Shoes
 

I am a high school ref who had trouble with shin splints last year for the first time in my life. HORRIBLE! Had my feet checked for pronation and everything checked out ok. I usually rotate 2-3 pair of shoes for the year. I was at a D1 college game last year and noticed all them were wearing what appeared to be Nike Air Max all leather. Anyone else worn them on the court? Had New Balance last year and won't go back to them. Tried on the "Breezy" but it was too narrow. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

If you can find them, any Nike Shox. I love mine. I was lucky enough when searching online to find them. I don't care for all leather. These were all black with some shiny black spots. Shoes were the soft running kind. For running, all I buy are shox.

Thanks cmjordan
 

Its funny that you mention shox cause I have a pair of shox that are grey that I use at the gym for running. Didn't realize they make them in all black....will look now though. Thx!

Crazy as they look, Im going to give the rezigs a shot this season.

Feet, feet, feet.....
 

As you are finding out, trial and error are unfortunately your best way to find out what is best for you....and your feet. Glad you had them checked!

We've had these discussions on the Forum many times before. What court shoe you are most comfortable with depends very much on your body type (large, small, tall, skinny) feet, (flat, arch, pronation, etc.) how many games you do, types of courts, etc. How a shoe looks is not as important as how they feel - and how they make you feel.

Knowing what you don't like is part of the process - as you found out.

I am 5'8" (on a good day) and an overpronator. I wear Asics to run in because they make a shoe I finally found useful (after much trial and error).

I tried a great many court shoes (NB, Nike, Addidas, etc.) and had foot and leg problems several times. Last year I bought a pair of patent leather Official's Choice shoes. Unfortunately, when trying them on, I didn't realize the severe arch they had. First couple of times I used them I was in terrible PAIN! Then, I went to an Orthopedic Surgeon who provided me custom made inserts and now I love the OC's and my feet never felt better!

Good luck in your search, continue to rotate your stock, and have a great year!

Is this what you are looking for?

Nike Men's Air Max 2009 Leather Running Shoe*Black/Silver/Anthracite *| FinishLine.com

Hands down the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn to referee in. They're a little on the heavy side, but my joints have never felt better when wearing this shoe. They're definitely pricey, but the nice thing about Nike shoes is that they have a 2 yr warranty on them. Apparently I drag my inside left toe quite a bit (I've tried to catch myself doing this and fix whatever it is I'm doing, but I never seem to notice it) and last season I wore the inside sole of my shoe at the left toe area all the way down to where it eventually got to the air pocket and it went flat during a camp early last summer. I got on the phone, got the RMA #, mailed the shoes back, and two weeks later had a voucher for $160 sitting in the mailbox for use on nike.com. Previously I'd done the same thing with with a pair of Shox that failed on me.

Unfortunately, I still have the voucher sitting on my desk as I have been looking for another pair of these shoes ever since then and just finally found that they were back in stock at Finish Line. Apparently they don't offer last year's models on nike.com. I talked to the FL manager as I was checking out and he said these shoes are flying off the shelves. I said I was a basketball referee and he said that he thought that's where 90% of them were going. I was going to buy 2 pair, but I got the last pair of 11.5's they had in stock. So theoretically, this pair of shoes was free, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the $160 voucher. Christmas gifts maybe.

Yes...this is the shoe I was talking about. Glad to hear positive comments!

I just bought a pair of those shoes. I have heard nothing but good things about them. Might be buying a second pair.

Peace

so i guess the little bit of white detailing isnt a problem ?

I had an arch problem and did the same thing and got some fitted Orthotics. The main difference is I ran into a athletic trainer that knew about a company that provided them and that fixed my problem. I cannot wear athletic shoes without them.

Peace

Not for me and where I work. But if you want you can just use a permanent marker or go over them with black shoe polish. The problem is you are not going to find many black shoes where everything is black on them. Almost impossible to find on your own. You could custom make a shoe with some of the big retailers, but those will cost you even more money.

Peace

You are definitely right about the custom all black shoes, you can get yourself an all black pair of air max's on nikeid, however, it'll run you around $185+.

I'd take the $160 with a little marker anyday! :)

GRUN - Asics also makes an all black running shoe that I wore for several years. I do to my 'funky feet' I switched this past year to Brooks Adrenaline (sp) because they were wider and fit my orthodics better.

As for the light grey or any 'non black' I too use a permanent marker. Early in the shoes life I have to mark them every game but after about 3 or 4 the marker sticks and it doesnt matter. As a 'hard runner' I blow out any Nike prodcut within a game or two.
My final point is to find a specialty running store in your area. They will usually put you through a whole process to help find the best shoe for you. It takes awhile initially, but after they have all of your foot requirments they keep them on file and you can ask them to keep an eye out for all black shoes that 'fit your feet". Hope that helps

Your assigner/supervisor can answer that question better than anyone here.

Well, I went and tried on the Air Max tonight and the all leather are a little tight and Finish Line told me that they don't make it in a wide width. Then I tried on the other Air Max but it was the one that is the more stretchy material...not leather. Not sure if this shoe will be as stable as the leather. They look very similar though.

Do they make a pair in all or mostly black? Or will you have to blacken those red bottoms?

Peace

I do have a pair of Asics, all-black walking shoes in the make/model my feet require. Oft times I wear them to the game (Rec) or have them in my bag (HS) as a backup just in case of a blowout. :rolleyes:

I prefer running shoes to walking shoes but to each their own. I think they are great shoes b/c they dont get very hot. Although darkening the reflective stuff is difficult. I like the Brooks b/c they are wider which fit my orthotics better but don't think they stay as cool as the Asics.

I've worn these for years. They go really well with my fishnets. Besides, they get the attention of the hot moms.

http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0...=1223461312000

While I used to.....
 

I no longer have the legs for that Mark. Age.... ;)

Which shoe? I am not seeing any leather shoes on that site.

Peace

Go to CVS or Walgreens and pick up 2 pair of Futuro support socks. I had terrible shin splints the first year I worked a full schedule. Mid-season, bought 2 pair, wore them during every game and never looked back. I buy a couple of pair every year and still wear them today.

Buy Futuro Support Socks Men's Firm X-Large Black online at CVS.com

I would be careful with this site. It looks an awful lot like those sites that the spam bots come on here and advertise.

I have tightness even with the wider Nike shoe, which led me to New Balance. Although I've been wearing their mid-cut basketball shoe the past several years, they are a bit heavy. I'm looking at this shoe for this year.

Amazon.com: New Balance MR993LBK Mens Running Shoe: Shoes

They're cheap, fake shoes. Don't bother JRut

how i know you ask?

Jordan doesn't make high heel shoes...

Of course they are fake, that was obvious. But I did not even see a shoe that would be appropriate for our purposes. I only saw shows that were not leather.

Peace

Ask Mars Blackman ???
 

Just don't buy any from that spammer that shows up here from time to time.

Not true. You need to be evaluated for your foot pronation type. If you don't know what that means, then go to a running shoe store and ask them to look at the way you walk -- probably without shoes -- and give you an evaluation. If you overpronate, the inside of your foot turns inward as you walk. If you are neutral, it pretty much stays straight. Most people are some form of the former -- they have some inward movement, ranging from a little to severe. That's good news for officials since most of the basketball shoes sold by the Honigs of the world are cross-trainer type shoes that usually work fine for those that over pronate a little or a lot. The problem comes in for guys like me that are neutral -- we need cushioning and usually, a running shoe is the only way to get it.

That's what I wear and it takes a lot of effort to find black running shoes. I've found a couple and just buy several when I've found them. You may have to compromise a little.

Getting other's GENERAL advice on shoes is like asking if you can wear my pants or my shirt. Sure, but its probably not going to fit, just like the shoes I wear might not work for you. If you want to start getting a taste for what I'm talking about, google running shoe and pronate.

True?
 

I agree with what you said (hence why I made similar comments in post #5), except the trial and error part.

I believe even when you know what type of foot you have - neutral striker, over pronator, under pronator, etc., you still may go through a trial and error period with brands and models until you find the shoe that's best for you.

All of the major shoe manufacturers make shoes for all the different foot types. That doesn't mean the width, comfort, support, style, insole, cushion is good or comfortable for you. Just because the shoe “type” is appropriate for your foot type, doesn’t mean the make/model is best for your feet.

Even though I knew my foot-type, it still took me quite a while of what I would call “trial and error,” and I went through allot of the major brands, (Adidas, Nike, Brooks, Saucony, etc.) before I settled on my Asics many yrs ago.

JMO

I agree with that. What I disagreed with was the statement:

Trial and error works after you've found out what you need. You can, unfortunately, trying the Reeboks, New Balance, and whatever else Honigs sells only to find out later that none of those shoes work for you because of your feet isn't the best way to go about things.

Got the Air Max 360's the last 2 years and they are the most comfortable shoes on the market! Regular $160-180, but Ebay has them all the time for $109 with free shipping, got them in 3 days. Shox are okay too, but the the 360's are the real deal.

QUOTE=JRutledge;694737]Of course they are fake, that was obvious. But I did not even see a shoe that would be appropriate for our purposes. I only saw shows that were not leather.

Peace[/QUOTE]

I believe it was the great dame philosoher Stevie Nicks who was quoted as saying "Give to me your leather, take from me, my lace..."

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CCQQ9QEwBw

I just got a pair of the 2009 AirMax leather and am thinking about putting the liquid shoe polish on the white outline of the swoosh.

I picked up some Kiwi Leather Instant Wax Shine from the store. I have never been a shoe polish guy so excuse the ignorance but has anyone tried this with their AirMax's or liquid shoe polish to black out white fabric on their shoes?

I have a pair of the 2010 Air Max and just got a pair of the all black Reebok Zig Pulses...light and great on your feet and legs....strongly recommend them.