How to Choose a Proper Training Shoe
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Buying a new athletic shoe can be intimidating. Do you mostly run with the occasional weight-training workout? If so, you’d be better suited to buying a running shoe. Are you more into kickboxing or CrossFit? In that case, search for a cross-trainer because you’ll be doing so much more than a running shoe is built for. Still, finding the right cross-trainer is the key because the way shoes are designed is really to fit a specific purpose, whether it’s extra cushioning for high impact sports, or heel to toe support for running, ventilation, extra thick soles, inner or outer toe support, or rigidity for walking.
Choosing the right athletic shoes is important to protect you against injury. Choose the wrong shoes and you could end up twisting an ankle because you didn’t get adequate ankle support or nursing toes or aching heels because you didn’t buy the right cushion support for the right areas.
The truth is there are all sorts of reasons why shoes are made the way they are for athletics, and the two biggest things you need to know in order to find the right shoe are:

  1. What sport do you do most often?
  2. How do you wear your shoes? For example, are you a supinator (or underpronator), overpronator or neutral?

Not sure?
3 TYPES OF FEET
Someone who underpronates tends to have high arches and so their feet roll outward, which means they will wear out the outer edge of the heel and little toe quicker. Look for a shoe with a lot of cushion, good arch support and a soft mid-sole.
Overpronators tend to roll inward, have low or flat arches and need motion-control or high stability sneakers to help them carry their weight more evenly. Overpronation can create extra wear and tear on the outside heel and inside forefoot.
And neutrals do tend to carry their weight evenly and have normal height arches, but will need to search for a “stability” shoe that carries the right balance of cushioning and support.
SHOE STRESS TEST
One way to discover which type of feet you have is to see how your existing shoes have worn and go from there. Take an older pair of shoes, preferably flats, and flip them over. If the inner sides are worn out, you’re most likely an overpronator. If the outer edges are worn more than the rest of the shoe, you’re probably an underpronator. And if they’re worn evenly, you’re most likely a neutral.
While this type of testing at home can give you a general idea, an even better and more accurate way to make this determination so you can make a more informed shoe purchase, is to visit a store that specializes in cross-training or specialty sport athletic shoes. Stores like this are very specialized and hard to find, but you can also visit stores that specialize in triathlons because their athletic shoes will be tailored to someone who participates in multiple sports. Just be aware, a running shoe is primarily designed for the high impact pounding of running, and specifically the heel to toe movement, lessening the impact from this linear motion. A running shoe will not provide adequate support for side-to-side plyometrics or kickboxing.
About six months ago I needed new shoes. Based on the sports I take part in during the week, I knew I needed a lightweight, flexible shoe with outer toe support and cushion, but also side impact support for quick lateral movements. At the advice of a friend, I visited a specialized athletic shoe store in my area, called Ground Up Athletics, and explained what I was looking for.
The first thing they had me do was stand on a scale with both feet so they could see how I carry my weight. The scale revealed red areas where we could quickly see all my weight is carried in the outer sides of my feet. The sales associate said, “you have very high arches,” which I never knew, and which also means I’m an underpronator.
He brought me three different pairs of shoes in my size to try on. I walked around the store in all three, did walking lunges, side-to-side jumps to see how the shoes fit during movement and did a few exercises in place, such as high knees, lateral lunges and reverse lunges. We made a few adjustments from there.
Overall, I tried on a total of ten pairs of shoes before I found my perfect fit, but found a great pair that fit all the high points of what I wanted to find, plus the additional support on the outer edges and toes that I never knew I needed. The shoes didn’t cost any more than if I had bought shoes on my own, but were highly specialized to the sports I perform, along with how I carry my weight and the shape of my feet.
The bottom line is participating in any sport requires having good gear, and in our case, our shoes might just be the most important accessory we have, not for fashion purposes, but for longevity and performance in the sports we love.
The right shoes for the job will protect your toes, support your arches and stabilize your ankles, allowing you to play at whatever sport you want for however long you want. Now, isn’t that worth the time and investment?