A Guide to Running Shoe Terminology
By Matthew Klein
This week we have decided to define several terms that we use frequently but have begun to realize are not common language. As a group of clinicians and educators, our goal is to help people understand what they are putting on their feet or how they are training. This can include terms and jargon that we may take our understanding of for granted, so to help you along this journey of knowledge, we have laid out several below that we commonly use. This list will likely evolve and we may even move this to a more official page. For now, we hope this helps clarify our language!
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Sides of a Shoe
We use these terms to describe where elements are each side of the shoe or sometimes where the shoe is moving you towards.
Medial - Inner side of the foot or shoe or body
Lateral - Outer side of the foot or shoe or body
Plantar - Bottom of the foot / sole
Dorsal - Top of the foot or shoe
Posterior - Back or rear portion
Anterior - Front or front portion
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Parts of a Shoe
These are the elements that make up the shoe.
Heel - Back or rear portion of the foot. Also called the rearfoot. Made up of the calcaneus bone primarily.
Midfoot - Middle part of the foot. Sits between the heel/ankle and the forefoot. Made up of the tarsal bones (navicular, cuneiforms, and cuboid).
Forefoot - Front part of the foot. Made up of the metatarsals and phalange bones. Visually can be denoted by front pad of the foot on the underside of the foot and the toes.
Midsole - The layer of the shoe between outsole and insole. This is typically where the cushioning material of the shoe is present and is often the main part of the sole of the shoe.
Upper - Material on top of the shoe that holds the foot onto the platform
Instep - often refers to the medial longitudinal arch part of the foot or the part of the shoe that covers the medial arch of the foot.
Heel Collar - the top of the shoe around the ankle. Can be a thin material or have additional padding
Heel Counter - a hard piece of material set in the heel portion of the upper that provides structure and security to the heel. Not always present in some models.
Tongue - the piece of material that sits under the laces that protects the top (dorsal side) of the foot. Can be thin or thick and be free floating or gusseted (additional connection to the rest of the upper and/or can also wrap the foot to hold the tongue and foot securely).
Insole - the often, but not always, removable part of the shoe that sits right under the foot
Outsole - the bottom part of the shoe that contacts the ground. Usually a full or partial covering of the midsole made of harder rubber. Not always present as some shoes just have exposed midsole as the bottom part of the shoe
Technical Parts of the Shoe
These are more advanced parts of the shoe that play a major role in the ride of the shoe.
Rocker - a curved sole or part of the sole that artificially replaces the natural rockers of the foot
Heel Bevel/Rocker - the curve (or lack thereof) of the sole at the rear or heel of the shoe
Forefoot Rocker - the curve (or lack thereof) of the sole at the front or forefoot of the shoe under the toes
Toe Spring - a continuation of the forefoot rocker that extends far
enough upward that it holds the toes in extension (pointed upward)
Sole Flare - How much the sole extends beyond the position of the foot.
Can occur medially, laterally or even posteriorly. Often resists motion
in that direction or if landing on the sole flare can emphasize motion
in the opposite direction.
Plate - a hard piece of material that is wedged in the midsole to
provide additional stiffness and rigidity to the sole. Can be made of
plastic, pebax, carbon fiber and more types of materials.
Post -
a harder piece of midsole compared to the rest of the sole that is
meant to slow down or resist motion in a certain direction. Most often
on the medial side of the shoe.
Sidewall - elevated portions of the midsole that come up around the foot. Often used to resist motion or center the foot.
Key Terms Used to Describe Shoes
Elements we often look at when discussing shoes
Width - How wide the shoe is side to side. Can be relative to the entire shoe or just at the forefoot, midfoot or heel. Often used to describe how the upper fits but can also be used to describe the width of the sole as well
Volume - Often used to describe the height of the upper fit but actually refers to the 3D fit of the upper and how much total space there is within it.
Heel Drop - The difference in height between the heel and the forefoot of the shoe. Also referred to as heel offset. Can range from 0 mm (no difference or flat) to >12mm (heel sits much higher than the forefoot). Some shoes may even have negative drops or even higher drops depending on the design of the shoe and where the person lands. This is often used in reference to a static measurement of a shoe, however the actual heel drop measurement is dynamic and will vary depending on how the shoe is loaded and what part of the gait cycle the runner is in.
Conclusion
This list will continue evolving as new shoe parts are utilized or as we remember. The purpose of this website is to educate, so we hope this list helps not only translate what we are saying but also helps people understand more about shoes. If you can learn the different parts of the shoe, you will begin to see patterns in designs that may or may not work for you. If this helps you figure out what shoes work for you, we have accomplished one of our many goals.
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NEXT: Guide to Stability Shoes