The Ultimate Guide to Tying Your Shoes

Called Out

“NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO TIE THEIR SHOES THE CORRECT WAY!!!!” exclaimed Mrs. Laura Magdzas, my Weight Training instructor. It was the last day of the semester, and my first hour class had devolved into a heated debate between ardent supporters of the “Bunny Ears” technique and fierce defenders of the “One Loop” method. I had been diligently plugging away on classwork in the commons when I was dragged into the gym by my friend, Collin, who joined Mrs. Magdzas as the only other person in the class who tied their shoes with one loop.

“Collin tells me you have some ‘special’ way that you tie your shoes,” said Mrs. Magdzas. “I mean, I guess so,” I responded, and I lifted my foot up onto the box that the class was crowded around. I told everyone to watch closely as I lightly picked up my laces. In a flash, a well-balanced, loopy knot was sitting on top of my shoe. “What was that?!” asked a surprised Mrs. Magdzas. “Magic,” I responded.

Three Schools of Thought

There are three basic methods of tying your shoes. Each of these methods will produce the same exact knot but will get you there in slightly different ways.

Method #1 – The “Bunny Ears” or “Double Loop” Method

Before I tell you how I tie my shoes, I will explain the two most common techniques. I will start out with what is probably the most simple shoe-tying method: the double loop. According to “Bunny Ears” enthusiasts, this is the only way to go. First, make a simple overhand knot by taking the left shoelace, placing it across the right shoelace, and pulling it back under the shoelace. Next, form two loops and tie them in the same way, except for this time, go right over left.

It doesn’t really matter which way you choose to go in the beginning, as long as you do the second step in the opposite direction. Failure to do so will result in a “granny knot,” which means that the knot will orient itself up and down the shoe lengthwise rather than across the shoe.

Method #2 – The “Around the Tree” or “Single Loop” Method

Another common method of tying your shoes uses one loop. This method can be called the “Bunny Rabbit” method (not to be confused with the “Bunny Ears” method) as this knot is commonly taught to children with a story about a bunny. After tying an initial right-over-left knot, you make a loop (the tree), take the other end (the rabbit) and go around the tree, and pull the bunny down through the hole, doing so from the middle of the lace and creating a loop. Below is a video demonstrating how to tie this knot.

Method #3 – Magic

Finally, I will tell you how I tie my shoes. This method is called the “Ian Knot” or “Magic Fingers” knot because it was developed by a person named Ian, and it looks like magic because it can be tied insanely fast. You start by tying the same left-over-right knot at the beginning, and then you make two “humps” with the laces. On one hand, let the loose end of the hump go away from you, and in the other hand, make the hump with its loose end coming toward you. Now, put your fingers under the humps facing inwards in a pinching position. With each hand, grab the opposite hump on the side near the loose end and pull a loop back through the hump on each side. If you do this correctly, and tighten the knot without pulling the loose end through, you will end up with the exact same knot that the single or double loop methods provide. The link to the original Ian Knot website is located below if you want to check it out.

Science

I conducted a very scientific survey, please add to my data by clicking here. As of the time I am writing this post, the Magic Knot was in the lead with 7.4 seconds, followed by One Loop with 12.5 seconds, and Double Loop was far behind at an average of 20.5 seconds. Click here to see the current results.

Thanks For Visiting!

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Links to More Explanations

Magic Knot
Double Loop
Single Loop