Toe jamming

[nikkhasnis]

Hello,

I use Barricade 4 (and love them), which are 1/2 size larger than my regular shoes. I still have a bad case of toe jamming due to sudden stops, most of my nails are black/blue.

Any suggestions? Will going up 1 size make a difference? Won't that make the shoe unstable?

Thanks

[PimpMyGame]

I had toe jamming but this stopped when I went up a size, definitely worth a try IMO.

[nikkhasnis]

If shoe is 1 size big, is it as stable as a correctly fitting one?

[PimpMyGame]

It was ok for me, didn't feel any different.

[JSE]

I would think going to big would become a problem in terms of stability and fit.

I know you say you love the B4's, but why? They make your toenails black and blue. If I was waering a shoe that caused this, I would ditch them in a second. The shoes clearly are not working for your feet. Do you love them for the looks? That all that would make any sense. Granted, maybe you like pain.

[chris_ah1]

just lace it up better or use the higher support holes. But with length you then have heel slip and chewing rather than toe slam. What you need is a less long shoe but wiht a tad more width or better hold for the foot.

[nikkhasnis]

Originally Posted by JSE

Granted, maybe you like pain.

Huh??? I like them cos they are very stable and give me great grip on court. Toe jamming is caused when I run and stop or change direction.

[JSE]

Originally Posted by nikkhasnis

Huh??? I like them cos they are very stable and give me great grip on court. Toe jamming is caused when I run and stop or change direction.

Many shoes can give you these qualites and not cause your toenails to eventually fall off. I guess for me this would be a deal breaker.

The point is, if you go up to far on the size chart, your going to lose stability. So, then you will have a shoe that may not cause black and blue toenails but is is not stable. Back to square one with a shoe that's not working for you.

I would recommend you try some different shoes. Maybe B5's, Nike, Asics, Prince, etc. It's possible the B4's are not the right shoe for you even if you love them.

[nikkhasnis]

JSE, I know what you mean. I had K Swiss before and didn't like the fit, so switched to Adidas.

I have these for more than a year, don't remember having toe jams earlier with these. Maybe it's also to do with shoes getting worn out?

[BreakPoint]

IMO, you should go smaller, not bigger. More space in the front of your shoe just gives your foot more room to accelerate and pick up speed before slamming into the front of the shoe causing more damage to your toes. With a snugger fit, your feet don't move as much inside your shoes, and even when they do move, it's only a little bit so the terminal velocity when your toes hit the front of the shoe is much lower causing much less damage.

[Klatu Verata Necktie]

Originally Posted by nikkhasnis

Hello,

I use Barricade 4 (and love them), which are 1/2 size larger than my regular shoes. I still have a bad case of toe jamming due to sudden stops, most of my nails are black/blue.

Any suggestions? Will going up 1 size make a difference? Won't that make the shoe unstable?

Thanks

What socks are you wearing? It sounds like a strange question, but I've found that 100% polyester/coolmax/acrylic socks tend to allow feet to slide around in shoes, which results in toe jamming and general discomfort.

I prefer all cotton socks over all synthetic socks, but have found the ideal composition to be a blend of cotton and synthetic fibers.

The top Nike and Adidas performance socks feature cotton/synthetic blends. Under Armour and Thorlos feature 100% synthetic blends.

[N23]

Good topic on a icky item. But when I switched to a different shoe, the pain of toe jam or the occurence of it lessened to where i don't have the problem anymore.

[NoBadMojo]

I agree with BP....you want your feet moving as little as possible inside your shoe so your toes dont jam into the toe box of your shoes.

But, I believe in buying the right sized shoes. You may want to try a shoe with a less agressive/grippy bottom...so you dont stop as abruptly..that helped my condition quite a bit

[COME ON!]

a size bigger is fine but i noticed that it takes a little bit of your overall speed and quickness

[Caloi]

You can also look into something runners do. Take your laces out and measure them, now buy two laces per shoe at half the length. You put one lace down the tounge and one on the upper foot. You can adjust the tension on the upper and lower. So in your case you could tie the lower lace loose and the upper tight. You'd have more room in the toe box with th elooser lace and keep th eupper tight so your foot doesn't move around a bunch.

Looks silly but works like a charm!

Sort of like this...

[TennisDawg]

Nice thread about toe jamming. I recently ditched a pair of Adidas. Adidas are known for a very snug and tight fit, almost to the point of impossible to remove the shoe, especially when you're feet are sweaty. Anyway, both big toes became very sore at the joints. I compared the width to another pair of shoes (Wilson) and the Adidas pair are very narrow at front.

I am for a wider shoe and inserting foot pads to make more snug, but at least my toes aren't being jammed against the side of my shoes.

[BreakPoint]

Originally Posted by NoBadMojo

I agree with BP....

OMG!!! Have I died and gone to heaven??

[duketennisgal]

I had the same issue with my Barricade II's which I wore for years. I suddenly started losing my toenails, to me it felt like I had too much room in the toe and therefore my toes were moving around to much. I switched to Asics Gel Resolution and haven't had a problem yet.

[nikkhasnis]

Originally Posted by duketennisgal

I switched to Asics Gel Resolution and haven't had a problem yet.

I was also thinking about switching to Asics Gel Resolution. I hear they are easy on the knees also.

The funny thing is my 2nd finger is a bit longer than my big toe, so I end up jamming it more than my toe and that hurts more.

My earlier shoes were snug fit and I had the same (toe jam) problem. Then I read somewhere (I think Tennis mag) that always buy tennis shoes a size larger than regular to avoid toe jams.

[nikkhasnis]

Originally Posted by Klatu Verata Necktie

I prefer all cotton socks over all synthetic socks, but have found the ideal composition to be a blend of cotton and synthetic fibers.

I am sure my socks are 100% cotton, will double check.

Another reason I can think is my lace becomes loose as the game/match progresses, so my foot gets freedom to slide.