I don’t know what the weather is doing wherever you are today, but I can tell you that here at the home of Socks4Life.com it’s in the mid 60s and becoming sunny. In celebration of seeing the sun for the first time since October, people were out yesterday doing everything from cycling to playing quidditch. Just like how every activity is done in a certain way, every activity requires a slightly different set of footwear to ensure best performance and joint health.
Athletic shoes typically get broken down into three categories: running, walking, and training. Running shoes have a wide variety of options depending on who you ask and what you personally feel is the best option for you. The historical recommendation for running shoes has been to make sure that there’s plenty of cushion to reduce the shock on your knees and having good heel control. Recently though there’s been a shift in the running community towards minimalist shoes that have almost no cushion. Even more recently a move towards maximalism, which is the exact opposite of minimalism and focuses on having as much cushion as possible. So there are a lot of options out there that you’ll have to make a decision about. If you feel completely overwhelmed ask for help at a reputable running store to make sure you have the best knowledge available.
If you’re looking for shoes for walking rather than running you need to focus on different aspects of a shoe. Most importantly you want a lot of cushion under the heel and ball of the foot to cut down on heel pain and tenderness in the balls of your feet. Walking shoes should be as lightweight as possible since they don’t have to deal with the same force as running shoes and more rigid at the front so that you can roll of the toes instead of being able to bend and push like a running or athletic shoe.
The term athletic shoe covers a lot of ground, just because there are a lot of sports out there. Generally speaking athletic shoes should be lightweight, have a lot of cushion under the ball of the foot, and have a sole that provides enough grip to prevent slipping. Breaking it down a little bit further, we can say that court sports like tennis require shoes that provide stability on both the inside and outside of the foot are important for the quick back and forth movements the sport requires. Basketball shoes should have extra thick soles to provide support and a high top cut depending on preference for ankle support. Field sport shoes tend to be stiffer and cleated to provide maximum grip and support for sudden cuts and jukes. For any sport you play more than three times a week you should give thought buying a pair of sport specific shoes.
With all of these shoes you’re going to need a good pair of athletic socks. Athletic socks will get the moisture away from your feet and out of your shoes to prevent premature wearing out of the shoes. Additionally a proper fitting sock will keep your feet from sliding around in your shoes. We’ve got all the athletic socks you’ll need for whatever sport you want to play this summer.