With the tremendous variety
in activities and sports available to us today, just as many types of shoes
have been developed to accompany each sport. Athletic shoes fall
into seven categories:
Running/walking
Court (tennis, basketball, volleyball)
Field (soccer, football, baseball)
Winter sports (skating, skiing,
hockey)
Track and field (short and long-distance
racing, high jumping, broad jumping)
Sport specific (golf, biking)
Outdoor sports (hiking, mountain
climbing)
When participating in
an activity more than three times per week, the shoe that is designed
to support your feet in that specific type of activity should be worn.
Many shoes, called cross-training shoes, can be worn for more than one
sport.
If you participate in regular
sporting activities, someone with a knowledge of footwear, such as the
coach or trained sales person, should measure and fit your feet for the
correct brand and size of shoe. Some guidelines for selecting the
best shoe include:
Try the shoes on after exercising
or at the end of the day when your feet may be at their largest
Try the shoe on with the type
of sock you will be wearing during play
Try on both shoes, many
people have feet that are two different sizes
Your foot should feel a snug
support, but toes should wiggle freely
The heel of the foot should
not slip up and down when you walk
Many people think it is appropriate
for the shoe to be a little tight, so they can “break in” the shoe.
But this is not the case. The shoe should fit properly when it is purchased.
Walk around the store for several
minutes. Some stores will let customers take a short jog down the
street. See how the shoes fit in a variety of positions.
Lace the shoes up properly.The
extra time it takes to lace the shoe may save time later having to exchange
shoes that do not fit once they are tried on at home.
