Foot shape does not differ across preferred hockey skate fit groups

Abstract

Well-fitting skates are essential for skillful task execution during hockey gameplay. It is generally believed for footwear (e.g. skates) to fit well, the internal shape must closely match an individual’s foot shape (Dobson et al., 2018). To accommodate variations in foot, brands often offer multiple fits (i.e. shapes) for each model (e.g. CCM Hockey offers a tapered, regular, and wide fit). Intuition guides that individuals with larger/wider feet prefer wide, and individuals with smaller/narrow feet prefer tapered. However, this has not been experimentally validated. Further, it is unclear which specific aspects of foot shape influence an individual’s preferred fit. 3D foot scanning combined with subjective fit tests may offer insights into which aspects of foot shape are most relevant for fit preference.