A Complete Guide on Athletic Shoes

The English call sneakers plimsolls, a generic term for lightweight canvas shoes with rubber soles first produced in England. In Germany, the type of shoes casually referred to in the United States as sneakers are called trainers. These were casual shoes for playing outside, worn mostly by children.

A variation on the canvas and rubber shoe is the high top tennis shoe. Converse Rubber Shoe Company, headquartered in Malden, Massachusetts, introduced canvas high top shoes in 1917. Foreshadowing the later close connection between sports heroes and athletic shoe marketing, Converse classic high tops were made famous by Chuck Taylor. Taylor was a former basketball player for the Akron Firestones who joined Converse as a player endorser in 1921. For thirty-five years he led basketball clinics across the country wearing Converse high top basketball shoes. In 1931 Converse started stitching the Chuck Taylor name on its canvas high top basketball shoe and renamed them the All Star. At this time, the celebrity athletic shoe era was in its infancy, where it remained for nearly fifty years.

During World War II, Converse manufactured shoes and apparel for the troops. Soldiers were outfitted in Converse Chuck Taylor All Star shoes for basic training. After the war, Converse All Stars remained the standard government issue athletic shoes for military and physical training. In the 1950s Hollywood icon James Dean wore “Chucks,” as these shoes came to be called. Along with James Dean, Converse high tops became a symbol of counterculture. A white T-shirt, blue jeans, black leather jacket, and high tops became the uniform of youth rebellion. In the 1970s punk rock became the symbol of counterculture. Early punk bands, such as the Ramones, wore Chucks at their performances in New York City and in the United Kingdom at Roundhouse in London. Converse continued to produce the shoes and athletes on the U.S. male basketball team won gold at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles wearing Converse basketball shoes.

Athletic shoes are built for high performance and are considered part of an athlete's gear along with clothing and equipment. Athletic shoes provide sports-specific levels of cushioning, flexibility, stability, traction, and durability.

• Cushioning minimizes the force of impact. Cushioning systems are designed to protect the knee and ankle from impact and provide rebound, spring, or lift to the foot and leg muscles.
• Flexibility is the ability to yield and bend. It is maximized or minimized in a shoe, depending on the sport. For example, runners need flexible outsoles and walkers require stiff, inflexible outsoles.
• Stability is the capacity to resist forces which cause a rapid change of motion and possible injury. High top shoes provide extra ankle support to prevent sprains.
• Traction is friction between the sole and the surface that helps the shoe to grip. Traction needs vary. Court shoes should not grab the surface and stop so suddenly that ankles are sprained.
• Durability is important. Athletic shoes should endure and continue to perform over time while maintaining cushioning, flexibility, stability, and traction.

An athletic shoe has four basic components. The layers are, from top to bottom, called the upper, insert, midsole, and outsole. Each component has a purpose. Sports-specific shoes vary the components for different functions.

The upper layer is the material-generally canvas or leather-that covers the top of the foot. Some contain nylon or mesh inserts for ventilation. The upper encloses the foot to snug the soles to the bottom of the feet. The shoe insert supports the bottom of the foot. The insert positions the arch support, which is ideally suited to the wearer's arch type.

The midsole contains the cushioning system that not only distributes impact force to prevent the full transfer of that force to the ankle and knee but also provides a rebound or lift to foot and leg muscles. Known as the heart of the shoe because it performs so many functions, the midsole also contains stabilizing features like a stiff rear heel cup for added support. The outsole provides traction and reduces wear on the midsole to increase durability. Typically made of carbon rubber or blown rubber, outsoles have a grade or slope from heel to toe. Manufacturers invest significantly in the technology of athletic shoes. In order to help the athlete run faster, jump higher, and endure longer, designs for athletic shoes consider specific movements involved with different sports. Some of these movements are sprinting, pivoting, jumping, rapid starts and stops, and side-to-side shuffling. Athletic shoes are designed as sporting equipment that helps improve performance.

Categories of Athletic Shoes. The May 2007 issue of Clinical Reference Systems defined five major athletic shoe categories.

• Running Shoes. Running shoes are lightweight and flexible. They are designed for anterior (forward) and vertical (up and down) motion. Running shoes have cushioning to absorb the impact of each stride, plus extra shock absorption in the heel.
• Walking Shoes. Walking shoes are rigid and are designed to roll on a smooth tread from heel to toe. Walking shoes have extra cushioning at the ball of the foot. The rigid outsole rocks to encourage the natural foot rolling motion.
• Basketball Shoes. Basketball shoes have a thick stiff sole, and are designed to support the ankle for side-to-side shuffling and to provide for sudden starts and stops. Basketball shoes are subject to heavy abuse.
• Tennis and other Racquet Sport Shoes. Court shoes have heavy traction to assist in rapid starts and stops. Posterior (backward) motion is more common in court sports.
• Field Sport Shoes. These usually have cleats, spikes, or studs and include shoes for track and field, golf, bicycling, soccer, and baseball. While spike and stud formations differs widely, they can be replaced or detached.