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From cross trainers to runners, netball shoes, colourful street footwear and everything in between, the depth of choice is enough to confuse even the most astute of decision makers. Add to that the sales kid spruiking the most lavish, expensive pair of shoes, and you’d be forgiven for rushing out in a state of utter bewilderment.
So why is a relatively simple purchase made so difficult? While the enthusiasm of the staff may be a reflection of sales targets rather than genuine interest (pardon the cynicism!), the depth of choice in your local sports store is much more than a marketing gimmick.
Put simply, different forms of exercise have varying impact on your feet, so you need to choose the right shoes for your sport that best negate this impact.
Allan Boys, president of the Australian Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine (AAPSM), says it’s important to select your sports shoes in line with your chosen form of exercise and the specifics of your feet.
“Different sports impact differently on your feet. Some sports anatomically load (impact on) the front of the foot and others initiate the step by loading up (impacting) the rear foot (heel), and that has a big impact on the technology integrated into the design of sports shoes. The biomechanics of the individual, which sees impact and forces loading in different parts of the foot, should also be considered.
“The correct shoe will also attend to the shape of your foot, for example a high-arch foot versus a flat foot. A high-arch foot is relatively immobile and high shock, so it needs to have shock attenuation in the form of a cushion shoe.
“On the other hand, control shoes are for floppy, loose feet that are flat through the arch. The control is positioned in the arch side of the heel and extends right through to one third of the sole in length on that side.
“A cushion shoe is not built up on that side, it’s more neutral and has more of a cushioned layer. For high-arch feet the technology is designed to shock absorb as opposed to control.”
The degree and location of cushioning and control also depends on your sport. For example, a running shoe is designed for one-directional movement. It will control the mid-foot and allow for pronation (flattening of the arch), before stabilising the foot in propulsion (push-off) phase.
Conversely, a netball shoe caters for multi-directional movement and sudden stoppages. It will have an impact zone for breaking, made from aggressive rubber that won’t wear out too quickly, and protect against shock impact.
Think of the decision making process as a double axis – one for the type of sport and the other for the type of foot – and choose the right shoe accordingly.
“Have a foot and leg assessment to ensure you pick the best type of shoe,” Allan explains. “Once you know your foot type, match the shoe to the sport.”
He says there are four main categories of sports shoes: fitness, health, comfort and trail. Sport is a sub-category of fitness shoes, and within that are further categories such as netball, running and tennis. Next time you’re out shopping for a new pair of sports shoes, follow our guide to ensure you make the correct choice.
Running
“Runners really only move in one direction,” Alan says. “Sure they run up and down hills and around corners, but they don’t specifically go side to side or stop suddenly.” Running shoes are designed to optimise the position of the rear foot at ‘heel strike’ or ‘touchdown’ (when the heel hits the ground), then in ‘mid-strike position’ where the huge force of your body weight comes down over your foot. They are controlling but have motion built into the shoe, yet don’t allow for sideways movement.
Gym
“A good running shoe is ideal for the gym,” Allan says. “One of the main injuries that I see from gym work is achilles or hamstring pain, which can be associated with a shoe that doesn’t have a high enough heel, or enough cushion in the rear foot.” He recommends that women who usually wear heels select shoes for gym activities with a little more heel so the foot is active at its typical walking angle. However, if you normally wear ballet flats, choose shoes with a flatter heel.
Road walking
“If you’re doing a serious walk, maybe an hour a day or more at a good aerobic pace, and particularly if you’re a bit heavier, if your body mass index is up, a cross trainer is good choice as it’s a strong shoe,” Allan says.
Netball
Netballers need to take most care in selecting the right shoe as the foot undergoes significant stress from sudden stoppages and frequent multi-directional movement. Allan says one of the common injuries he sees from netball is inversion ankle sprains, which is a sprain to the outside of the ankle. “If you see a patient coming in from netball, you can bet they’ve got an inversion ankle injury. Often it’s associated with the wrong shoe.”
Netball shoes are flat underneath but they have a toe guard to protect your feet against injury from stopping and dragging when going for goal. They are different to tennis shoes which don’t have a toe guard – if a netballer were to wear tennis shoes they’d wear out the shoe at the toes, and the soles are very different in design and wearability.
Indoor sports
Indoor sports are fast and furious over a short distance – a bit like netball with lots of stopping, starting and changing direction – so ankles, knees, Achilles and hamstring tendons are at risk of injury. “You want to be careful if you have a neutral or high-arch foot that you don’t choose a control shoe,” Allan says. “A cushion shoe, but not necessarily a runner, is a good choice for indoor sports. This is also where a cross trainer may be more suitable for this type of exercise.”
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