There is hardly anything made by man that is without a purpose. That includes the laces on your basketball shoes. Apart from aesthetics, the laces help your feet fit comfortably in the shoes.
When you wear shoes that have a perfect fit, you are less likely to return home after some time out with injuries, as some injuries are caused because you tripped when your feet shifted awkwardly.
We cannot deny the fact that laces also add to the beauty of our footwear. How the shoes are laced makes them look even more appealing.
In this article, we will look at the different ways of lacing basketball shoes. Whether it is right over left, left over right, or some other fanciful design, we will ensure you employ a lacing system that provides your feet with the adequate support and also looks good to the eye.
Different Lacing Styles
We will discuss the lacing options you have based on the purpose you have in mind.
Remember, we said the way you lace up your basketball shoes can save you from preventable injuries or accidents. This is because basketball is a game of speed, balance, and incredible footwork. So, your feet must be well secured in your shoes, and a good lacing will make sure of this.
(Lack of grip on your shoes could also cause injuries, so, check this article to see tips on how to get grip on basketball shoes.)
For Issues With Foot Alignment
Before we look at the different styles for different foot alignments, let us give you a hint on how to know what kind of arch you have.
You have a high arch if your footprints cut in severely at the arch and your feet tend to roll outward when you run.
You have a low arch (or flat feet) when your footprints are uniform in width and your feet tend to roll inward when you run.
You have a normal arch when you find yourself somewhere in between the two descriptions.
We hope that was pretty straightforward.
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1. High Arch Crisscross Lacing Style
Feet with high arches are more prone to feeling discomfort that can lead to instability because the game’s quick start-stop-start cycle places an extreme amount of strain on them.
So, make sure you use the appropriate lacing style to give you comfort on the court.
- Thread the lace from the bottom eyelets, ensuring that both the right lace and left lace are of equal length.
- Thread the lace on the right through the left eyelet, and the lace on the left through the right eyelet to form a crisscross ‘X’ pattern.
- Repeat the pattern for the next 3 eyelets.
- Skip 2 or 3 eyelets when you get to the center of the shoe and continue with your crisscross pattern till you get to the topmost eyelet.
The gap maintained at the middle point of the basketball shoes will ensure that you get maximum comfort throughout your game, as there will be no pressure on the top of your arch.
- Finally, you need to tie and tuck the lace behind your shoe’s tongue. Doing this will ease pressure on the bridge of your foot.
2. Low Arch Crisscross Lacing Style
While flat feet are more flexible and lower to the ground, enabling you to have freer movements and quicker cuts, they experience some unique discomfort, too.
They are more prone to experiencing sore feet, strained arches, and painful heels, due to the impact of rebounds, layups, and jumps. This next lacing style will help keep your heels locked down, so you are comfortable throughout the game.
- Thread the lace from the bottom eyelets, ensuring that both the right and left sides of the lace are of equal length.
- Continue by threading the lace in a crisscross pattern until you get to the last two eyelets.
- Instead of crossing, thread each lace directly to the topmost eyelet.
- After threading the lace through them, create a loop, but don’t pull it tight.
- Finally, thread the lace through the loop in a crisscross ‘X’ pattern. Then, pull the lace tight and tie into a double knot. You can now tuck in the bow or keep it short so that you do not trip on it.
The double knot ensures that you have a tighter feel as your heel is locked down.
3. Wider Feet Lacing Style
If your feet are wider than the average feet, you must use an appropriate lacing style that will guarantee your comfort while keeping your feet snugly secured in your basketball shoes.
- Thread the lace from the first few bottom eyelets. Make sure that both sides of the lace are of equal length.
- Without crisscrossing, for the next eyelets, thread the lace straight up the shoe.
- Continue with this pattern until you are nearly at the upper part of the shoe.
This pattern will enable the shoe to be tightened without your having to squeeze or crush your foot.
- Thread the lace through the remaining eyelets in a crisscross ‘X’ pattern, and tie the shoe as normal.
4. Hammer Toe Lacing Style
If you have a hammer toe, clavus, nail or foot problem, this lacing style will be beneficial to you as it will take the pressure off problem spots. But first, what are hammer toe and clavus?
A hammer toe is a deformity that affects any of the toes causing it to be permanently bent such that it resembles a hammer or claw.
Corn may be a more popular term than clavus. They refer to the thickening and hardening of the skin on the sides or at the top of the toes. The thickening is usually caused by pressure ill-fitting shoes put on the feet.
- Thread the lace such that one end is longer than the other by half.
- With the longer end, lace straight across the top of the shoes. Then move diagonally underneath the shoe’s lacing system but over the tongue to the next set of eyelets.
- Continue this pattern until you get to the top of the shoe.
- Then with the shorter end, lace diagonally underneath the lacing system to the top and tie the two ends of the lace.
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For A Casual Appearance
We will now show you some other lacing styles that can help you achieve that casual look. That is if the already mentioned ones won’t cut it for you.
Style 1
- Thread the lace through the bottom two eyelets with the two ends of the lace facing inwards, towards the tongue of the shoe.
- Pull the two ends of the lace so that one is longer (but only slightly) than the other. Then, pass the shorter one through the topmost eyelet on the opposite side, with the lace facing away from the tongue of the shoe.
- Taking the longer end of the lace, pass it through the eyelets from side to side until you get to the topmost eyelet.
- The result should be horizontal lines with two lace ends you can tie at the top of the shoes.
Style 2
- Tie a knot at one end of your lace and pass it right through the eyelet at the bottom. Have the knot face the tongue of the shoe. This should give you one long lace secured by the knot.
- Pass the long lace horizontally through all the eyelets until you get to the topmost eyelet.
- The result should be horizontal lacing and a single lace on one side of the shoe. Tuck the single lace neatly inside the shoe.
Ukrainian Lacing Style
- Unlike most others, this lacing technique requires that you start threading your lace at the top of the shoe. So, you start at the top of the shoe and go straight across on the inside and out through both sides.
- Leave a long loop of about 4 inches at each side of the lace. You will use these loops to tighten the lacing and complete the knot.
- Tie a left-over-right starting knot, then pass the ends through the next lower eyelets.
- Cross the ends and pass each side through the next eyelet. Continue this pattern until you get to the bottom.
- When you get to the bottom, then tie a stopper-knot. After that, lock the ends to make sure that they don’t pull out of the eyelets at the bottom.
