How To Find The Right Training Shoes

Taking the time to choose the correct training shoe for your sport or exercise is easily one of the most important things you can do. Most people do not appreciate what we ask of our feet on a daily basis, until they start hurting. For example, when we walk, every foot strike exerts 1 1/2 to 2 times our body weight per foot strike on our feet, and for running, it is 3 times or more. Athletes especially need to take care in selecting the right training shoe as it can mean the difference between being injured or healthy.

Step 1

Walk into a specialty footwear store that you have carefully selected. Finding the right store with knowledgeable, experienced staffers who are familiar with your sport can be a key factor in finding your correct training shoe. Your sales person should be able to help identify what type of foot you have, and thus find a shoe that is correct for your foot and special needs. If you have a flat foot, you will need a shoe that can stabilize your foot, knee and entire leg. If you have a high arch and stable foot landing, you will need a shoe that has no extra compensation and allows your foot to do what it does naturally.

Step 2

Choose a training shoe that is made for your sport. If you are doing sports such as tennis, aerobics, basketball, soccer or basketball, make sure to find a shoe that will give you both lateral and medial stability. The quick sideways, sprinting movements of these type of sports require shoes that will keep your foot in a very stable position to prevent injury. If you are a runner, because of the high impact foot strike, you need a shoe with excellent cushioning, and also preferably light in weight and breathable. Too many athletes select a training shoe because of its looks or low cost, and end up causing themselves avoidable problems and injuries.

Step 3

Toss out the foot measuring instrument. This may seem illogical, but in light of the industry-wide fluctuations in sizing of all training shoes, no matter what your sport, you will have to try new shoes on first, and then size them accordingly. Almost all training shoes are made overseas in various factories, and while they all make a great product, the sizes have become only an average gauge of traditional sizing.

Step 4

Dismiss the cost factor when choosing the correct training shoe. This, too, may seem illogical, but when we again realize the impact and abuse we inflict upon our feet from daily walking to the rigors of your sport, it is amply clear that this is a smart decision. Most athletes who consistently buy a shoe because of a cheap price will more than likely, 20 years later, pay the orthopedic surgeon the money they thought they were saving. If you do anything right in choosing equipment for your sport, choose the correct training shoe for it is your foundation.

Tips and Warnings

Try to find a training shoe that also has the correct width for your foot. Wear a shoe that is too tight for too long, and you can cause bunions, hammer toes and even pinched nerves. Wear a shoe that's too wide, and you chance bruising, and blistering from excessive foot movement. Consider an over-the-counter or custom orthopedic insert that you can add for extra arch support or cushioning. Many training shoes such as soccer cleats or track spikes have little to zero cushioning or support.
Not choosing the training shoe specific to your sport and foot type can lead to prolonged injury that may hinder or keep you from participating in your sport.