Most hockey players tie their ice skates “inside out” when lacing their skates. You want to avoid this lacing technique because it can cause lace bite.
Instead, you should lace your skates “outside in.” This lacing technique helps prevent and alleviate pain from lace bite.
Why does outside in lacing help prevent lace bite?
When you lace your skates outside in, the laces pull the entire boot of the ice skate tight. The laces squeeze the skate along every eyelet when you pull them tight. This creates uniform pressure along the edges of the tongue of the ice skate. That pressure minimizes tightness directly over the middle of your foot and ankle, which is usually the area where lace bite is present.
On the other hand, inside out lacing creates pressure directly in the middle of the tongue of your skate. The laces press down on the tongue of the skate and increase pressure which aggravates the tendon that runs through the top of your foot and ankle.
Both lacing techniques create similar levels of tightness. The key difference is where they create pressure around your foot and ankle. You want the pressure generated on the exterior of the tongue to protect the area in the middle of your foot or ankle affected by lace bite.
Check out more tips on how to fix lace bite. We also sell products to help reduce the pain. I use them every time I skate.
