Easy DIY Bungee Toe Ties for Ball Hockey

[OldSchoolGoalie]

I rarely play ball hockey but I do have a second set of pads I use for it. I'm not a big fan on having pads just rotate around, I still like to have some control and prevent my pads from rotating too far around my leg. For those that have seen my DIY setup for ice hockey here: 

I was using just shoelace before but I found having no give was really hurting my ankles. So yesterday before my game I just made the below and it worked out very well.

You'll want to use some shock cord, I use 3/16", and an S-Clip I used a Size-1 S-Biner clip. You'll need either shoe lace or skate lace as well. Then I would pick some shoes you're okay with modifying because we're going to put some grommets into the last eyelets. If you don't do this step you will risk having your eyelets tear a lot sooner otherwise. If that does happen then you'll need to put a leather or some other strong material patch, cut a hole, then redo your grommets. You can also do it at the toe, and even drill out a toe cap if you want so as long as you're okay with the feel and you can get the S-Clip attached properly without issues.

 

I would suggest having a longer cord first, just put it through then do an angular loop on one, and then do it on the other side before cutting because it can take a few tries to get the length right. You can also test the feel before cutting. Make sure you pull on that loop to apply enough tension to lock it. Don't forget to burn the ends when done as well.

 

For the shoes I use 6mm grommets. I also use a tool to help get the hole to size.

 

Now the reason for using only a small piece of lace going through the grommets here is because it makes sure that the length is always the same when pulled and it doesn't interfere with your shoe lacing. I also do a few knots and burn them to prevent them from getting undone. You can use skate lace as well. The S-Clip looks a bit loose here which is normal because when I put my foot in the shoe the eyelets spread apart a bit and everything is snug. Make sure you tighten the lace when your wearing the shoes to get the perfect tightness.

 

Once done you can just clip them in at any time.

I'm not wearing the shoes in these examples so the clips are not as flush.

So far these are easier on the ankles and my toes are no longer pointing up like before. I had to really have almost no slack to prevent the pads from rotating, but with shoe or skate lace you're locked in. With bungee it will help keep the pads in the proper position, plus your ankle isn't locked with your foot pointing up.

 

[OldSchoolGoalie]

Note to self! Don't use shoe lace, just had it snap in a game. At first I thought my bungee loops got out of the clips, but after the game was over the lace on my left shoe snapped. Normally I would be using skate lace for this so lesson learned! At least the knot held up!

[Justin1820]

Great writeup, @OldSchoolGoalie!

I'm looking to get back into playing dek hockey goalie after a 30 year break.  I got a real good deal on a used set of ice hockey pads, and was wondering what most guys do with the toe ties.  Thank you very much for the detailed tips!

- Justin