Are pointe shoes supposed to be hard as a rock on the bottom? Also, how do I make them soft for my toes inside

Question

They also hurt the ends of my toes, how do I make them squishy or softer down there??

Is this normal? It's my first pair. I'm not going en pointe, just using them to strengthen my ankles and feet only.

Answer 1

Have you ever heard of a thing called toe pads???? And yes, they are supposed to be very hard unless you have horrible arches- then they aren't as hard but still pretty hard.

Answer 2

get a gel pad made for your toes at the dance store

they start out really hard but you get used to them and they won't hurt much anymore

Answer 3

just break them in without hurting them......you can look on youtube to see how you do that. and if you don't wear toe pads, get some....(i use ouch pouches). but if you are going en pointe to strengthen your ankles and your feet, you're kinda going going in the opposite direction. 2 go en pointe you need strong ankles. unless you already have strong ankles, then you can go en pointe. but im confuzzled as to why you aren't going en pointe, but yet you have pointe shoes.....

Answer 4

well i put a little lambswool at the tip then tape my toes

Answer 5

first of all you say you're not going on pointe?just demi pointe excersises?  i do not recomend you use point shoes by yourself untill you have started point with you instuctor. there is nothing demi point excersises will do on pointe shoes that cannot be done with flats. wait untill your teacher shows you how to use them properly(i know it seems easy but it is also so easy to do soething wrond) cahnces are you'll end up hurting yourself rather than strengtrhening. yes they can help strengthen feet and ankles but first your feet and ankles have to be strong enough to go on pointe.

yes they are supposed to be hard but they will sofeten with use and with excersises given in class. before you use them you should break them in which will make them a little softer. you can do this a little without wearing them (by bending them very lightly back and forth in the middle of the shank) but the rest should be done for the first time in class. For your toes, there are special pads called toes pads, ouch pouches, gell pads (many dif names) which will protect your toes. You can also try tapeing your toes just around the tips. However some studios prefer that you don't use such things cause thay want ot keep your toes strong so i really really recomend you talk to your studio before doing any of this. they'll be able to tell you better than anyone.

be careful!