Activities Sports & Athletics How To Lace Figure Skates Correctly Share PINTEREST Email Print Lacing figure skates. (Oli Scarff/Staff/Getty Images Europe Collection/Getty Images) Sports & Athletics Skating Basics History Gear Lessons Famous Skaters Inline Skating Baseball Basketball Bicycling Billiards Bodybuilding Bowling Boxing Car Racing Cheerleading Cricket Extreme Sports Football Golf Gymnastics Ice Hockey Martial Arts Professional Wrestling Skateboarding Paintball Soccer Swimming & Diving Table Tennis Tennis Track & Field Volleyball Other Activities Learn More By Jo Ann Schneider Farris Jo Ann Schneider Farris was a silver medalist in junior ice dancing at the 1975 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships and is the author of two books on skating our editorial process Jo Ann Schneider Farris Updated July 29, 2017 Lacing figure skates correctly will make the ice skating experience more enjoyable. Correct lacing of figure skates is very important and must be done a certain way. This easy task can take anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes, depending on experience. What You Need Figure skatesFigure skate lacesSocks or ice skating tightsA place to sit downA rubber mat or carpet or skate guards to protect skate blades Here's How Loosen up the skates.By pulling the laces out a bit, the foot can be put inside easily.Stuff the feet inside the boots.Make sure the socks are straight and the foot is placed inside the boot all the way. Put the toe of the foot in first and then push the heel all the way down.Tighten up the laces in the first half of the boot.Work up from the toe to the ankle. Don't pull the laces too tight in this area. Just make sure that each pull is somewhat secure.Tighten the laces the most where the foot and the ankle bends.This is the most important part of lacing figure skates. Give the laces a good tug at this point and pull hard.Suggestion: Just before starting to lace the hooks, wrap one lace around the other twice to keep a snug fit over the arch so the laces won't slip.Next, lace around the hooks.Make a criss-cross pattern with the laces and pull with both hands around each hook. Some skaters like to put the laces over and under the hooks; others like to put the laces under and then over. Either option is correct.Again, don't pull the laces too hard. Leave some room for the ankle to bend.Finish with a secure bow.It is recommended to double knot the bow. Some figure skaters leave the top hooks empty while breaking in new boots.Tuck the bow's loops inside the tops of the boots.This will prevent the blade from catching the bow's loops and also keeps the top hooks from coming loose. Tips If the skates don't feel secure after being laced up, the laces are too loose, and lacing should be done over again.Figure skates should not be too tight. If a skater can't bend his or her knees, the skates are too tight.Make sure the tongue of the skate is straight and does not slip under the laces.Skates must fit. If the boot is too big, lacing the skates tightly will not improve the ice skating experienceWear a sock that fits and make sure that no wrinkles are in the sock as the foot is placed inside the ice skating boot. Wearing thick socks is not recommended for figure skating.Especially important with rental skates: set the heel of the foot into the heel pocket of the boot. This really helps make a first experience a lot more fun.