Fitting Pointe shoes can be one of the most frustrating things to do in relation to ballet. It becomes confusing because every ballet shoe manufacturer not only has their own variety of designs but they have their own rules on how their shoes should be fit. What makes it even harder are dance teachers and dancers have their own ideas on how the shoes should fit and in many cases the three do not mix.

Tried and true guidelines have been in existence of over 150 years on fitting Pointe Shoes properly to avoid permanent injury and give the best performance from the shoe and the dancer.

To fit a Pointe shoe properly understanding how one is constructed will help.

• -The toe box is just that, a box made from hardened fabric, layered wood or polymer materials to hold the toes and the front of the foot in place. These vary from wide to tapering to a literal point the size of a common American quarter coin.
• -The arch supports from underneath to give spring and keep the foot aligned and lastly the ribbons hold on the shoes onto the foot.http://www.dancer.com/fitting_gm-comprehensive-guide-to-fitting.php

Knowing the basics of your foot, you have to try to match that to a comfortable and useful shoe. Aside from that, you have to also match that with a proper cushioning material to totally protect your toes, foot, and back. Luckily, many shoes today are designed and developed with the help of orthopedists and ballet dancers that have hurt themselves from bad fitting shoes. These simple guidelines will help you to choose a good shoe, proper cushioning and protect your body from injury. This guide on how to fit Pointe shoes for ballet will cover this and more to have your shoes fitting beautifully.

You must know four basic things before even beginning to go and try on Pointe shoes.

These include your:

1. Foot width
2. Foot length
3. Type of arch you have
4. Shoe size.

Many companies today start at shoes size, and while companies like Capezio are starting to match shoe size to Pointe and Character shoe sizes, European companies with shoes available in the US have a different sizing approach.

Let us begin with the basics of knowing your foot.

Is your foot wide, narrow, or long? Do you have arches, no arches, high arches or average arches? Are your toes crooked, do you have bunions or broken toes, or do you suffer from gout on occasion? Have you ever broken your foot?

Knowing your foot shape and its’ characteristics as well as your real shoe size can help narrow down the shoes that are available from all companies for your foot type. Your real shoe size can be confusing since every pair of shoes you wear has been stretched out to the shape of you foot. Your common street shoe size is the one similar to the sneaker or moccasin style loafers you could easily walk in and pick up of a shelf. In many cases the shoe size of a CVO style sneaker, which is like a KEDS brand is the best size to start with.http://www.pagelinx.com/cgi-shopper/loadpage.cgi/cpzo/ezshopper?file=pointefit.htm

A Pointe shoe is more than just a hardened ballet slipper; it is really constructed like a box to fit a foot.

There is the box, at the very front of the shoe, which is made from either hardened fabric, layered wood or new flexible rigid polymer the type of material used for artificial limbs and lightweight casts.

Then there is the throat. The throat is the part or opening on the front of the box at the top you can locate the throat because the smaller shoe ties end at the center of the throat. Looking at the shoe, it often looks like a V, a U or in some new styles, a street shoe, or square. The most common and traditional are U or V. It is a personal comfort choice and you do not know which one you like until you try both. In general, the V is supportive on the sides of the foot and the U or round is better for a wider foot.

Box shape can be confusing; you have narrow, tapered, square, or oval. This is a personal preference as well. The most comfortable boxes are wider and have a slightly larger “point” and are more stable to the foot. Tapered are the most common traditional and allow for foot spread and control. Those shoes that have a narrow box and drastic taper, like a Pavlova point can cause injury to the unaccustomed dancer.

The shank is the board that runs the length of the shoe. It should be flexible, not broken easily. This board give the foot support and a spring when you are preparing for “relive to pointe” techniques.http://www.discountdance.com/image/shoes_size_chart_t.jpg

When you get to the shoe store make sure there is a wooden or linoleum or non- carpeted place with a handrail so that you can try your shoes on “en Pointe”.

If the store does not have a good place, make sure the shoes can be returned if they do not work out. If they cannot be returned, find another store. Look around to see the variety of shoes are openly available without salespersons’ help. If there is a good stock of all size and widths, you can try on as many as your feet will allow until you to find just the right pair. This can take a while, so be patient.

Remember to bring or wear thin lightweight socks or purchase dancers Pointe shoe socks. Be sure to purchase either toecaps, which can be foam, silicone shock absorbing gel or traditional lambs wool with your shoes. If using lambs wool, open the package and pull the lambs wool apart and make a little bowl that will fit over your toes to protect and cushion them. Place your toe-cap on and you’re ready to begin fitting.

Sizing:

Many shoe companies chose to tell you to start with a shoe what is one to two sizes smaller than your street shoe size. Some companies go as far as three sizes smaller than your street shoe. The old rule was begin with one to one and half sizes smaller than your normal street shoe; so if you wear a size 9 shoe start with a 7 ½ to an 8.

Many companies are beginning to take that rule out and just make shoes for your shoe size for a perfect fit. Capezio for example is going to street shoe fitting and Bloch is still one to two sizes smaller than street shoes. So, when requesting shoes to try on, simply say (if you take a size 8 street shoe) “I take an 8 in Capezio and a 7 in Bloch, to start with” and go on from there.

Trying Pointe Shoes On:

Slide your foot into the shoe and bring the heel of the shoe up into place on your heel. Your foot should slide in easily and feel a bit confined. It should not feel too snug, tight or uncomfortable. You should be able to flex your foot and feel your toes work easily.

If you feel a rubbing, grating, squashed or uncomfortable in any way the shoe does not fit. Do not let the salesperson inform you that you will get used to it or that is how they are supposed to fit. If the shoe feels to short and/or the back of the shoes cuts into your foot in anyway, the shoe fits wrong. A proper feeling shoe should feel secure and snug, like a sock.

Does you foot fall too far forward leaving a large gap at the back? Does your foot hangover the wing or sides at all? Does the shoe twist? A poor fitting shoe will have your large toe knuckle push over the wing or the side edge of the toe box. This can cause damage to the knuckle and the shoe to loose its support.

A proper fitting shoe should cradle the whole front of the foot, and feel supported not cramped or the toes crunched together.