Choosing the Right Shoe for Basketball

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The sport dictates what type of shoe should be purchased. Nilesh Shah, MD, Summa Sports Health Medical Director suggests looking for some basic characteristics in your basketball shoe, keeping in mind to choose the proper shoe for your foot type as well. Characteristics to look for are:

• Cup-soled shoes provide a stable base for the foot allowing forward/sideways movement
• Hardwood floors – rubber or rubber blend sole
• Synthetic floors – polyurethane or rubber blend sole
• Leather high tops can add extra ankle support

The most common basketball injury is ankle sprains, and the main concern of basketball shoe design is ankle support. There is controversy over whether a high top design actually resists an
inversion force (where the ankle rolls inward) directly, but it may provide psychological support. The design may also provide and increased proprioceptive sense (improved input from the muscles, ligaments, tendons and capsule around the joint to provide improved balance and stability).

Be careful however because many high top basketball shoes sold on the market today are designed for fashion. Shoes that are used to play competitive basketball are classified as “performance models.” The main features of these models are:

A leather upper for longer lasting support and durability
Notches in the eye stay system (the point where the laces attach to the shoe) to provide more flexibility
Padding in the ankle collar to provide support against lateral movements and pivoting.
Some shoes also offer these special features:
Inner boots – a strap system that extends up the ankle. It is laced separately from the upper and provides
a more snug fit that the ankle collar and limits excess motion and may increase the proprioceptive sense.
External support straps in increase ankle support. These are made of a firmer material than the upper of
the shoe.

Once the proper shoe has been purchased for the type of foot and sport to be used in and it is comfortable, allow time for the shoe to be broken in prior to practice. Have your child wear the shoes in the house to aid in breaking in and preventing blisters when practice begins. Encourage the athlete not to wear game/practice shoes outside of competition so that they do not wear out before the end of the year, or get covered with mud and water, which reduces traction, ruins the leather and wears them out.