Shoes are an integral and important part of an athletes playing career and training. However 99% of the time the importance of the shoes and how they are cared for are overlooked. Having the proper shoes and using them for there specific sports need are important. The life of a pair of athletic shoes are about 6 months or 500 miles. Externally after this time period the shoes might look good still but internally the cushioning has broken down and on the bottom of the shoe uneve wear and tear has taken place. Just the slightest uneven wear on the bottom of the shoes can put several thousan pounds of pressure on surrounding joints and tendons. Cleats are even a bit trickier to keep at top form. Try not to wear your cleats on hard surfaces, because not only do they wear the cleats unevenly over the life of the cleat they will begin to press on the bottom of the feet and bruise them which could lead to other injuries from over compensation. Other recommendations I have if it is at all possible. Have designated shoes for certain training. For example a basketball player should have a pair of shoes for practice, one for games, and another pair just to shoot around. Same thing here don’t wear your shoes outside of the gym. Put them on when you get in the gym. So this means designate another pair just to wear to the gym. It is the little things and paying attention to detail that can either keep you from injury or put you at risk to be injured. Some other important things I learned in regards to shoes and cleats is take out the insole that comes with the shoes and put a pair in that offers more support and doesn’t break down. Now your feet are just as important as the shoes you wear during athletic competition. Here are a couple of tips for your feet. Make sure your toenails are cut, otherwise they will cut into your toes over time and this will cause misteps and abnormal footplants which again can lead to serious injury. Finally make sure your socks don’t bunch up in your shoes. The reason behind this is that it causes blisters and again can affect foot strikes and running capabilities. Train hard and train smart and take care of your shoes and feet they are pivotal in an athletes performance and the outcome of the game can be decided by them.
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