How To Choose The Right Sports Shoe

Wearing the right footwear is essential to ensure that not only do you enhance your sports performance but you also ensure you minimise the risk of injury. If you play a number of different sports then we can also advise you on what it is best to have on your feet. Lets start with one of the most popular sporting activities, running.

Running Shoes

Running shoes in essence are there to provide support for forwards movement.There is a bit of trial and error in picking a running shoe. Depending on what running you do and how often you run we will all have shoes that we either find suit our feet or they dont.There are a number of key questions to ask however. Firstly, what surface are you running on? If you plan to do all your running on pavements then you need road shoes as they will provide more cushioning if however you are running on muddy trails then you need trail shoes. Trail shoes provide you with the grip you need but will also offer you ankle support as the terrain will be uneven. It is also essential to understand what your running style is, as this will lead you to a certain type of shoe.Do your feet pronate, roll inwards or over pronate, don't roll inwards enough or do your feet stay neutral? A good way to determine this is to run on a treadmill in a sports shoe shop and let them analyse you running.If you do pronate for example you will need a structured shoe.

Tennis/Racquet Sports Shoes

Unlike running when you play tennis your feet will be changing direction of travel a lot.You therefore need specialist tennis shoes which will support lateral movement, so strong, supported sides and lateral support are the main thing. Tennis shoes will differ according to the surface you are playing on, clay courts will require a different shoe than grass for example. Tennis shoes need to support the ankle and will have less heel cushioning and are flatter which makes them sturdier.

Football/Rugby Boots

Some people may belive that you can wear either football or rugby boots for either sports but rugby and football boots are designed to do different things. Rugby boots are designed for maximum power transference. They tend to have wide platforms to allow the player to get that power that they need.Wide platforms also help in mauling and rucking as balance is crucial, Football boots by comparison tend to try and do the same things that running shoes do, allow footballers to run comfortably with agility and speed and of course to kick the ball.

Weightlifting Shoes

Gym shoes can generally be broken down into three categories;weightlifting, cross training and running. For weightlifting you need to ensure that your shoes give you stability, a high heel is really crucial here. Good weightlifting shoes will ensure the body is properly aligned, they should be snug, and provide excellent ankle support. Proper weightlifting shoes will also provide you with increased overall stability, after all when you lift your base is giving in beneath you.Wearing the proper weightlifting shoes will give you protection for your knees and increased safety.

Cross Training Shoes

Cross training shoes are a good idea if you are planning on taking part in a number of different activities in the gym aside from weightlifting and running.They are good for cushioning the feet across a variety of different execrises.but they wouldn't  be a good idea for a long run. They are a good choice to wear on elliptical machines or for cardio workout classes and for light occasional lifting of weights.