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Question: On average, how long did it take you to break in new pointe shoes!?
I've just got my second pair after wearing out my first (blochs)!. I'm currently breaking them in by doing rises, going up en pointe, then down slowly on demi to bend the shoes!. When I got my first pair, my teacher said hitting them with a hammer also helps, though I've never tried this for fear of damaging them and having to fork out for a new pair!? I remember my blochs didn't take that long to be broken in, but I am now wearing Capezio Glisse shoes!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Well mine didn't take very long either!. Probably like just a week of classes and they were good!. And a hammer actually does help, and as long as you don't strike it extremely hard, it will not damage the shoe!. What you are doing is pretty much all you can do for now!. Just be careful not to break them in too much because then in classes they will break down faster!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Congratulations on breaking your first pair of pointe shoes!. :) When you first start doing pointework, it takes a while to break in your shoes!. As your feet get stronger and you start doing more advanced work, your shoes will break in faster!.

If you don't want to take a hammer to your shoes, hold the box in your hands and firmly press it to make it wider and flatter!. If your hands aren't strong enough to bend the box, then just put them on and have a friend step on one shoe at a time (this also feels nice when your feet hurt after wearing pointe shoes for a while)!.

Since you are wearing Blochs, I recommend three-quartering your shanks!. Don't ever bend your shank in the middle - this will make it break too low and not give you correct support!. Instead, bend the last inch or inch-and-a-half of the shank near the heel!. The way I do this is I press that last little bit of the shank against the floor so I can get enough leverage to bend it back and forth several times until there's a nice crease and it bends easily!. This will make your shoe conform to your foot better and give you support at the top of your arch under your heel, where you need it!.

A true 3/4 shank is one that has that last little bit of the shank cut off!. Many shoes come three-quartered or can be special-ordered that way, and some dancewear shops may be able to 3/4 your shoes for you!. You can also do it yourself with a pair of heavy-duty scissors!. Peel away the sock lining from the shank and the shank away from the outer part of the shoe, and snip off the last inch or 1 1/2 inches of the shank!. Make sure you don't cut off the sock lining (the fabric over the shank that touches your foot, because then the cut shank will rub against your foot and you will get nasty painful blisters on the bottoms of your feet!.Www@QuestionHome@Com