How To Tie A Shoe

Pattern library / 6 patterns

Skate and Street Lacing

Skate shoes destroy laces. These patterns hide the lace from the grip tape, keep the shoe locked to the foot on a flip trick, and cover the styling conventions of street skating.

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The footwear

Skate shoes use 6–8 eyelet pairs, often with reinforced metal eyelets and a lace-protection panel over the ollie area. Vulcanised soles flex hard, so lacing has to tolerate constant movement.

The laces

Flat waxed cotton, 8 mm, in 137–152 cm (54–60 in). Waxed laces last several times longer against grip tape than unwaxed. Some skaters run a second, sacrificial lace through the ollie-side eyelets only.

All 6 patterns

schematic

Bar Lacing (Skate)

Medium7 eyelet pairs

Bar lacing on skate shoes gives flat horizontal runs with nothing crossing the ollie area, which is where laces get shredded first. It is both a style and a durability choice.

Best for: The default street look

Steps

  1. Bar across the bottom pair with ends underneath.
  2. Take each end up two eyelets inside and out.
  3. Bar across and back down the opposite eyelet.
  4. Alternate to the top and tie.

Tip
Fewer crossings on the outside edge means far less lace exposed to grip tape.

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schematic

Hidden Lace Skate Lacing

Medium7 eyelet pairs

Hidden lace skate lacing runs the lace under the lace-protection panel or under the tongue flap on the ollie side, so the abrasive side of the shoe carries no exposed lace at all.

Best for: Protecting laces from grip tape

Steps

  1. Lace bar-style up the shoe.
  2. On the outside edge, feed the lace under the protection panel rather than over it.
  3. Keep all crossings on the medial side.
  4. Tie a low, tucked knot.

Tip
Doubles or triples lace life on a shoe you ollie in daily.

schematic

Loose-Lace Street Lacing

Easy7 eyelet pairs

Loose-lace styling laces the shoe fully but ties it with deliberate slack and long tails. It is purely aesthetic and reduces how well the shoe holds the foot.

Best for: Casual streetwear styling

Steps

  1. Lace criss-cross or bar-style throughout.
  2. Leave 2–3 cm of slack in each row.
  3. Tie a loose bow with long tails.
  4. Tuck nothing; let the tails hang.

Tip
Not a skating pattern. Loose laces catch on trucks and on the board.

schematic

Tucked Lace Lacing

Easy7 eyelet pairs

Tucked lace lacing hides the bow entirely by tying it and pushing the whole knot down beside the tongue, which is both a clean look and one less thing to catch.

Best for: No lace ends showing at all

Steps

  1. Lace and tie normally, keeping the bow small.
  2. Push the bow and both tails down between the tongue and the quarters.
  3. Flatten the tongue over the top.
  4. Check the knot is not sitting on a bone.

Tip
Cut a lace 15 cm shorter than standard so there is less to tuck.

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schematic

Double Lace Skate Lacing

Medium7 eyelet pairs

Double lace skate lacing runs two shorter laces, one through the lower half and one through the upper, so the forefoot and ankle tension independently and a shredded lower lace can be replaced alone.

Best for: Two laces, two colours, two tensions

Steps

  1. Lace the bottom three rows with the first lace and tie it off low.
  2. Lace the top rows with the second lace.
  3. Tie the second bow at the collar.
  4. Tuck the lower bow under the tongue.

Tip
Replace only the lace that wears out. Halves your lace cost over a season.

schematic

Sawtooth Lacing

Hard7 eyelet pairs

Sawtooth lacing produces a stepped, one-sided zigzag by running long diagonals up one side and short bars on the other. It is a display pattern with a distinctly asymmetric silhouette.

Best for: An asymmetric street look

Steps

  1. Bar across the bottom pair, ends underneath.
  2. Run one end diagonally up two rows and out.
  3. Bar it straight across and back down one row.
  4. Repeat, always stepping two up and one down.

Tip
Needs at least six eyelet pairs before the sawtooth shape is readable.

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Gear that goes with these patterns

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Questions about skate and street lacing

How many skate and street lacing patterns are there?
This library documents 6 distinct patterns for this category. Across the whole site there are 104 named lacing patterns and knots.
Which pattern should I start with?
Start with the first pattern listed, Bar Lacing (Skate). Bar lacing on skate shoes gives flat horizontal runs with nothing crossing the ollie area, which is where laces get shredded first. It is both a style and a durability choice.
What shoelaces do these patterns need?
Flat waxed cotton, 8 mm, in 137–152 cm (54–60 in). Waxed laces last several times longer against grip tape than unwaxed. Some skaters run a second, sacrificial lace through the ollie-side eyelets only.
Will a different lacing pattern really change how the shoe fits?
Yes, within limits. Lacing moves where pressure lands and how firmly the heel is held, which resolves most minor fit complaints. It cannot make a shoe that is the wrong length or width fit correctly.

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