This is how you choose the right sports shoe: ‘With very expensive shoes you also pay a lot for the brand’ | Healthy

“In an ideal world, everyone would be able to exercise barefoot,” laughs sports podiatrist Saskia de Waal of Feet in Motion. “But I am talking about a soft, springy surface and healthy, balanced feet. Unfortunately, nowadays we play sports on all kinds of different materials, from asphalt to gravel and artificial grass. And because we have been wearing shoes for centuries, our feet are no longer used to anything. Everyone places their feet differently. Finally, different sports also cause different movements and a different load on the foot. Then a shoe that is adapted to that sport is very useful.”

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You can easily sprint to catch the bus in your everyday sneakers. But when you exercise, you put more strain on your feet and for longer periods of time. Moreover, the tax can vary considerably. “Running puts a very different strain on your body, legs and feet than, for example, playing football,” agrees Juriaan Landman, sports physiotherapist who specializes in ‘the lower extremities’: legs and feet.

“Running really puts a strain on endurance, your shoes must have sufficient cushioning. Because make no mistake, when you run your feet have to absorb 4 to 5 times your body weight per step, while when walking normally this is 1 to 2 times. In football it is important that you can turn quickly without slipping. A football shoe must also have some cushioning, but above all it must prevent slipping.”

In any large sports store there are dozens of different running shoes from just as many brands, priced from 25 euros to over 300 euros. It would make you despondent: which one should you choose? “A good shoe must meet the basic requirements for that sport and then price or brand does not matter much,” says Landman.

According to De Waal, every sports shoe must meet at least two requirements: be stable and sturdy at the back and flexible enough at the front, so that your feet can roll forward smoothly. “There are also great shoes that are not too expensive. But cheaper shoes are usually made of less durable materials, so they will wear out faster. On the other hand: with very expensive shoes you also pay a lot for the brand.”

“And the question is whether you, as an average athlete, would benefit from a very expensive shoe,” De Waal adds. “The special Nikes that Sifan Hassan wears are reinforced with carbon plate. That’s fine for a top athlete, but you might get injuries because your feet can’t actually roll normally.”

Don’t rely on the color or appearance of the shoe. And it is better not to choose shoes that are ‘hot’ and in fashion at that moment, says De Waal. “A few years ago, running shoes had extra support on the inside so that the foot could not sink. But this turned out not to be good for everyone, because this sinking in can have all kinds of other causes that this does not help. After that, for a while you were given running shoes with extremely cushioning soles, as if you were walking on a mattress, but that was at the expense of stability.”

That’s why it’s good that there is so much choice: everyone has different feet and a different walking style. Both Landman and De Waal recommend not going to a general store for a good sports shoe, but to a specialty store such as a running store.

Buy sports shoes online? Not a good idea. At a specialty store they can give you good advice and they also know the different brands: for example, one brand makes wider shoes, the other makes narrower ones. You can try it on and try it at your leisure. Do that by all means, walk, bend your knees, bend and stretch. “Specialist stores often have a treadmill and they make video recordings, so that you can see for yourself how you walk in the new shoes,” says Landman.

De Waal: “And at some stores you can even take the shoes home to try them on indoors.” And if you are in doubt between different shoes? “Listen to the specialist’s advice, but ultimately rely on your own feelings. Buy the shoes you like best.”