The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
ok guys what do you do? I used to wear thin socks, soccer ones and my feet still smelled but not that bad. Now I started barefoot and the smell is way too bad. yet I hear from other guys barefoot is the way to go. what do the pros do or any of you guys?
I wear NB Vapor socks and my skates don't smell. Granted I only play 1-2 a week tops, but make sure you air out the skates completely after every use (unlace a few eyelets, pull out the tongue, remove soles, hang upside down).
ok guys what do you do? I used to wear thin socks, soccer ones and my feet still smelled but not that bad. Now I started barefoot and the smell is way too bad. yet I hear from other guys barefoot is the way to go. what do the pros do or any of you guys?
It's all a matter of how you feel. If you like and prefer the feeling of being barfeoot, go for it.
Besides, many people I encounter in a dressing room already have plenty of nasty, stinky equipment anyway, so what's one more smell?
Not keeping your skates in a bag and letting them dry in the outside hockey bag air when you are not skating is probably your best bet. Febreeze probably wouldn't hurt either.
If I remember correctly, Paul Coffey skated barefoot, but I have no idea what he did for the smell. But seeing what an awesome player he was, I'm sure he could care less.
I always went barefoot in my skates, and they always smelled terrible. I had lots of teammates who wore socks and had terrible smelling skates too though.
Socks really help the odor. People don't skate barefoot to control odor, it makes it much, much worse because all of your sweat is going directly into the skate rather then being absorbed by a sock.
People skate barefoot because they like the feel better. A lot of people swear it makes them better skaters, but that's really BS. It makes some people feel better when they skate. If you have no problems with skating with socks, I would say don't bother, especially if you notice and dislike the smell.
again, 3 parts water to 1 part isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Mist the inside of the skates and other equipment after each use and hang dry as you would normally. For removing already bad stink you will have to mist heavily and let dry, repeat and by the third treatment you should find the smell pretty much gone.
again, 3 parts water to 1 part isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Mist the inside of the skates and other equipment after each use and hang dry as you would normally. For removing already bad stink you will have to mist heavily and let dry, repeat and by the third treatment you should find the smell pretty much gone.
i skate barefoot and use what Mike has been saying since ive joined HF and its works great.
its so bad for you to go barefoot
do you like gang green? because thats what you can get. I used to work in a LHS and its always been recommended to wear thin socks
try the brand "Fox river hockey socks". they are amazing
its so bad for you to go barefoot
do you like gang green? because thats what you can get. I used to work in a LHS and its always been recommended to wear thin socks
try the brand "Fox river hockey socks". they are amazing
Gangrene is a disorder of the circulatory system. Wearing socks or not will have nothing to do with it.
The smell is bacteria. If you control the bacteria, you of course control the smell. The bacteria come from your sweat.
Most "thin" socks don't hold the sweat in and they just pass right through into the skate material. That is what they are designed to do. They will actually cause more smell.
Cotton socks will absorb and hold onto the sweat. They are less comfortable but should pull the sweat out with your feet.
Some skates hold onto the moisture more then others. If you air your skates out totally, you should not have to many odor problems. You really need to focus on destroying the bacteria.
Your feet can smell with socks but most of us change socks very often so the bacteria doesn't build up.
I used to sharpen skates at a pro shop and can tell you that you can definitely tell who wears socks with their skates and who doesn't. Definitely had some unpleasant moments with some of those pairs.
With that aside, and from what the owner of the store has told me, it is reccommended to wear socks. Aside from health reasons, going barefeet is actually bad for the sole of the skate itself. Health-wise, if you had cuts on your feet or anything like that, you could develop a staph infection and they can be really nasty. I would personally reccommend socks, but that's just me.
Thats the great part about the Alcohol spray. Rubbing alcohol kills Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and other bacteria. Its cheap and easy to apply and need not be at 100% strength to do the job.
Its also a great preventive. Ever visit a nursing home or emergency room/ hospital, local gym or any other area where Staph is known to lurk? Misting this over the hands and cloths(incidental contact) goes a long way in preventing an infection or transmission. Just brushing by a person who has a MRSA skin infection can transfer MILLIONS . Go visit your grandmother/mother/father at the nursing home and giving a hug good bye could mean bringing MRSA back to your home. Should a little one jump into your arms on greeting you when you get home, you inadvertently pass it on.
People have contracted MRSA infections simply by loaning their cell phone to a co-worker! A simple mist and wipe can do wonders to prevent this stuff.
