A Netball Guide For 2017

With the club netball season just around the corner and the ANZ championship into its third round, it is important to be up-to-date and aware of current footwear trends surrounding the sport.

The 2017 netball season brings all new and improved Asics netball shoes to the market,and can be found at your nearest Athletes Foot or Rebel Sport. But how does footwear make a difference to the player? When it comes to lower limb injures, recent research by Sports Medicine Journal has shown that the most common injury (86%) for netball players affected the ankle.A huge 67% of those being lateral ligament sprains, and a further 10% being fractures to the ankle or foot. Wearing the correct footwear is important in reducing your risks when it comes to playing netball.

What shoe is right for you

To begin there are 3 different foot types: Neutral, Pronated and Supernated. Finding out which category you fit into can be tricky.The Podiatrists at Blue Mountains Podiatry are highly trained foot professionals that can easily assess and identify what specific foot type you have.

Pronater

Asics GEL-Netburner 18: The Asics Netburner has been the brands staple and longest selling netball shoe, and for good reason. The Netburner offers fantastic heel and torsional support that comforts and stabilises the heel, ankle and mid-foot while still allowing a good range of pivot movement in the forefoot. This is the shoe for players that have a flat or pronating foot, wear ankle guards or have a history of ankle injuries.

NetburnerGel-super 7:Fairly new to the market is the Netburner super 7. This shoes main aim is to give strong heel and mid foot stability while not compromising on weight and flexibility in the forefoot. The super 7’s forefoot comprises of 4 flex groove pivot points that allow for quick pivot and take off while the heel and mid-foot are being stabilised. If you need support and don’t have a history of ankle and knee injuries and are accustomed to wearing runners while playing, this is the shoe for you.

Neutral and Supernator

NetburnerGel-Ballistic: The ballistichas been the neutral counterpart to the Netburner. This allows players that have a high arch to be comfortable and stable in a netball shoe while still feeling support both around the heel and ankle, due to the ballistics high heel counter and torsional support features. If you have a high arch yet still wear ankle guards or have a history of ankle injuries this is the shoe for you.

Netburner GEL- Academy: The Gel -Academy is a recent addition to the neutral range for the Asics netball range similar to the ballistic it offers all the same features just without the fore foot cushioning the ballistic offers. If you have a high arch and don’t wear ankle guards or don’t have a history of ankle injuries this is the shoe for you.

All shoes mentionedcome in kids sizes for those who are young and starting out in the sport!

How can we help you at Blue Mountains Podiatry?

As mentioned above,our podiatrists here at Blue Mountains Podiatry are highly trained foot professionals that can easily evaluate and identify what specific foot type you have. Not only this, they can also assess other foot concerns that are netball related; these could include blisters, corns or ingrown toenails that are common among those that play the sport regularly. If you are unsure of what foot type you are, or experiencing pain related to netball, don’t hesitate to give us a call at one of our clinics. Whether it be an ankle injury, Blisters or other foot elated pain we are confident we can get you back on the court in no time!

Faulconbridge (02) 47517583 Katoomba (02) 47826169