What is the Difference Between Basketball Shoes and Running Shoes?

While running shoes and basketball shoes are somehow similar, each of these shoes comes with different abilities and features. Running often boils down to weight, while basketball is all about support.

Thus, most running shoes are light in weight and come with tons of cushioning, which is ideal in the long run. Basketball shoes are not only heavier but also offer plenty of ankle support and cushioning.

The cushioning often adds more weight to the shoes.

Are running shoes good for basketball?

While you can use basketball shoes for running, running shoes can never be used to play basketball because of the lack of ankle support and lateral movement. Basketball is a game that requires proper ankle support because of the constant jumping and thus, running shoes do not come with this feature.

Without proper ankle support, the player might easily roll an ankle as the basketball involves a lot of fast movement.

According to various studies, the most common injuries in basketball are ankle sprains.

Running shoes are often engineered with lots of cushioning to protect the feet from impact-related injuries. You will notice that most running shoes have plenty of padding.

In addition, these types of shoes are only designed for forwarding movement.

Differences Between Basketball Shoes and Running Shoes?

Side to side stability

Lateral movement is critical in the game of basketball, especially during warm-ups and workout sessions. Studies show that over 90% of running shoes do not offer side-to-side stability, which makes them unsuitable for basketball.

This is one of the main reasons you cannot use your running shoes for pickup games or one on ones.

Ankle Support

Most running shoes are often low-tops, and thus do not offer proper ankle support which is important in the game of basketball. Ankle support is vital in basketball since the game involves lots of jumping from lay-ups to dunks to jump shots.

The lack of ankle support makes running shoes not ideal for basketball. Thus, if you intend to continue playing basketball, then it’s important to buy shoes that are specifically designed for the game of basketball.

Thinner Construction

Since running shoes are designed with running in mind, they are often thinner due to the size of the materials used. Technically, you will feel as if you are running on bare feet.

While they do have to cushion, which is needed in basketball, these shoes can often lead to injuries. Some of the injuries that one can suffer from include hip, back, and joint injuries

When buying shoes to play basketball, it is important to ensure that the basketball does not affect your overall performance on the court. If you have no idea how tight basketball shoes should be, then you should read our previous post.

The right pair should always offer maximum comfort while maintaining your safety.

If you intend not to have different pairs of running shoes and basketball shoes, then you can always purchase cross-trainers.

Are basketball shoes good for running?

Although you can use basketball shoes for running, they are not recommended for long-distance running because of their overall weight. Many experienced runners have pointed out that the longer you run in basketball shoes the more the fatigue builds up.

This is indeed one of the main reasons most running shoes are light. Even basketball shoes that are light tend to present users with this effect when they are used for long-distance running.

In addition, most running shoes offer maximum comfort to the runner. When basketball shoes are used for long-distance running, they can present the runner with several complexities along the way.

Many casual runners will not notice any difference between the two.