Minimalist Runners - What to Wear For Other Sports?

mtread13

I am looking into moving toward the more minimalist shoe as I begin to try to get back into running some.

For those who have done so and play other sports - tennis, soccer, etc. - do you use the same shoe or use a more traditional shoe/cleats as appropriate for those sports? For gym volleyball and tennis, I tend to use a shoe with some ankle support due to my terribly weak ankles and all of the lateral movement. For flag football, I'll use a football cleat that also is a high or mid-top. Any issues with continuing to do that from your perspective/experience?

mtread13

Bump - thoughts?

GiddyupTim

Running shoes, especially minimalist shoes, tend not to have much support on the sides. Some minimalist running shoes have a bit of a heel also. You don't want either of those features for a cutting sport.
I play tennis and played soccer, until recently. I always used appropriate shoes. If you run hard and cut hard, you need the right sole for tennis -- and no high heel that will make your ankles unstable -- and you need boots with studs for grass.
I would guess that wearing high tops is a good idea, for your ankles. However, you should know that a well-designed study with recreational basketball players at a major university found no difference in sprained ankles between high-tops and low-tops.
Might be more important to do ankle strengthening exercises. One reason people sprain their ankle, and then continue to sprain it again and again, is that the nerves get damaged and so you lose some proprioception -- that is, the ability to feel how your foot is positioned. Ankle exercises, it is thought, will stimulate nerve regeneration.

rugbyphreak

i wear a vibram five-finger for running and biking. i wear a traditional underarmour cleat for rugby and normal speed skates for roller derby and speed skating.

mtread13

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'll continue with the appropriate shoes for the other sports.

And - thanks too for suggesting the ankle exercises. I think you are right on in terms of why I continue to sprain it.

hellohappylisa

I have tiny, weak, little girly ankles, so I use braces when I run. I can't ever remember to do ankle exercises. :P