Skateboarding Foot Protection is a Must
Years ago, when skateboarding first took off, people said that it wouldn’t last. A craze that would soon die out. They couldn’t have been more wrong.
Today, skateboarding has become a multi-million dollar industry with many millions of skaters worldwide. Many towns today have their own skate parks and if they don’t then skateboarders will have built one for themselves.
Expert skaters make it look so easy, which can be misleading. Skateboarding takes a whole lot of skill and can be immensely dangerous. Skateboarding injuries have risen as the sport has grown in popularity. Some of the most common injuries are fractures to the ankle and wrist. Over a third of all injuries occur as a result of loss of balance and around 26% occur as a result of a failed trick attempt. The highest proportion of moderate injuries occur as a result of surface irregularities.
Statistics like these should tell any skater that safety must always come first. Skateboarders should skate only in skate parks to avoide hazardous uneven surfaces and they should always wear protective clothing. A good helmet along with some elbow and knee pads will go a long way toward protecting skaters from many common falls and scrapes. But footwear is of utmost importance.
Some people have the mistaken belief that any old sports shoe will do for skateboarding, but this isn’t true. Skateboarding subjects shoe to a real bashing, probably some of the most arduous wear and tear that any shoes are ever likely to receive. They need to be flexible, extremely comfortable and provide tons of grip. They also need to offer protection for the ankle and support the instep.
Skateboarding shoes need to be extremely tough. They will be subjected to lots of stress, scuffing and abrasion which will quickly make flimsy shoes fall apart. Many hardcore skaters use a product called shoe goo to apply to worn areas of their shoes in order to get a little extra life from them.
The soles of skateboarding shoes is a very important feature. These tend to be flat, with a large surface area, made from extremely tough material that provides a lot of essential grip with the skateboard.
There are many excellent skate shoes on the market today, another indication of how huge the sport has become. One of the favoured brands is Vans shoes. They’ve been around since the early days so they have the knowledge necessary to make some truly fantastic shoes.
Another reliable brand is DC Shoes from the USA. They are another firm who has been making top quality skateboard shoes for many years and this is reflected in the quality of their excellent shoes.
And of course we must mention Nike shoes. The Nike air trainers are favourites with many of the world’s top board jockeys.
Skateboarding is a fantastic sport but skaters need to keep themselves, and those around them, safe. Some good protective clothing and some robust, comfortable skate shoes will help to keep them safe.
