Whether breaking records or breaking ankles, the shoes athletes wear play a crucial role in their performance. Each brand offers a distinct combination of features, making it essential for athletes to choose wisely when shopping for footwear. Factors like cushioning, breathability, design, durability, weight and other unique qualities all influence an athlete’s decision. Over time, sports teams and athletes have developed strong preferences for specific brands that best meet their needs.
Records high with Vaporfly
For cross country athletes, lightweight shoes with a strong energy return are a top priority. These qualities not only enhance overall performance but also make long-distance running more energy-efficient.
“The most popular shoes are definitely Nike Vaporfly,” junior and cross country runner Noah Hong said. “They’re pretty aggressive and have the best energy return overall.”
Energy return refers to a shoe’s ability to recycle the energy exerted by the runner and propel them forward. This can be a game-changer for long-distance runners who rely on conserving energy over the course of a race.
Aggressiveness, another important factor, describes the way a shoe promotes prope rrunning form, a factor controlled by the materials and geometry of the shoe. Vaporfly shoes have a continuous curve throughout the whole sole, giving the feet a forward rolling motion after impact with the ground and making steps more fluid.
Kicking with comfortable kicks
While teeth or durability are often valued higher when buying soccer cleats, sophomore and varsity soccer player Dale Liu prioritizes ankle support, and therefore prefers Adidas Predators. Despite being a common quality in cleats, not all brands have what each athlete seeks. In Liu’s experience, Adidas most fittingly accommodates his preferences.
“Adidas is the only brand that makes these types of cleats with the sleeves and avoids really hard ankle rims,” Liu said.
Ankle supports in soccer cleats are sleeves that rise out of the rim of the shoe, providing a layer around the ankle that cushions and protects from discomfort.
“I’ve worn other cleats in the past without this sleeve, and it would hurt my ankle when I went around in them,” Liu said. “That’s why I always like to buy the Predators because they’re really comfortable.”
Spiking down with the right shoes
Within the lines of a volleyball court, players are expected to effectively react to the volatile paths and maneuver to return the volleyball.
“Different types and brands of shoes have various amounts of grip, allowing you to move quickly around the court and stop as needed,” sophomore volleyball player Rucha Kore said.
There are various popular shoe brands in volleyball, including Nike, Adidas and Way of Wade. Players also choose basketball shoes instead due to similar qualities.
“Quality matters a lot. For these shoes, you wear them a whole season, but you don’t really change them that often,” Kore said. “ Once you buy a specific brand of shoe that you like, you typically get the same brand every time. That’s why right now, I use Nike. It works well. I love everything about them.”
