I have quite a deep groove ground in my skates, and I have the outer edge of the skate slightly lower than the inner edge. The height of the skate above the ice is not very important. Some of the experts favor great height. My skates are built comparatively low.
The flat bladed skate ought not to be used by any one who wishes to learn figure skating. The hockey skate is the right skate for hockey, but the wrong skate for anything else. To learn on that type of skate means that the skater must learn all over again when figure skating is attempted.
I am glad to hear that some of the American manufacturers are even making their hockey skates with a curved blade, so that the simple curves can be learned on that type of skate. There are several excellent models of skates now being made in the United States.
The skating shoe should fit very snug around the heel and over the instep, and should be comparatively high, seven or eight inches being my preference. The heel of the shoe should be higher than that of the sporting or tramping or golf shoe now being worn by the American woman.
It is important to get such skates and shoes as will throw the balance of the body forward onto the ball of the foot when one stands on the ice. This can only be done by raising the heel of the foot, partly through the design of the skate and partly through the height of the heel of the shoe. But no such thing as French heels are intended or advocated, of course.
The shoe should lace from close to the toes up and should be a comparatively straight last. A strong, stiff leather lined shoe should be the first choice. Afterward, as the ankles strengthen, a lighter shoe can be worn. I often skate in low shoes, my ankles are so strong, and the only trouble I find with my low shoes is that the heel slips out in the toe spin.
Artificial braces are sometimes valuable aids to the beginner. The best braces consist of a bandage wrapped carefully around the ankle and foot under the stocking. A stiff piece of leather set inside the shoe between the stocking and the shoe is an excellent brace. It can be removed as the skater gains strength.
The shoe should not be laced so tight as to stop circulation or to interfere with the play of the toes, but it should be capable of being laced with rigid firmness around the instep. Skating is hard on the feet at first and makes them sore and tender. A thin lisle or wool stocking is advisable for the beginner, and cold baths will soothe and strengthen the foot muscles.