We all learned to tie our shoes at a young age and many adults still tie their running shoes in the same way. Unfortunately, your running shoes should not be tied in the same way as your regular footwear. Next time you run a race, take a look at your fellow runners shoes (without being noticed) to see how they laced them. More than likely, you will see a variety of ways their shoes are tied.

Did you know that there are different ways to lace your shoes to make them more comfortable or customize them for your feet? Obviously, everyone’s feet are different and it is important to lace your shoes correctly!

How do you determine which lacing style is right for you?

First you need to determine what type of foot you have; wide foot, high arches, low arches, narrow heal or foot. We fit shoes has great tips for lacing shoes.

 Heel Slippage:

If your heel slips too much or you need more room for your toes, try a lace lock at the top of your shoe. This method will pull your foot back to the heel of the shoe which will prevent any further slippage.

High Arches: The splay lacing technique removes the pressure points created when laces cross over each other on the center of the shoe tongue.

Narrow Heel/Foot: Use two short sets of laces to get a snug fit along the length of your foot. The first lace runs through the middle eyelets where you tie them off, and the second continues through the last pair of eyelets.

Toe problems: Threading one end of the lace diagonally lifts the toe box up to help relieve problems like hammer toes, toe corns, bleeding toes and toe nail problems.

Top-of-foot pain Skip a set of eyelets in your lacing pattern to relieve pressure on points along the top of your foot.

source

 Now you can determine which lace type is right for you. Happy Running!

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Those cheers, jeers, and shouted commands flying incessantly from the stands often come courtesy of some of the world’s most devoted sports fans — the parents of young athletes. Present without fail at every game and match, many adults act as cheerleaders, coaches, and commentators rolled into one highly caffeinated bundle. While most of these parents have only the best of intentions behind their antics, the already stressful sporting experience can be made significantly smoother if parents abide by a few simple rules.

1. Don’t play the role of coach.

It can definitely be tempting to yell out some instructions whenever the team — or worse, your own child — just can’t seem to get a successful spike or fails repeatedly to defend the goal. But please, for the sake of the sanity of the players, resist the urge. A loud field or gymnasium is already a distracting environment in which athletes often struggle to hear the tips of their own coaches, and additional commands from parents can further threaten the necessary focus. I’ve noticed in my years of volleyball that playing advice from the bleachers is frequently contradictory to the coach’s instructions, not to mention a lot ruder. Leave the coaching to the professionals, and stick to those embarrassing but much more parentally-appropriate cheers.

2. Focus on the positive aspects of the game

Believe me, if your kid’s team has just been brutally slaughtered by the opposition, they’re already feeling bad enough. Even when a loss is simply the result of poor performance, it is never productive for parents to dwell on the mistakes made. Instead, mention a few shining moments — and if you are unable to muster up the ability to concentrate on the positive, just avoid saying anything. The most unstable athletes I’ve played alongside are those whose parents criticize their every move.

3. Stay away from team conflicts

It’s an inconvenient truth of the sports world that as tensions run high and competitive streaks take over, conflicts tend to arise within even the strongest of teams. Parental interference is almost a guaranteed way to worsen such issues. One of my own worst team experiences came as a result of parents attempting to form an army of allies after their own children were called out for unsportsmanlike behavior. Our minor problem was transformed into nothing short of a battle once parents decided it was their place to join the fray, and their participation came at the cost of team coherence. Most conflicts can be solved without the involvement of adults — kids are much more capable of settling disputes than many believe them to be.

4. Remember: It’s your child’s sport, not yours

At all costs, parents should avoid becoming more emotionally invested in their child’s sports team than the kid himself is. The danger of the club teams that have recently grown exponentially in popularity is that both coaches and parents often encourage kids to abandon their other interests or at least prioritize the sport above all else. This mindset prevents kids from trying new activities or keeping up with old ones during a time when such exploration is crucial. Your child should not have to be the star athlete. Your child should not feel constant pressure to succeed coming from those who should only be acting as her biggest supporters. Try your best to decompress — I know it can be difficult — and let the kids determine their own athletic careers. You’ll both be happier for it.

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