Sport Specific Shoes cont.What do we mean by "Sport specific shoes"? Well, we mean a tennis shoe to play tennis, a golf shoe to play golf, baseball shoes to play baseball, etc… The reason behind this recommendation is that sport specific shoes 1) help improve performance, 2) reduce the chance of injury, and 3) possibly and probably, improve comfort within the sport. For children ten years or younger we recommend a general athletic shoe (often defined as a sneaker or we can also say a general tennis shoe – no running shoes please!). Later in our discussions, we will go into more detail as to why we do not recommend a sports specific shoe for children under the age of ten. When we start talking about recommendations for children, this becomes a little bit more difficult and sensitive. Children are more likely to suffer from stress related and repetitive stress fracture injuries. This is because the growth plates on their bones are not completely mature until the ages of 13 – 15 for girls and 15 – 17 for boys. Because the growth plates are not mature, children are more likely to suffer from repetitive stress injuries. And these stress fractures are more likely to occur when children perform repetitive physical action (performing similar movements over and over again). It is also our general recommendation that children should not specialize within a particular sport too early. Specialization will lead to the child performing repetitive movements and increase the likelihood of stress related injuries. Children should be exposed to a wide variety of sports. Please read our detailed discussion concerning children and cleats. Improving Performance We hope that it is generally obvious how sport specific shoes will help improve performance. The details can, however, be more subtle. (click here for a more detailed discussion of performance and baseball,football and soccer cleats) And so, one of the more important aspects of this web-site is to describe the details of how the various types of cleats improve performance within their respective sport. Please see our discussion concerning how cleats improve performance. Reducing the Risk of Injury What injuries do sport specific shoes prevent? There are several obvious injuries… blisters, redness, and general irritations. However, there are also several injuries that are not so obvious… We don’t really know if we can classify this one as an injury, but smelly feet can definitely keep the opposite sexes away! Technically called "bromhidrosis" this “injury” results in over-sweaty and stinky feet! There are hundreds of thousands of sweat glands in our feet. Inside our shoes we have an increase in temperature. Please understand that this condition is different from “athlete’s foot”. With bromohidrosis we do not have itchiness and rashes etc… How do we prevent this? In general, it is a good idea to apply a medicated foot powder (example is Gold Bond Medicated Foot Powder available at Walgreens for $8.99 per bottle) directly to your feet. It can also be generously applied to your cleats/shoes as well. Keep your feet, socks and shoes dry! Wear socks that contain moisture wicking materials. For more information on moisture wick and moisture wick socks click here. Blisters: The description of blisters is self-explanatory. We all know what blisters are. However, we do want to talk about how to reduce or prevent the occurrence of blisters. Blisters generally occur because of friction between the foot or toes and the shoe. Socks are also important. Here is a list of what needs to be done to prevent blisters… 1) Sizing and buying your shoes: Our web-site devotes a lot of discussion to this topic. We need to start here by saying that when trying on new shoes, they should feel comfortable from the beginning. Normally shoes will not feel better after the break-in period. Maybe a better way of saying this is, “in trying on a pair of shoes, it is important to start the process with the concept that the cleats will not conform to your foot with time”. 2)Wear “game day” socks when fitting your cleats. Socks should be made of a natural/synthetic blend. Socks should not have large seems at the toe. For more on socks and cleats please click here. If you don’t have the “right” socks, it doesn’t matter how good the shoe is! 3)Bring your “old” cleats when buying a new pair or cleats. This will help the shoe technician determine a “best fit” and also see your wear patterns. 4)Our feet normally swell during the day and reach a “swelling peak” in the afternoon. Size your shoes in the afternoon. 5)Bring the feet and leg equipment that you play and practice with. E.g. orthotic inserts, braces, knee pads, shin guards, etc… 6)Visit a store with a large selection of brands, a large selection of sizes and a trained and knowledgeable sales staff. 7)Women’s feet will continue to grow very, very slightly over their lifetime. Always get measured by a shoe sales technician for proper sizing. 8)When you first try on your cleats, you need to take notice of the Forefoot Sizing and the Heal Sizing. Click here for specific information on the Forefoot or the Heel. Please note that while standing in your cleats, the widest part of your foot should match the widest part of the cleats. You need to understand that this sizing (forefoot) is important in determining where the cleat will flex! We want the cleat to flex in the same position as the area of the ball of your foot. We can say this in a different way, “While standing, the forefoot (ball of the foot) should not cause the shoe and its material to bulge on the sides.” 9)The Toe Box! Click here for specific information on the Toe Box. The Toe Box is the correct size if there is at least one half inch (1.25 cm) beyond the longest toe. Please understand that the longest toe is not always the big toe. 10)Heel Size: Obviously the heel should not slip out of the shoe when walking or running! 11)Mid-foot Size: We should be able to slightly push together the mid-foot area with our fingers. Click here for more information on the Mid-Foot Area. 12)Wear your new cleats for an hour per day in “backyard play” or low intensity play. Please wear these new cleats in a similar playing field environment as to the intended sport! If a painful area develops during the hour of wearing the cleats, the cleats should possibly be exchanged for a 1/2 size larger or a different type of shoe.
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