It’s All About the Shoes!

Ankles and feet play a vital role throughout cheerleading, from performance to injury resistance, and with all the options available, choosing the best cheerleading shoe for your squad can be difficult and time-consuming.  Factors including value, comfort, and appearance must all be weighed before selecting a shoe for the entire squad.

First, it’s important to determine what your squad’s primary focus is.  If stunting and tumbling are key components, then having a flexible shoe is critical.  Look for any added features like finger grips and grooves for stunting, flexible soles, and shock absorption.  For a squad with more emphasis on pom and dancing, a lightweight, breathable shoe may be a better option.  In either case, be sure to check for ankle support and scalloped archways, both for comfort and stability.

Next, you’ll want to narrow down choices based on pricing.  Decide how much you and your squad are willing and able to spend, keeping in mind that this is an area where quality is important.  If costs need to be cut, you may want to consider going with a higher quality shoe and spending less elsewhere.

Finally, take style into consideration.  We recommend that this not be a deciding factor, but it can certainly help decide between two shoes that are equal in comfort and performance.  White cheerleading shoes are common, but permanently colored shoes can create a bold, sharp look for competitive cheer squads.  Color insertions are, of course, available to match uniforms accordingly.  One note here is consider a shoe that will be easy to clean and maintain – it’s important that the shoe’s look and durability lasts throughout the cheer season.

Once you’ve narrowed it down to one or a few choices, be sure to try on the shoe yourself, and have several of your top cheerleaders try them on.  Options will vary with each shoe manufacturer and style.  Some of the top recommended cheer shoes include the following:

Nfinity Passion, specialized for tumbling and stunting
Nfinity Evolution, a lightweight shoe designed for comfort
Hanes Sport
Converse
Adidas
Nike Air Controller