Ultimate Sports Shoe Guide: Let’s break this down brand by brand

ASICS & NEW BALANCE:

What do these two brands have in common? Their sizing… and they’re both known for their support! Asics and New Balance are in US sizing but tend to run small. This means when we measure (in UK), we firstly go up one size and then convert to US sizing (this means we’ve added two sizes to our
initial measure, but don’t be alarmed, it’s all about conversion!). Within Asics and New Balance there are styles that can run smaller or larger than others, but this is the same with any brand. The most important thing when on the hunt for a new pair of runners is the technology that goes into each style!
Each style or range in both Asics and New Balance provides different support focusing on varying needs from pronation, supination, stability, comfort, structure and more!

Asics and New Balance styles tend to have more structure and so the foot is going to move to how the shoe is made. For example, for a child that pronates (rolls in) the GT-1000 (which has arch support) would be recommended to counter the rolling in occurring at the arch. Therefore, the alignment of the foot should alter based on the technology and support provided in the shoe.

NIKE & ADIDAS:

These brands run true to US sizing! So when we measure we convert the size to US from UK (this usually means going up one size as US sizing runs smaller). Adidas, like Asics and New Balance have different technologies in different styles of their shoes that tend to focus on comfort with an outer sole focus on stability.

Nike’s focus on comfort is evident through the way the shoe reacts to the movement of the foot. For example, a Nike shoe tends to be more flexible allowing the foot to move as it usually does without hindrance or structure getting in the way. This is why children often prefer Nike comfort over something that may have more structure or
support.