eight” patternUsing a “Figure Eight” pattern […]

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Lace Basics: Does the Type of Laces Matter?

In the footwear world, there are limited choices when it comes to laces. Wide or skinny. Flat or round. Waxed or unwaxed. All choices have people who love them or hate them. In this Lace Basics article, we’ll look at some of the differences in these lace choices and how Panther Teeth can affect your lace choices. Wide vs. Skinny Wide laces are often associated with a more bold and eye-catching look. They provide a striking visual contrast against the shoe and can make a statement. On the other hand, skinny laces are more subtle and can give off a sleek and sophisticated vibe. The width of the laces can significantly impact the overall appearance of the shoe, so it’s essential to consider the style you’re aiming for. In terms of functionality, wide laces are often favored for their sturdiness and durability. They are less prone to breakage and can withstand more tension, making them an ideal choice for sports shoes or boots that require a secure and tight fit. On the contrary, skinny laces are known for their flexibility and ability to create tight knots. They are popular in dress shoes and casual footwear, where a more delicate and […]

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Lace Basics: Stop the Stretch

It’s a well-known and scientifically documented fact that all laces stretch, no matter what they are made of or how they are designed. It’s also well-documented that some laces stretch more than others.What many need to understand is how lace stretch impacts performance.First, as you move, lace stretch occurs when your laces do not move uniformly with your footwear. Over time, the lace stretch will result in a shift in tension. If you are someone who utilizes variable lace tension for comfort, this can result in the footwear feeling uniformly loose or snug across the lace gap. It may also cause foot pain and pressure points – known as lace bite – causing you to stop and re-tie your skates, shoes, or boots. You lose seconds to minutes off your activity time every time you stop.Second, lace stretch causes energy leaks. If stopping to re-tie your footwear wasn’t enough to slow your progress, lace stretch is slowing you down while in your activity. As laces stretch, it can cause your foot to more unexpectedly and inefficiently within your footwear. The more your foot moves, the more energy your body has to divert to compensate simply for your foot. In games […]

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Lace Basics: Skipping for Comfort

High arches, insteps, or both can pose significant footwear comfort issues. High arches are defined as increased vertical height in the bottom of the foot between the ball and heel. A high instep is relative to the vertical volume of the foot.People with high arches and insteps may be more susceptible to mid-foot lace bite and cramping from footwear that doesn’t correctly fit or from laces that pull too tightly across the mid-foot area. There are a few ways this can be helped.Most people will first try keeping their laces looser in the midfoot. While this provides immediate relief, they must often stop and readjust their laces. As footwear moves, laces stretch and distribute their tension over time to be even. Having to stop at all, let alone frequently, is not a long-term solution, and living with pain – and potential injury from ill-fitting footwear – isn’t either.The second solution is skipping eyelets. While this method will result in a longer-term solution for discomfort, it can pose additional fit problems. In particular, it can cause excess gapping and unexpected flexion in ice skate boots with skipped eyelets. This extra movement causes problems for your fit and can lead to premature […]

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Lace Basics: Mastering the Loop

One of the biggest questions about laces is, “how do I keep my laces tight?” The loop lace lock is a popular lacing variation to help answer this question.The loop lace lock is most commonly used at the top two eyelets of your footwear. Instead of crossing your laces on the last two eyelets, lace straight up, creating loops on each side to accomplish the loop lace lock. Then, take the ends of your laces and feed them back through the loops on the opposite side. From here, you pull tight and tie as usual.The friction and leverage of pulling against the loops allow you to pull the laces tighter.However, this technique could be better because it only tightens and locks in that one set of eyelets, results in a more targeted tension point, and can be a source of lace bite. Additionally, it doesn’t prevent lace stretch or disbursement, meaning if you have not tightened your footwear from the toe, it will still loosen to the top till it hits the “lock.” Lastly, the loop lace lock is also really hard on your eyelets and, in the long run, can cause them to wear out faster.Pro Tip: DO NOT […]

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Lace Basics: Under Lace for Less Heel Slip

Foot pain can be caused by various factors when wearing shoes. One of those factors is when your heel slips up or your foot slides forward too much within the toe box. A simple solution to this problem is lacing your shoes from the inside out (called under lacing) instead of outside in (called over lacing). When people lace their shoes, they typically start with the first anchor eyelets from an over position, where the straight, flat loop is on top of the footwear. The first cross will end under it, on top of the tongue. However, this can result in a looseness in this lace, which means that the toe box area of your footwear is not tightened enough, leading to extra movement in your forefoot and heel slippage. To fix this issue, start with your first lace anchor in an under position and then lace your shoes, skates, or boots as you usually would. Make sure to push your heel as far back as possible when you insert your foot. For skates and some boots, it may help to hit your heel against the ground with your toe pointing up. Once your foot is securely back into the […]

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Lace Basics: The Perfect Knot

Get ready to step up your shoe game with our new blog series! We’re here to guide you on how to lace and tie your footwear just the right way to fix foot problems and physiological issues so that you can perform at your best and feel comfortable. Our first topic will teach you how to tie your laces properly to avoid the 50% chance of being tied incorrectly. Improper lacing can cause a lace gap and increase the chances of your laces coming undone while you walk, run, or skate, which is annoying and dangerous. Don’t miss out on this chance to learn – check out the flow chart below and take the first step towards better foot health and performance!

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