words Al Woods
You’ve just signed up for a new sports league, now you want to get a new pair of shoes. Here are some tips for helping you pick out the right shoe for the sport you’re playing or participating in.
Specialty Store
If you are playing a sport multiple times a week, or know that you are going to be playing the sport for a long time, going to a specific store for that sport would be a good start. These stores will cater to you and your needs, carrying the types of equipment and of course shoes that will best perform for you. If there are no specialty stores near you or your sport is not as popular or common, you will have to do your own research before making your decisions and purchases. The experts found that find my foot wear has lots of useful information involving footwear in addition to other information regarding an active lifestyle. From there, you can take your newly found knowledge plus any tips to a store to find the right shoe for you.
End of the Day
Your feet will swell as the day progresses or after a workout, so be sure to do your shopping closer to the end of your day so you know how your shoes will fit when your feet do expand. A good tip is to leave about half an inch of room between the tip of your longest toe to the end of the shoe.
Test Run
It’s not enough to just wear your shoes and feel the fit of it. Once you try it one, test them out. Walk around the store, walk over different surfaces to see how a shoe will feel through your day. Some sporting stores even allow you to try shoes on a treadmill or in a simulated environment because they know how much of an investment a pair of shoes are to you. You can literally take your shoes for a test run.
Try Both Shoes
It is important to wear both shoes, your body won’t always be symmetrical and your feet may slightly vary as well. Make sure when trying shoes, you wear both the left and right to know how they’ll feel on your feet.
The Sport
As mentioned, if you can visit a specialty store, you’ll have an easier time finding your perfect shoe with the knowledge of the employees there to help. Otherwise, you’ll have to do your own research. Each sport has different shoes. Even similar shoes may be built differently inside for their respective sports, with different supports, flexibilities, materials, and designs optimized for that activity. If you are investing in a sport, don’t short yourself on the shoe. You’re investing in your body as well. There’s a reason why there isn’t an all-in-one shoe for every sport.
Comfort
You’ll typically know how well a shoe fits immediately after you put on the pair. Lots of shoes break in but not by a lot. And the material matters as well. A harder plastic shoe is unlikely to stretch more whereas you may have more room with a mesh shoe. If a shoe isn’t comfortable while just sitting, standing or even walking, it definitely won’t be comfortable playing your sport.
Your Role
Focusing back on your sport, the role you play in team sports is going to change the shoe that you need because different roles require a shoe to be built in a different way. Let’s use basketball as an example. Playing the role of a smaller player like a guard will require you to move a lot quicker with more frequent side to side motions, and quick stop and go actions. That shoe will need more ankle support and may need to be of lighter material. Conversely, a big man’s role of a center may not require the same range of motion but need more support on the base of the shoe as you may be carrying more weight on you. The material will need to be stronger in this scenario. It is important to know not only the sport you play, but exactly what the role you’ll be in requires from you physically.
The Brand
Not trying to be an advocate for brand name products, but when it comes to sports, brands do actually matter. As mentioned previously, the type of shoe will differ according to the sport and the role you play. Certain brands have patent technology for certain designs, and these shoes can actually give you an edge as they are built with better quality. You don’t have to shell out hundreds of dollars on a pair of shoes, but there is a clear difference when buying a brand name shoe known for quality sports shoes over the department store brand.
Aesthetic
It has to be mentioned, that at the end of the day, the way a shoe looks will, even if slightly, affects the way you feel. If you like the way a shoe looks on you, the psychology of feeling good in what you are playing with can help your performance. As the saying goes, “if you look good, you feel good.”
