Choosing Tennis Shoes
Good tennis shoes do several things apart from covering
your feet, and tennis is a sport, that is very hard on shoes,
and feet, so you need to find a shoe that will last, and one
that is not too heavy, bearing in mind some factors.
Tennis shoes must be able to support your feet with all the
stops and starts you have to make, and it must give you good
support at the sides of your feet. Each surface has differing
requirements, and all of us have different types of feet, all
of which places different demands on your tennis shoes.
The first consideration is what type of feet you have,
because that will determine how much cushioning you will need,
and what and where you will need lateral support.
There are three basic foot types:
1. SUPINATED – here your wear is on the outside of the
shoes
2. PRONATED – here your wear is on the inside around the ball
of the foot, and this type of foot suffers the most with
injuries from overuse.
3. IDEAL – here the wear is even.
Either get a fellow player to walk behind you to determine
whether you are walking with your foot tilting inwards, or
outwards, or not at all. Better still find yourself a
well-qualified sports shoe person. You could also test yourself
by wetting your feet and standing on a square of cardboard.
1. If there is a large are where the arch of your feet
didn’t touch you are SUPINATED
2. If the whole of your foot is marked, looking like a
rectangle with slight curves then you are OVERPRONATED
3. If your feet leaves an imprint that is a balance between the
others then your foot is IDEAL
Confirm this self-diagnosis with a third party watching you
walk, and the wear test on your current shoes.
THE FIT OF THE TENNIS SHOE is vital, and points to pay
particular attention to are as follows.
1. You need about half an inch of space between your longest
toe and the end of the tennis shoe.
2. The foot should be a comfortable fit without any
stretching
3. The heel should not slip, although some movement is
wanted.
Just remember your feet are different sizes, so pick your
size according to the larger foot, and use an insole to balance
up your smaller foot. The most important thing in a tennis shoe
is LATERAL SUPPORT because much of your running on a court is
side to side, and there are dangers of turning your ankle. Good
lateral support is necessary if you are heavy and if you are
pronated.
Your tennis shoes will need a degree of CUSHIONING and SHOCK
ABSORPTION. This is especially true if you are a baseliner, and
you play most of your tennis on hard courts. Pronated feet jar
most easily.
The two most common cushioning you read about are EVA, which
is lightweight, but not very durable, or stable, and
PU[polyurethane] which is denser, better stability, but it is a
lot heavier.
FLEXIBILITY is important, and tennis shoes must bend easily
at the ball of the foot, however too much flexibility makes for
a shoe that won’t be comfortable.
At the end of the day, comfort is important, and tennis
shoes are no different to anything else, you tend to get what
you pay for, and I know very few things of quality that are
cheap!!
Ian Smith is a former international sportsman who
contributes articles to websites featuring sporting footwear.
He recommends Adidas, and suggests you check out http://www.adidas-shoes-guide.info
|