Query
01-29-2010, 05:33 PM
I can't figure out why skate insoles are made of largely incompressible materials, like leather. Tennis shoes are designed for jumping too - and they have nice squishy insoles that help absorb the shock. And our arches are meant to collapse a little, to absorb some of the shock there.
I understand why the outsole (on the outside of the boot) is rigid and largely incompressible. Human feet obviously aren't designed to take all your weight at one point, so you need to spread the pressure.
I understand why the sides of skates are more rigid than tennis shoes. The most common athletic injuries are ankle sprains and strains, and balancing on a single point along a blade makes it a lot easier to accidentally twist your foot farther than with normal shoes. And figure skaters are judged partly by how well they maintain their edges, so they are willing to apply a lot of muscle to keep a position than most people, which again makes ankle sprains and strains much more likely to happen.
But would the tiny bit of ankle twist from letting the weighted side of a squishy sole collapse make much difference? Many skates already have plush squishy interiors, which seems like the same idea.
I understand why the outsole (on the outside of the boot) is rigid and largely incompressible. Human feet obviously aren't designed to take all your weight at one point, so you need to spread the pressure.
I understand why the sides of skates are more rigid than tennis shoes. The most common athletic injuries are ankle sprains and strains, and balancing on a single point along a blade makes it a lot easier to accidentally twist your foot farther than with normal shoes. And figure skaters are judged partly by how well they maintain their edges, so they are willing to apply a lot of muscle to keep a position than most people, which again makes ankle sprains and strains much more likely to happen.
But would the tiny bit of ankle twist from letting the weighted side of a squishy sole collapse make much difference? Many skates already have plush squishy interiors, which seems like the same idea.