For many people the first type of shoe that we think of when considering men's athletic shoes may well be tennis shoes or even a generic cross training shoe. For others they may think of a basketball shoe, it really depends upon your background. In reality this category of footwear covers a wide variety of sport and recreational shoes ranging from golf and basketball to soccer and running shoes. I usually buy cross training tennis shoes just because I am involved in a wide range of sports from running and weightlifting to playing basketball.

It seems that every time I open the Sunday paper there will be several circulars advertising sales on athletic shoes from many different famous brand names. I suggest you look around online to compare prices as well as have a good idea of what type of shoe will best suit your needs.

There are a few basic types of athletic shoes in general and one should get a good feel for what you need most before shopping.

For those who are into off road running or running in all different kinds of weather the best shoe type is the trail shoe which will give you a combination of stability and durability as well as excellent traction.

If you are on of those that tends to underpronate and you really do not need to have extra support then you can probably get by with shoes from the cushioned shoes category.

For men who are of average weight with no pronation problems who just need an athletic shoe with good support, durability and cushion they should probably go with a shoe from the stability shoe category.

The motion control category contains the most durable, rigid and controlled athletic footwear. These shoes are specifically designed to limit the condition known as overpronation.

For experienced runners who are training for races or even for those who just run a lot and have not issues with motion control or pronation they will get good results from shoes in the lightweight training category.

This list is not an end all, it is always recommended that you keep an extra pair on hand and the best practice is to buy a couple of pairs at the same time so you can alternate between them. This will make the shoes last quite a bit longer, especially if you are a runner or you do heavy weightlifting.

When you measure your feet or shop for shoes do it late in the day. This will give you the most accurate fit since due to the stress of walking all day our feet tend to swell and will be larger at the end of the day than in the morning. Don't buy shoes that are uncomfortable just because they look good or because they are a good deal.