How to tie your laces

Once you’ve laced up your cleats you tie them! There are many different ways to tie your shoes, and the method you learned as a kid might not be the best match for your current needs.

Do your shoelaces frequently untie themselves? You might be suffering from the “Granny Knot” problem. Or you might simply need a different knot. Read on to discover the world’s fastest knot to tie as well as a few super secure knot options.

Do your shoelaces frequently get untied? You might be the victim of the “Granny Knot” problem.

The process of tying your shoelaces usually occurs in two stages: the starting knot and the finishing bow. Each of these stages twists the laces. A balanced or symmetrical knot is created when the twisting of these stages balances out: left-over-right followed by right-over-left or vice versa. If twisted in the same direction, an unbalanced bow (Granny Knot) results. This knot looks messy, is less secure, and comes undone more easily.

(left) balanced knot
(right) unbalanced “Granny Knot”

Your quick fix to more securely tied shoes might therefore be fixing your “Granny Knot” tendencies by reversing the direction of either your starting knot or finishing bow step.

The Ian Knot is the fastest way to tie your shoelaces (invented by Ian Fieggen of Ian’s Shoelace Site).

Follow the video above or the instructions below to try the Ian Knot for yourself. Tie a starting knot left-over-right. Hold the lace ends as loops: the left lace looped over your index finger and the right lace over your thumb. Push each loop through the other and pull tight to complete the bow.

This knot is three times as secure as the Ian Knot.

Follow the video above or the instructions below to try the Double Slip Knot for yourself. Start with a left-over-right knot, make two loops, cross them, wrap each loop end through the central hole, and pull tight.

My personal go-to knot: quick, easy, and secure.

Follow the video above or the instructions below to try the Surgeon’s Shoelace Knot. Tie a left-over-right knot, create a loop with the right lace, wrap the left lace around the right loop twice, and pull tight.

SOURCES

Fieggen, Ian. “The Granny Knot.” Ian's Shoelace Site, 18 Oct. 2017.
Fieggen, Ian. “Tying Shoelaces.” Ian's Shoelace Site, 18 Oct. 2017.