Break in Your New Basketball Sneakers with Ease
As with any shoe, breaking in your new basketball sneakers can either be a royal pain in your feet or a comfortable process. It all depends on your preparation and attention to a well constructed plan. Breaking in shoes sounds simple, just wear them. However, ensuring they get broken in properly takes a bit more planning.
The Purchase
Only you know your preferences when it comes to your footwear. Yet making the right purchase can mean the difference between a long breaking in period or a shorter one. If the shoe is not perfectly sized for your feet, than the breaking in period will be longer. If you shop at discount stores, there may not be a professional shoe fitter and you will need to rely on your own knowledge with the following tips.
Always try on shoes near the end of the day, when your feet have swollen to their largest, allowing for extra room when you put them on in the morning. Also almost everyone has two differently sized feet. Make sure that you always try on shoes on your larger foot. If your feet are more than a half size different, even consider getting two different sized shoes, one of each foot. Last, make sure there is enough room for your foot; if it's too tight, you cannot stretch them adequately, too loose and you cannot tie them tight enough.
Breaking Bad
The process for breaking in your new basketball sneakers should be a process. Make sure to buy your shoes at least two weeks in advance of wearing them to a competitive event.
Wear your shoes for 10 minutes of light activity for 3 days in a row, adding ten minutes each day, so by the 3rd day you are wearing them for 30 minutes of walking or light exercise.
For the next 4 days wear your shoes for a minimum of 1 hour each day, and include more vigorous exercise each day. Start with walking and add 15 minutes of light jogging. By the fourth day you should include 30 minutes of jogging in your shoes.
Then the stretching process is started. For the next 4 days, wear your new basketball sneakers for 2 hours a day, but include at least 30 minutes of aggressive turns, jumps, and pivots. These exercises could be included in light practice or a friendly game of pick up. Lastly for the remaining 3 days of the two week break in period, wear them as long as you can, but also wear them each day to a real team practice or pickup game to continue the break in period.
After two weeks of increasing activity, the shoes should naturally mold to your feet and provide a comfortable experience with very little pain. This is the easiest and best way to break in new basketball sneakers without breaking your feet also.