Do you know whether you have feet with a medium arch, a low arch or a high arch? If you do, then you can compare your feet to the three types below. You need to know your arch type if you are planning to buy a sports insole.
There is a good correlation between arch-type and gait (i.e. whether you over-pronate, supinate or are a neutral runner), but we do recommend that you do the two simple tests that we describe in the section 'Help me choose a running shoe' of our website too.
If you don't know your arch-type or you're not sure, you can do the wet foot test to find out. All you need is a bowl of water and a newspaper. Stand in the bowl of water for a few seconds and then stand on the newspaper. Then look at your footprint. Then check how similar your footprint looks to our images below.
Feet with a medium arch look similar to this. This is the ideal arch shape as your arch is likely to be flexible and help you to absorb impact from running and other sports well. With this arch type you may over pronate or you may be a neutral runner. You should do the two squat tests in our 'Help me choose a running shoe' section to check.
Feet with a low arch look similar to this. With this arch type you are most likely to over pronate and need a running shoe with support. You should also do the two squat tests in our 'Help me choose a running shoe' section to check.
Feet with a high arch look similar to this. With this arch type you are most likely to be a neutral runner and therefore need a neutral running shoe. You should also do the two squat tests in our 'Help me find the right running shoe' section to be sure. You may also be a Supinator, but Supinators need neutral running shoes too.
