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Do Hockey Skates Have Ankle Support?

Do hockey skates have ankle support? If you’re asking this question, you’re probably experiencing ankle pains when you wear hockey skates. Stay put as we dive deeper into the topic.

Do hockey skates have ankle support? You’re probably experiencing excruciating ankle pains when playing hockey and wondering how to go about it. The truth is different brands design hockey skates. So, not all of them have the same design.

However, some hockey skates have built-in ankle support to help alleviate ankle pains. The built-in ice hockey skates ankle support provides comfort when you have ankle sprain and ligament pain. Thus, the best ice hockey skates with in-built ankle support provide ankle support to rest the ligaments as they heal.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. The rest of this guide covers details such as why your hockey skates hurt your ankles and more ways to get ankle support in hockey skates. You don’t want to miss out on this, so I urge you to read it till the end. Let’s get to it. Ready?

Why Do My Hockey Skates Hurt My Ankles?

Your hockey skates will hurt your ankles when they’re ill-fitting, or you have tightly laced up. This is why you only want to wear hockey skates that are a snug fit. They should be neither too tight nor too loose. The rule of thumb is to always wear ice hockey skates 1-1.5 size smaller than your street shoes.

You also want to avoid tightening your laces too much because this exerts pressure on your ankles. Eventually, they start to hurt when the pressure is too much on the ankle muscles. That said, your hockey skates can also hurt your ankles when you only wear too thin socks or none at all.

In addition, too loose hockey skates can cause pronation and supination, which hurt the ankles. Lastly, your ankles will hurt in your hockey skates when you have an existing ankle injury from an ankle sprain or fracture.

This is the reason you need ample support around the ankles to rest your ankle ligaments. The thing is, you can achieve that in many ways, one of them being using ice hockey skates with built-in ankle support.

Built-in Ice Hockey Skates Ankle Support

The best way to comfort your ankles when playing ice hockey is to wear ice hockey skates with built-in ankle support. Falling is inevitable when playing hockey. So, you want to ensure your ankles are protected when you fall on the hard ice.

Also, the puck can hurt badly when it hits your ankles. The sure way to protect your ankles from the pain is to wear hockey skates with built-in ankle support. They’re more convenient and a cheaper way to protect your ankles from sprains and fractures.

As a rule of thumb, always try out new ice hockey skates when you buy them from the store. This way, you’ll test if they have enough ankle support or not. The problem is this can be an issue when shopping online. Nonetheless, you can check past customer reviews or ask forums if your preferred hockey skates have built-in ankle support.

How to Get More Ankle Support in Hockey Skates

Unfortunately, not all hockey skates come with in-built ankle support. Playing in such skates can be a frustrating nightmare. However, you don’t need to worry about it when you can use other alternatives to get more ankle support. Below is the quick rundown if you’re asking what alternatives you have!

  • Lace-up Ankle Braces
  • Athletic Tapping
  • Elastic Ankle Support

1. Lace-up Ankle Braces

Ankle braces cover your foot midpoint and the entire ankles area. They’re made of canvas material, and help reduce foot and ankle movement. This product comes in handy when you have a chronic ankle instability problem caused by pronation and supination.

Lace-up ankle braces are also useful to hockey players who suffer from ankle sprains and fracture pains. Overall, this product provides rest and comfort to the ankles and helps with a speedy recovery from ligament and sprains.

Feel free to check out these amazing Lace-up ankle braces on Amazon

  1. Space Brace 2.0, Quick Lace Up Ankle Brace
  2. Mcdavid Lace-up Ankle Brace
  3. Zenith Ankle Brace

2. Athletic Taping

Athletic taping is a cost-effective way to tap into the benefits of lace-up ankle braces. This is because they operate in the same way. The only difference is that you have to buy athletic taping instead of ankle braces. The taping is wrapped around from your foot midpoint to the ankles area.

Overall, they help alleviate ankle sprain and ligament pain by proving comfort around the ankles. Your chronic ankle pain injuries should go way after using the athletic tapping for a while.

3. Elastic Ankle Support

Elastic ankle support is more flexible and does the job without limiting feet and ankle movement. They’re suitable for hockey players with stiff, weak, and sore ankles. The best part is it’s made of sturdy material for longevity. And to top it up, this product fits well in your hockey skates without struggle.

Moreover, elastic ankle support provides compression around the ankles, thus ridding ankle pain and swellings while improving endurance. Lastly, they’re breathable and comfortable to play hockey in. If you’re the least worried about discomfort, that shouldn’t be a problem anymore.

Best Youth Hockey Skates for Ankle Support

Do hockey skates have ankle support? The easiest way to protect your ankles when playing hockey is to wear hockey skates with built-in ankle support. However, getting your hands on the best ones for you can be a hassle. But you don’t have to worry an inch because I’ve got your back.

That being said, below is a quick summary of the best youth hockey skates for ankle support. You can also check them out on Amazon.

  1. BAUER SUPREME 3S—Best Premium
  2. CCM SUPER TACKS 9350—Best Budget
  3. Bauer X-LP Youth Skates
  4. Bauer Supreme 3S Youth Skates
  5. CCM JetSpeed FT485 Youth Skates

Do Hockey Skates Have Ankle Support | Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can you ice skate with weak ankles?

You can ice skate with weak ankles when you wear awesome ankle support products like elastic ankle support, lace-up ankle braces, athletic taping, or ice hockey skates with built-in support.

2. How do you support your ankles when ice skating?

The best way to support your ankles when skating is to wear ice hockey skates with built-in ankles support. Alternatively, you can wear elastic ankle support, taping, or lace-up ankle braces.

3. Why do hockey players Tape their ankles?

Hockey players tape their ankles to alleviate ankle pains such as sprains and ligament fractures. Taping around the ankles provides comfort for the ankles and helps to stabilize the ankles.

Do Hockey Skates Have Ankle Support | Wrapping up

Hockey skates have built-in ankle support to provide ankles comfort. However, some hockey skates don’t have inbuilt ankle support. Therefore, you can use other alternatives like lace-up ankle braces, athletic taping, and elastic ankle support.

That’s it! I hope you found this guide helpful!

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Navick Ogutu
Navick Ogutu

Navick is a full-time freelance writer, blogger, and internet marketer. By day, he creates content for multiple sites including inlineskaterstars.com. Over the weekend, he goes out skating with friends.

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