What Is A Shank In Relation To Shoes and Cleats?What is a “shoe shank”??? At Cleats-Info we have seen many references from cleats manufacturers (Nike, Adidas, etc…) to the word “shank”. Most commonly it is referred to within the TPU Midsole Shank. Here we want to give you an understanding of what is a shank. A “shoe shank” is normally a piece of solid material (steel, plastic, wood, leather, fiber board, burlap, etc…) that stiffens the bottom of the shoe (sole or outsole). This shank gives support to the foot. A shank can be made of different materials (composite), a shank can run the entire length of the shoe, or it can only be in certain places along the bottom of the shoe (sole). Different materials will give different “stiffness” to the shoe. Different lengths will also give different “stiffness” and may allow for greater flexibility at the places where there is no shank. Thickness also has a direct influence to flexibility, and thickness may also vary across the shank.
Here is the best drawing we have found thus far that will give you an idea of what a shank looks like... 
Unfortunately, this drawing is older than we are. And it is also a shank for a women's high heel shoe. However, it does give you an idea of a basic shape of a shank. We find that the best examples of how a shank increases performance are within Ballet. Remember the famous Wide Receiver, Lynn Swan, studied Ballet to help him become a better receiver. 
How do those famous Ballerinas stand on their toes? There are two pieces of engineering within their shoes that help them perform this amazing feat (no pun intended). One is the design and structure of the toe box, and the other is a shank. The toe box is relatively hard and therefore protects the toes from excessive bending. The other tool is the shank, and this provides support to the foot and arch to remain in this “tippy toe” stance. Depending upon the type and style of dance (choreography), a Ballerina will use different types of shanks. A dance that requires more turns and “tippy toes” will require a stiffer shank. A less aggressive dance might require a thinner or more flexible shank. One more important point within our discussion of the Ballerina. The lifetime of the Ballerina shoe (sometimes only one performance) is often directly related to the shank. So what does this mean for us at Cleats-Info? We don’t really know… yet. But we hope that very soon we will be able to give you an idea of how your performance and injury risk are related to shanks. : )
Custom Search
Exit Shoe Shank and Go to Dictionary
|
