If you are an Air Jordan fan now, and have been right from the 80s, you probably have that iconic belief that signature shoes like that possess unique abilities to make you do unusual things.
This belief was so mainstream that eventually it found its way to the screen. Like Mike created that MJ shoe-plated illusion that certain shoes can make you fly, even if you are only 4-feet tall.
Not far from that fantasy, though, the truth is that basketball shoes greatly influence, in many ways than one, what kind of performance a player puts up on the court.
Good shoes mean better performances, and bad shoes mean performances that suck.
Importance Of Playing With Good Basketball Shoes
There are several factors that clearly show why playing with basketball shoes can prove to be a game changer for a player.
These factors easily tie to why performances generally improve, but in this article, they will also serve as connecting thrusts to how they improve performances. Now consider the following:
1. Good Shoes Decrease Fears Of Injury
The right shoes are known for their premium ankle support. They do not only offer you the best cushioning for your ankles, they also protect you from potential foot injuries during practice or games.
No game accounts for on-court runs and jumps like basketball, and what that implies is that a player’s feet are always at risk of injuries.
Not only that, the swift lateral movements and directions in the game also put some measure of stress on the feet and the body generally. To this end, not drabbed in the right shoes is an invitation to untold foot problem, painful knee or ankle injuries, and potential leg or hip problems.
While a good basketball shoe doesn’t suddenly erase the possibilities, it, however, reduces them and offers the best protection to a player’s ankle and foot.
Also, basketball shoes need a good traction on them, having a good grip also means that twists are done more comfortably, avoiding twisted ankles and minimizing potential injuries.
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2. Good Shoes Improve A Player’s Speed And Versatility
There are many basketball players whose game thrive on speed. Good shoes allow them execute those free flowing moves without negative impact on their style of play.
A player can only run as fast as as the shoes let him. Basketball players make short and long runs, stops, and swift reactionary starts; a good shoe ensures that he is not turning too late or too riskily at the loss of his team or his own body.
Also, in a game dominated by the jumps and dunks, players rely on good shoes for the best form or kind of leaps.
Leaps are the distinguishing style of play of arguably one of the best players — if not the greatest player — of the game, Michael Jordan. That’s why his shoe is modeled after that style.
A good shoe frees you to make your runs, supports and cushions your feet from jump landings.
Beyond the support, a good shoe also gives breathability. Your feet sweat from runs. It is important you put on a shoe that supports your feet from being overwhelmed by the heat or pressure of on-court runs, movements, and directional plays.
A good shoe, in short, lets your feet breathe so you can run, jump, pause, lean, start, and stop your games conveniently.
The Nike Hyperdunk, for example, is a sneaker touted to enhance a player’s ability to jump higher and run faster because their feet are supported.
3. Good Shoes Enhance Players’ Confidence
The game of basketball thrives on confidence. One of the reasons a lot of trash talk goes on in the game is to eviscerate whatever represents self-belief, boldness, and confidence in the opponent’s game.
One of the ways players can do their trash talking is not just through their words but also through their shoes. Shoes with efficient and effective features and designs are a confidence booster for those who wear them.
Good basketball shoes are like fragrance on the court. They reflect your personality, rally your fans, and give a style to your playing techniques.
4. Good Shoes Win Your Fan Base
Gone are the days when fandom was an unimportant conversation in sporting games. Far from it now, and even so, for the game that now thrives on such great followership.
The best basketball shoes have a massive following among the lovers of the game. When your performances improve with the right shoes, it also flows into right support that counts when the stakes are high in performances.
The life wire of any sport is the fanbase that cheer, support, and pay with their money to see the game. They cheer for brilliance. They cheer for good skills. They cheer for confidence. They cheer for good shoes, and that ultimately means they cheer for you!
5. Good Basketball Shoes Improve Your Performance
How do basketball shoes improve your performance? They do by protecting you from avoidable injuries, aiding your on-court runs and jumps and abilities to make that basketball net, they give you the right confidence as a player, and win you the fans or crowd that cheer you to victory.
Never forget, though, that, your basketball shoes can do this and many more only when they are good ones. You can only execute your style of play or moves or stamp your authority on the court with the right shoes.
When your feet are protected, your head and eyes and hands and other parts of your body play the game your heart wants you to.
No doubt, having the skill is the basic requirement to play the game and honing it in diligent practice and training is very core, too.
Complementing that with good shoes sure further pushes your gameplay to a whole new level.
Good basketball shoes can improve your performance, therefore, when:
- You have a shoe that sits comfortable in the footbed.
This is important. Your shoe can hold your feet well, allow you make your dynamic cuts without your toes banging.
- The soles are flexible and allow you get off the court surface quicker.
Traction is everything, but allowing the flexibility as well is something. That something is key to your performance. Your shoe must not be an either/or flexibility and good grip feature.
If your grip won’t make you come to a halt with the speed of light nor your sole give you the flexible to move around, then you can’t be boasting of playing the basketball game adequately.
- You have a shoe that provides you with the best ankle support.
One of the most iconic ads about shoes was the Nike Zoom Kobe IV on ankle insurance. “Broken ankles”, like he said, can strike any time. The right shoe for your ankles must give proper support as mid-top or high-top basketball shoes are expected to.
- The upper part of your shoe offers you the stability you need when playing.
An unstable, moving foot in a shoe is a distraction to your game and impacts your performance greatly. This also greatly impacts whether you have foot injuries.
There are valid claims that your foot type is central to your upper stability, that’s true. That also means that using good shoes is wearing the right ones that are central to your foot type.
- Your shoe has the right mix of cushioning and is lightweight.
The truth is that most athletic shoes have the right mix of these for comfortability. The goal is not different if your performance will be stellar on the basketball court.
The right amount of shoe cushioning and lightweight feel is essential to your performance. The way your mobility is impacted by whether your shoe is lightweight or not is the same way too little effort at shoe cushioning can lead to fallen arches or sore heels.
Invariably, if the cushioning is too much, also, your feet will suffer from a false sense of safety, leading to strains and/or stretch fractures.
Conclusion
The essence of good basketball shoes cannot be overemphasized. They are valuable not just to the overall play in terms of basketball skills and techniques, but they also have the capacity to shape and define the personality of the user.
If your performance thrives on the best ankle support, a good basketball shoe is non-negotiable. If your performance thrives on speed and versatility and just about the right amount of cushioning, then getting the right shoes is critical.
