Athletic Shoe Components
Footwear is an integral part of an athlete's sport equipment. It can support or impair your performance and comfort. Most importantly athletic shoes protect the foot, preventing abrasions and injuries.
An athletic shoe has four basic components or layers: the upper, insert, midsole and outsole. Each component has a purpose. Dependent on the sport these components can vary a great deal in appearance and functionality.
Upper:
The upper surface is the portion which covers the top of your foot. Although a person's choice of shoe may be affected by the attractiveness of the upper, its purpose is to serve as an attachment to the lower portions of the shoe (the mid- and outsole). Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish functionality from the aesthetics of a shoe's upper.
The upper wraps around, encloses your foot and holds the soles to the bottom of your feet. It also provides a foot enclosure method (generally shoestring laces, Velcro or today in running the "slip on") and has a heel counter. The heel counter conforms to your foot's heel to provide some rigidity and stability in the heel area preventing your heel from slipping off the soles onto the upper. Clearly your foot slipping off the bottom of the sole and sliding onto the upper could cause an injury.
Insert:
The bottom of your foot sits on the insert. The insert positions the arch support, can be used to draw moisture and heat away from the foot, provides a little cushioning and cover for the midsole, and sometimes with an additive helps prevent foot odor. (The arch is the curve in your foot which provides structural support for your foot.)
The insert can be key in preventing blisters (caused by irritating the skin through rubbing or burning). Custom made inserts (orthotics) can be designed to compensate for genetic or other support problems of the foot. Arch support systems can vary with the sport, the activity level of the player, foot size, arch type, age and gender.
Midsole:
The midsole contains the shoe's cushioning system. The cushioning system is meant to distribute the impact force to prevent the full transfer of that force to the foot and leg. Cushioning systems also have been developed to provide energy return. The concept - the cushioning device provides a rebound, spring or lift to the foot, in lieu of your muscles contracting (reducing the player's energy output) to achieve the same effect.
Outsole:
The outsole provides traction and reduces wear on the midsole (which increases the durability of the shoe). Today's outsoles address sport specific movements (running versus pivoting) and playing surface types. Different areas of the outsole are designed for the distinct frictional needs of specific movements. A visit to your favorite athletic footwear store will supply you with a wide variety of different patterns on the bottom of the outsoles.
