Your Buying Guide to Sports Shoes for Her

Being comfortable while playing any kind of sports should be a woman's top priority.  There are many types of sports shoes but you must select one that fits you and takes care of your feet while you do hectic and active work.

And so, we'll discuss the different types of sports shoes, what other buyers are saying, what to look out for and some of the most popular brands.

Types of Sports Shoes

Hiking Shoes

The soles of hiking shoes are made to tackle rocky terrain and have different levels of stiffness. Usually made of rubber, soles vary by the patterns and depth of the lugs, which are the indentations in the bottom of the sole that offer more secure footing on rugged surfaces. Very deep lugs allow for the most traction and more shallow or widely spaced lugs offer less grip. You may also find a raised heel sole, called a heel break. This is intended to reduce your chance of sliding when hiking on steep descents. Hiking shoe soles are typically the most sturdy and inflexible of athletic shoe soles, but offer maximum shock absorption.

Basketball Shoes

The soles of basketball shoes are moderately flat and made of rubber. Most are wider and have a herringbone pattern etched in to improve stability and traction for quick pivots, starts and stops. Soles on indoor basketball shoes are often made of thinner rubber, in order to make them more lightweight for faster movement, while outdoor soles are thicker to be more durable. Basketball shoe soles typically offer maximum shock absorption and moderate flexibility compared to other types of athletic shoe soles.

Soccer Cleats

The soles of soccer cleats have studs to improve traction when running on grassy fields. These studs may be molded onto the shoe as a fixed part of the sole or they may be detachable. The studs are typically made of three materials -- plastic, rubber or metal. Some leagues ban metal tips, so be sure to check with your team's guidelines. There are three types of studs: conical studs, which provide more stability; bladed studs, which can give more traction and speed; and hard-ground studs for firmer surfaces. Soccer shoe soles offer moderate flexibility and shock absorption.

Running Shoes

The minimalist running shoe sole is a new trend in the sport. The rubber on minimalist soles may be as thin as 3 mm and is extremely flexible. Proponents of minimalist running shoe soles say that the increased flexibility of these soles allows for a more natural heelstrike, but offer the least cushioning and impact absorption. Minimalist shoe soles also come in slightly thicker rubber sole for road running, but the sole is still much more flexible and lightweight as compared to traditional running shoe soles and offers more absorption. Finally, trail-running shoe soles offer a much thicker and more rugged sole for additional underfoot protection and maximum impact absorption.

Tennis Shoes

The soles of tennis shoes have a smoother, flatter surface compared to the soles of other athletic shoes and offer minimal absorption impact compared to basketball or hiking shoes. The soles of these shoes vary based on the type of court on which they are intended to be worn. Those made for concrete courts have the thickest sole and a uniform, herringbone pattern on the sole for traction during forward, backward and lateral movements. Shoes for clay courts are often lightweight and not as durable as those made for concrete courts and may feature a more shallow herringbone pattern. Finally, shoes made for indoor courts are the most lightweight and flexible. They have the smoothest sole so that they won’t stick to the floor during lateral movements or damage or leave marks on the court.

Golf Shoes

Golf shoe soles golf shoe soles have minimal shock absorption and flexibility as compared to basketball or traditional gym shoes. They are available with metal spikes, soft spikes or spikeless. Metal spikes are typically removable and improve stability and traction on wet or irregular terrain. These types of spiked soles are often banned for everyone but professional golfers as they can damage course greens. Soft spikes can also detach from the soles and offer moderate traction. Spikeless golf shoes have built-in rubber nubs on the shoe soles and are not detachable. They offer slightly more traction than street shoes.

What Other Buyers Are Saying

When you buy a sports shoes, make sure that it fits your feet snuggly as you participate in hectic and active work.  There are many shoes on Amazon so, read up on what other buyers are saying about the products they have purchased.

Here are some of the feedback for one of the sports shoes available on Amazon:

Love the look of these shoes - they go with everything. However, after one wash the toe section split on BOTH shoes and I've had to patch up with some white canvas from the inside. I washed on a normal 40 degree wash, like you would with anything like this, and the seams came apart. The inside of the sole has also degraded very quickly. Had these for under a year so very disappointing.

Great product, reasonable price compared to bricks and mortar store.

I always buy vans products, these trainers in particular are very good, hard wearing, well made, and a decent cost, very fast delivery, this is my second pair my first pair i bought about five years ago so that tells its own story, you cant go wrong. And they are still modern trendy shoes. 

What to Look Out for

When you pick out sports shoes, be sure to get one that is stylish yet functional.  There are many shoes available online and offline so, select one that's right for you.

Most Popular Brands

Vans - manufactures sports shoes that are made of textile in the inner and outer areas and is good for both men and women.

Converse - manufactures unisex shoes that are made of fabric as inner material and synthetic material for its outer area.