The Best Skateboard Footwear

When skateboarding first hit the streets many people said that it was a fad. A craze that simply would not last. How wrong they were.

Today, skateboarding has become a multi-million dollar industry with many millions of skaters worldwide. There can’t be many towns that don’t have some sort of skate-park, and if they don’t have one then skateboarders will have built one for themselves.

Skateboaring experts can make it look so easy and graceful, which can be misleading. Skateboarding is an incredibly skillful sport, but it can also be very dangerous. As skateboarding has grown in popularity so the number of skateboard injuries has increased. Statistics show that some of the most common skateboard 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. It is interesting to note that the vast majority of moderate injuries occur as a result of uneven surfaces.

Statistics like these should serve to encourage skaters, and those just getting into the sport 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 exceptionally comfortable, enormously flexible and very grippy. They also need to offer protection for the ankle and support the instep.

Clearly, skateboarding shoes need to be immensely robust. They are subjected to lots of scuffing and abrasion and cheap, flimsy shoes will quickly come apart. Many skaters use a produce called shoe goo, available from many good skate shops, to apply to worn areas of their shoes in order to give them a little extra life.

One of the most important features of skateboarding shoes is the sole. These tend to be made with extremely strong material and are very broad and flat, providing maximum grip with the skateboard.

If you go shopping for skateboard shoes you will find an almost bewildering selection. One of the favoured brands is Vans shoes. They have been around since the early days of skateboarding and they have really learned how to produce fantastic skate 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.

No discussion of top brand skate shoes would really be complete without mentioning 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. Wearing the right protective clothing and a good pair of skate shoes will help to keep them out of hospital.