Characteristics in figure skates/good fit?

Question

What is a good fit for a Primary skater (meaning early double jumps and below) in a skate? What characteristics should the skate have? How should the boot fit on the foot? what should the skate look like as a "good fit" or a "good skate" for figure skating?

Answer 1

No slippage or movement in the heel. It should fit snugly without having to strap the laces extra extra tight to keep the heel back.

A little breathing room in the toes is okay. Your foot should touch the end of the skate but not be crammed in.  Some skaters prefer it a little more cramped than others; that's a preference.

You should be able to slip a finger or two down into the skate behind your leg.

Good fitting skates shouldn't be painful once they've broken in.  Pain on the outsides of your foot might mean they are too narrow in the footbed.  Pain on the ankle bones is common but easily fixed by having the boot fitter punch them out. Pain in your instep could mean you need an arch insert.  Pain on the top of your foot is called lace bite and could mean you have a problem with the tongue of the skate or the padding is wearing down. You shouldn't have to over-tie the skate to compensate for a bad fit.

Double jumps? I wouldn't call that "primary" because that's beyond basic skills. You need a stiffer skate when you're doing double jumps than a beginner would.   You definitely need a skate from a reputable manufacturer like Riedell, Harlick, SP Teri, Jackson, or Klingbeil.

As for "look" - I think that's pretty hard to say because skates are stiff and won't look like particularly anything on a foot. Sometimes the youngest kids get skates they're supposed to grow into and they look huge.