Qualifications

Hi all,

I received an interesting comment on one of my posts, and it seems like something I should address.

The commenter noted that since I've only been back to pointe for two years, I'm not qualified to be giving advice on pointe fitting or to run my other site.  That it's work of a professional pointe fitter only.

I'm not angry at this comment, people have written much, much weirder things.  Her comment has weighed on me though and I've thought about her words several times since I received it a few weeks ago. I completely understand her concerns-- pointe fitting is SO involved and complicated, it's pretty much impossible to suggest the exact make/model/size/width/vamp/shank/heel combination that any one person will need over the internet.

Heck, it's hard even for a pointe fitter to pick the best shoes for student to try on in a store.

As I've said over and over on both sites, only the dancer can truly decide if the shoe fits.  The pointe fitter can suggest shoes that might compliment the foot but doesn't know how it feels.  The tricky part, is that a dancer's needs might change in between pointe fittings!  Feet change, strength and muscle tone change and improve.

My main goal through the PointePerfect.com website is to teach others about their feet.  The Pointe Shoe Finder is also a powerful tool in that you can learn based on your foot type which shoes should theoretically be the right shape for your foot.

There are some key things I'd like to explain.

1. There are no mainstream pointe fitting certification programs.  Most fitters in dancewear shops around the country are dancers (or former dancers, teachers, parents, students, etc) who were hired and trained by the store.  Just like retailers selling running shoes, your pointe fitter isn't required to have any special qualifications in order to fit you for pointe shoes.
     
2. The whole point of my website is to help the dancer understand the shape of her feet and how that shape relates to pointe fit.  You never know for sure what your fitter understands about pointe shoes when you go in for a fitting, or what she knows about your particular toe shape and foot type. It's your duty as a dancer to have an understanding about your own feet to avoid the red flags that occasionally pop up during fittings!  That is what I hope to teach people.
     
3. The length of time I've been dancing on pointe doesn't really impact my knowledge on pointe fitting at this point.  If I had never danced in pointe shoes, yes it would be a little weird to be so invested and passionate about pointe fitting.  It would be difficult to understand how the shoes should fit at all. 

-Does a piano tuner need to be a master pianist in order to perfectly tune a piano?

-Does a riding instructor need to be an Olympic rider to teach riding lessons?

-Does a ballet teacher need to be a prima ballerina in order to teach ballet?

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Having danced on pointe as a teen and in my recent 2 year refresher course, I've had time to experience all the functions of a pointe shoe. I understand how they work, all of the parts, how they feel, and how they shouldn't feel. I know that the closer shoes get to matching the shape of your foot, the less painful they will be. I know only you can decide if the shoe fits, and you have to go into your pointe fitting educated about what your feet mean.

A professional dancer isn't always a good teacher.  A professional football player isn't automatically a great coach.  This concept rings true for all sports and activities. The way I see it, there is a difference between an advanced student/professional ballet dancer who has only dealt with her own feet for 10 years, and someone who has dedicated hundreds of hours to learning as much as possible about ALL foot types, quirks and abnormalities.

Here's an example:

Most feet have some degree of compression.  Compressible feet absolutely require a pair of pointe shoes with the right profile height and width.  Too much width or a too high profile will cause the compressible foot to sink into the box.  This hurts, a lot.  Keeping this in mind, why do suppose a huge number of articles and youtube videos recommend flattening the box during break-in to adjust the profile height?

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction-- by stepping on the box you are also automatically widening the box by 1/2 or 1 full size... maybe more if you crease it!  There goes your metatarsal support, and if you've got compressible feet you are in for some big problems.

There are SO MANY pointe shoe concepts and ideas out there, it is difficult to figure out who is right.  The girl telling the YouTube kingdom to flatten the box of her shoe during break in isn't wrong, just not right for everyone.

I started out researching just my feet, and over time grew more interested in fitting ALL foot types over just my own.  I developed a deep interest in how each make and model of shoe has been designed.  Much of what I've put together is common sense and physics, like my compression example above.  Other concepts I've pulled from my other professions and obsessions.

For example:


Fitting horses for saddles is just as delicate as fitting pointe shoes for people.  It's common knowledge in the horse world that if your saddle isn't a perfect fit and has friction points or pinches the horses withers, you build up padding AROUND the point of pressure.  This will alleviate sharp pressure in one area and redistribute pressure to a larger surface area.

(I guess I use this picture a lot)

This concept is the same for pointe shoes, but it's not widely taught.  If your pointe shoes are causing pain in the big toe, for example, you need to pad AROUND the pressure into the negative space to alleviate the pressure on the big toe.  A thick gel toe pad will make it worse, even though it seems like that'd be the best way to go.  

Finally, one of my very best talents is researching and analyzing information.  Much to the dismay of my bosses and peers, I love to challenge the norm and find a better way.  It's one part of my day job that I'm awesome at.  I may never be the most amazing ballet dancer on the planet, but I do have a deep understanding of our favorite pink shoes and a desire to help others alleviate the pain and frustration of a bad fit.

I will always share my findings with all of you, because I don't think any student should need to suffer through years in poorly fitting pairs of shoes and believe that pointe shoes = pain.  Injuries happen; discomfort & bruises, sure.  Constant pain from your shoes?  That's truly avoidable!

Ballet has been a huge part of my life- 18 out of my 27 years to be exact.  It has helped me work on myself, I'm sure you understand.  Dance has changed me, and I hope through my research I can stop young students from dropping out because of the pain or frustration stemming from the wrong pair of pointe shoes.

Thanks for being a loyal reader, I really appreciate it.

I hope you are DANCING this summer (I haven't been... bad me)

-RB