Edited by Crystlee (155173) on 2008-09-15 20:21:47

Edited by Crystlee (155173) on 2008-09-15 20:22:17

Edited by Crystlee (155173) on 2008-09-15 20:25:34

Made sticky by Theresa (28613) on 2008-09-19 09:12:51



By Crystlee

Okay, to start off, let's have a question and answer session:according to about.com:The shank is the part of the shoe that runs between the heel and the outsole, and sits under the arch of the foot. The shank supports the foot and helps give a shoe its structure.In a pointe shoe, it's a piece of material (usually many layers of glue-hardened burlap, thick non-corrugated cardboard, thick leather, or sometimes plastic) that is inside the shoe, along the sole of your foot.The basic idea is that you're going to cut the shank at the point which your foot bends when you point it. I'll describe how to do this better later.No. It actually makes the shank and the shoe last longer.Point your foot. Notice it's shape. It's arched, isn't it? Maybe not as arched as you would like or maybe too arched, but either way, it bends. Now, go find a ruler. Have it? Good, now point your foot and place the ruler so that one end is against your heel, and the other is against your metatarsals. Now, holding the ruler in the same position, try to press the ruler up against your arch. There are only two ways that this is possible without moving the ruler; it bent, or it broke. If either happen to your shoe inn the wrong place, it's dead. No more shoe. Keep the ruler. You will need it again in a moment.Now go find a piece of sturdy, unbent cardboard and sit on a wood or tile floor with it (carpet is too squishy). Put the cardboard perpendicular to the floor, push straight down, and see hard you have to push to get it to bend. It should hold up to a fair amount of pressure. Now, hold the cardboard at a slight angle with one hand and press straight down with the other. It should bend fairly easily. Oh, no! Your shank is dead.Now, take your ruler again. Place one end of it against the deepest part of your arch. It will lay flatter against your foot than when you had it against your heel and metatarsal. Less bend equals less likely to break.In your shoes, to balance en pointe, your platform has to be parallel to the floor. The shank of the shoe is perpendicular to the platform, so therefore, perpendicular to the floor, which is very good, until you add your heel, which pushes it onto an angle.Got it? I'm willing to answer questions about this if need be.If you're having a problem that your feet go so far over that it's scary, you will probably need long vamps to keep your arches under control, and to 3/4 the shanks to prevent yourself from breaking your foot. Get out that ruler again!Take your ruler and place it perpendicular to the floor. Now, take your hand, and place the palm and fingers flat against the ruler. Push straight down, keeping the tips of your fingers and the heel of your palm against the ruler. Your hand will collapse. This is what happens to a person with high arches' foot with full shanks. Aka, not a good idea at all. Put that ruler up again, flex your hand as if 'pointing' it and place the deepest part of that bend on top of the free end of the ruler. Press down. Your hand doesn't collapse. Thus, 3/4 shanks for high arches are a good idea.3/4 shanks will help you get fully on the platform of your shoes. Remember that your platform is perpendicular to your shank. If the shank is on an angle, so is your platform, ending you up on the back ridge of your shoe. They will also make your shoes look better on your feet. Imagine that!Even so, check and see if the end of the shank maches up with the deepest part of your arch. If they extend further up towards your heel than that point, you need to cut them, if they are closer to your toes than that, you need longer shanks. If they hit that spot well, then lucky you, you don't have to do anything with them.Get your shoes(use an old pair for the first time), a pen, and a box cutter. Slip the right shoe on your right foot, without elastics or ribbons, and place your foot on full pointe, with a little bit of pressure on it. Fold the heel down, and look at your foot in profile. Find the deepest part of your arch, and with the pen, mark that spot on your shoe. Take off your shoe again, and cut a little bit above the place that you marked, remove the peices, and stand en pointe in the shoe, and see if you need to cut out more of the shank. Before you do this, however, inspect how the shoe is made. Some shoes(like Blochs, and Freeds) have a leather insole that you should pull back before you cut, and place a stitch in the heel to hold down after. Some (like Grishkos) glue everything together, meaning that you should cut it all, and put moleskin on top to prevent blistering. Some(like Russian Pointes) sew everything together, in which you can just score the shank around the stitches, rather than taking the cut pieces out of the shoe.There you go! Now you should know why and how to 3/4 your shanks. If I can, I'll find pictures of this process and put them up.For those of you too lazy to read this whole post, here's a summary:~The shank is supposed to work as an extra bone in your shoe by helping to hold your heel up. If you 3/4 the shank, the bone will be straight, and therefore less likely to break, making the shoe last longer.~3/4 shanks make your arches look better by pressing the shoe to your foot, and showing off your arches.~3/4 shanks help you get straight on the platform of your shoe.~3/4 shanks support some of your weight, taking some of the pressure of of your poor tootsies.~3/4 shanks look better in extensions. Think of the difference of full soled shoes vs. split sole shoesOkay, I'm done..