Hello everyone! I hope you all are having a fantastic week and are enjoying the beautiful fall weather! I have been crazy busy with school the last couple weeks, so sorry it has taken me so long to post again. Between class, run club, and trying to spend time with friends I haven’t had a whole lot of extra time. Plus, I have basically been living at the library trying to stay caught up with all my school work, and every time I think I am finally caught up, I realize there is something else I need to do. Which means I have been going to bed super late, but who needs sleep anyway! Other than being busy I am doing great! Last weekend was Homecoming and my parents drove up to tailgate which was super fun! Then on Sunday I went to breakfast with some friends like we do almost every Sunday. Spending time with friends and family always helps me to destress! Hopefully you guys aren’t as stressed as I am, but if you are, you got this! Just take one thing at a time. That’s what I am doing. Anyway, you aren’t here to read about my life so back to the shoes.
I’m sure that you are all getting tired of reading about running shoes. So, this week I’m going to switch it up and talk about the best shoes for a number of different sports. Growing up I played volleyball and basketball so I know a little bit about those two sports, but for the rest of them I had to do some research. For example, I have no clue what football players look for in their shoes. Is it how they look, the size of the cleats, the material the shoes are made out of, of the brand? I had no idea. Once I started looking into what shoes are at the top of the market for each sport, I found that certain brands are more popular for different sports. This was extremely prevalent for basketball. The top 3 basketball shoes on the market are all Nike’s, which isn’t surprising when you look at all the professional basketball players that are sponsored by Nike. I’ll talk more about that when I get to the basketball shoes, but for now let’s see what shoes are best for football, baseball, soccer, basketball, softball, and tennis.
FOOTBALL
One of the biggest differences I can think of when it comes to football and running is the type of movement that is being done. Yes, football players are also using a ball and there is way more to it than just running, but if you focus on just the movement it is completely different. Football players are running down the field, but they also have to be ready to make sharp turns to avoid tackle. This alone changes everything because of the amount of ankle support that is needed. Which is why football shoes look completely different than running shoes. They typically have more support around the ankles to prevent them from rolling and depending on how high the cut is affects how much support your ankles will have. For example a high cut cleat will lace up past your ankles which will maximize support, but can limit mobility. Luckily, if you are looking for cleats with more mobility they also make medium and low cut cleats. Ok enough of how football cleats differ from running shoes, let’s look at the top 3 football cleats on the market.
- Nike Alpha Shark
- Under Armour Highlight RM Cleat
- Nike Alpha ¾ TD Cleat
BASEBALL
Like football, baseball players need shoes with a little more support as they are also turning and doing some cutting as they play. On top of that, they also have to worry more about foot grip while they are at bat so their feet don’t slip when they hit the ball. They also make metal and plastic cleats. A lot of people prefer the plastic cleats because metal cleats have been known to cause injury, but that’s all personal preference. The top 3 baseball cleats are:
- Under Armour Deception
- Mizuno Vapor Elite 7
- New Balance 3000v3 Turf
SOCCER
Shoes are extremely important for soccer players because they use their feet for everything. Not only are they kicking a ball, but they are also running up and down the field and making sharp turns to avoid defenders. So they need something with traction so they don’t slip on the field and something with enough support that they don’t get hurt, but doesn’t restrict their mobility. Another thing to take into consideration when looking at soccer cleats is, what kind of field are you going to be playing on. If you are going to be playing on turf you don’t want to be wearing the same type of cleats that you would wear on a muddy field. Here is a chart to follow when it comes to picking the right type of cleat for you.
Now that you know a little bit more about what you’re looking for, let’s see what soccer cleats are the most popular.
- Adidas Performance Copa Mundial
- Adidas Predator 19.3 Firm Ground
- Nike Mercuria Superfly 6 Academy FG Soccer cleats
BASKETBALL
Basketball is another sport where the shoes can make a huge difference in how you play. The court can be slick so you want to make sure that you have some traction, but you can’t wear cleats like you would if you were playing on a field. Another thing to look for is a wide outsole to help with balance. You also want to make sure you have a lot of ankle support to help prevent injuries on the court. Similar to football cleats, basketball shoes are made with a high, medium, and low cut style so players can decide how much support they need. It’s important to remember that the lower the cut the higher the mobility, but the lower the support. When it came to the top 3 basketball shoes on the market, all were Nikes which isn’t surprising considering all the pro players who are sponsored by Nike. Some include, Lebron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Paul George. If you don’t recognize any of these names you should really start watching basketball! Anyway, a few of the top basketball shoes are:
- Nike PG3 PROs
- Nike Lebron 16 PROs
- Nike Lebron Soldier 13 PROs
- Adidas Dame 5 PROs
(I included the number 4 shoe on the market just in case you really dislike Nike.)
SOFTBALL
Well Softball shoes are going to be designed a lot like baseball shoes considering how similar the two sports are. Softball players are looking for cleats that will provide traction and support to help them play to the best of their ability. Some other things to keep in mind are how long softball games last and how many games are you playing. Playing a full game can take hours so you want to make sure your feet are comfortable because nothing will slow you down faster than sore feet. Also, a lot of times softball players are competing in tournaments which means they will be in their cleats for most of the day which emphasises how important it is to find shoes that are comfortable. A few of the more popular softball cleats are:
- Mizuno Women’s 9 Spike Swift
- Under Armour Women’s Glyde RM
- Adidas Performance Women’s PowerAlley 2
TENNIS
Tennis shoes are the most similar to running shoes and in some cases they even overlap, but it depends on the person. Because of how often tennis players start and stop on the field, their shoes tend to have more of a flat bottom to help with traction. In general, tennis shoes are build sturdier because they aren’t just doing a repetitive forward motion. They need something with a little more support. Tennis shoes also vary depending on your playing style and the surface you are playing on. Like running shoes, you want to know if you need a neutral or supportive shoe based on your pronation.
If you want to learn more about what type of shoe would be best to play tennis in, check out this article: https://protips.dickssportinggoods.com/sports-and-activities/racquet-sports/buying-tennis-shoes . A few of the top tennis shoes on the market are:
- Adidas Performance Barricade 2016
- Adidas Performance Women’s Barricade Club
- Asics Men’s Gel-Resolution 7
VOLLEYBALL
I started playing volleyball when I was in 2nd grade and at that point in time, it didn’t really matter what kind of shoes you played in, as long as they were sneakers. As I got older I noticed some girls started getting nicer shoes that were designed for volleyball, but I was never that committed to playing. When I was in 5th grade my moms friends gave me a pair of her daughter’s old volleyball shoes, but they were too big and I quit playing before I ever grew into them. Anyway, when it comes to volleyball shoes you want something that has good grip on the gym floor. This can help prevent injuries from falling and keep you from sliding as you move for the ball. Other than that, they aren’t that much different than normal shoes. A few of the top volleyball shoes are:
- ASICS Gel-Rocket 8
- NIKE Women’s Air Zoom Hyperace
- Mizuno Women’s Wave Lightning Z3
I know that I didn’t cover all of the sports and I didn’t go into a ton of detail about what to look for when trying to find the best shoes, but hopefully it gave you a better idea of what to look for. If you want to learn more about finding the best shoes for your sport try googling “What do (whatever you sport is) look for in their shoes?” A lot of websites have compiled a list of different things to look for along with differences based position. Another thing that most of these sites had were links on places to find these shoes which is really helpful if you already know what kind of shoe you want to play in, but if you don’t I would recommend going somewhere and trying them on. Even if you are buying the top of the line shoes, they might not be right for your foot and you might be stuck playing in them. I ran into a similar issue when I first started running. When I was looking for running shoes, my parents spent a lot of money on a pair that had great reviews and looked really cool, but when I got them I hated them. They had way too much arch support for me and gave me blisters when I ran, but because of how expensive they were my parents made me run in them until I needed new ones. After that we learned that whenever you are going to switch brands, go try them on and make sure they are comfortable. Trust me it is worth the time!
It is crazy to me how different the shoes look for each sport when it seems like they are all doing the same thing, providing support and traction. Another thing that was surprising to me is how shoes can be different for different positions. With running everyone is doing about the same thing, but with other sports, switching the position switches the type of movement being made. For example, if you are on the defensive line for football you are going to want cleats with a lot of support and traction so you can make blocks and tackles, but if you are a running back or wide receiver you will be doing a lot more running so you will want cleats with more mobility. I could give a ton more examples like this, but chances are if you play the sport I am talking about you probably know more than I do! Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post be sure to subscribe!
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