# What is today's sneaker? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2016, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731 "2016-01-31T06:52:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/1 "2016-01-31T06:52:41Z")
Once upon a time, there were only tennis shoes and basketball shoes (high-tops). In my neck of the woods, either could also be known as a sneaker, but it was more likely for the tennis shoe, and they weren’t work just for tennis. They were worn for everything that didn’t require spikes, for instance bicylcing, hiking (in summer), moseying around town, running, playing soccer in the park, four-square in the school yard, jumping rope, skateboarding, walking, skipping, volleyball on a hard surface (on sand you’d be barefoot), and so on. Now there are walking shoes, running shoes, cross trainers, lifestyle shoes, skate shoes, rock climbing shoes, approach shoes (okay, I don’t know what these are), and probably a whole bunch more, all in the category of what used to be simply “tennis shoes.” But to get an actual tennis shoe, these days called “court shoes,” you pretty much have to go to a tennis pro shop. You definitely want to go there if you’re picky about what color they are. So what is the all-purpose sneaker in today’s parlance, and also, what the hell is the difference between all these shoes? If I wear my New Balance running shoes to play tennis am I going to be less effective than if I have a “court shoe” on? They don’t have black soles, and I will be running. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/2 "2016-01-31T09:15:48Z")
Can’t answer the actual question, but > [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > {…} rock climbing shoes, approach shoes (okay, I don’t know what these are) {…} I’ll cheat and avoid typing on this much hated, not Dvorak, keyboard, > [@](#): > > Approach shoes are hybrid footwear that have some characteristics in common with hiking boots, and others with rock-climbing shoes. Like a shoe or boot designed for hiking, a properly fitting approach shoe can be worn comfortably while walking for long distances; like a climbing shoe, it generally has a specialized sticky rubber sole which maintains traction on steeper grades of rock. {…}[RIGHT][CITE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approach_shoe)[/RIGHT] CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/3 "2016-01-31T13:36:29Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Now there are walking shoes, running shoes, cross trainers, lifestyle shoes, skate shoes, rock climbing shoes, approach shoes (okay, I don’t know what these are), and probably a whole bunch more, all in the category of what used to be simply “tennis shoes.” All of them are sneakers. Sneakers are any shoe that isn’t a dress shoe or a hiking boot or a work boot or etc. Basically, if you use to do anything active, it’s a sneaker. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/4 "2016-01-31T14:09:13Z")
Cross Trainers ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/5 "2016-01-31T14:13:58Z")
May I ask a related question, for the Brits out there? Is a plimsole the same as a sneaker? Do adults wear them? Or are they only for school children to wear during physical education class? ---
**Author:** ![DeepLiquid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deepliquid/32/14893_2.png) [@DeepLiquid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeepLiquid)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/6 "2016-01-31T14:16:39Z")
The purpose is profit. Tell someone they can perform a task better if they wear a certain type of shoe, they will buy it. For most of us it won’t alter our performance in the slightest, but we buy anyway. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/7 "2016-01-31T14:39:21Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > May I ask a related question, for the Brits out there? > Is a plimsole the same as a sneaker? Do adults wear them? Or are they only for school children to wear during physical education class? Plimsoles generally refers to thin soled canvas shoes. We all had them for PE in school but it is not a term you hear much anymore. They didn’t offer much foot support or cushioning and weren’t worn much by adults at all. Even as a child we wore shoes which by todays standard would seem very formal - leather lace-ups in winter and leather buckle-up sandals in summer. Some time in the early 70s more fancy sports shoes became popular and were always called ‘training shoes’. This has become shortened to ‘trainers’ which is now the dominant catch-all term and popular in ways plimsoles never were. ---
**Author:** ![fc1114](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@fc1114](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fc1114)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/8 "2016-01-31T20:14:56Z")
If I used my running shoes to play tennis on a common outdoor court then I would \*\*destroy \*\*the outsole (the bottom part of the sole that comes in contact with the ground/court) of the shoe within **minutes**. Running shoes are designed for heel to toe forward motion and have a traction pattern **specific** for running. Tennis shoes have an outsole that is designed specifically for the movements of tennis players on the court. They are designed for durability and traction in \*\*all \*\*directions. Running shoes are not designed for lateral (side to side) support, and most tennis players do a lot of lateral movements on the court as they need to stop precisely on the court for their shots. Try taking a running shoe and playing racquetball in an indoor court and you will leave black streaks on the wood floor. Running shoes use black rubber or a similar rubber compound for their outsole because it provides cushion and traction at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/9 "2016-01-31T20:31:26Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > All of them are sneakers. Sneakers are any shoe that isn’t a dress shoe or a hiking boot or a work boot or etc. Basically, if you use to do anything active, it’s a sneaker. A sneaker is a rubber-soled shoe. You can sneak up on someone in a sneaker, because leather-soled shoes make noise. Leather-topped, rubber-soled shoes could still squeak, so sneakers were made of canvas. ---
**Author:** ![fc1114](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@fc1114](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fc1114)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/10 "2016-01-31T20:49:18Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > So what is the _ **all-purpose** _ sneaker in today’s parlance, and also, what the hell is the difference between all these shoes? g. You are referring to a _training shoe_. In \*\*previous \*\*generations they were referred to as **cross-training** shoes. Training shoes have general purpose outsoles, and uppers made with more support than running shoes. Differences? Many companies make these types of shoes and they all have different types of cushioning technologies. Different people have different feet so you can choose which cushioning technology suits your feet. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/11 "2016-01-31T21:47:24Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > A sneaker is a rubber-soled shoe. You can sneak up on someone in a sneaker, because leather-soled shoes make noise. Leather-topped, rubber-soled shoes could still squeak, so sneakers were made of canvas. That’s the origin of the word, but not the definition. In 2016, a “sneaker” is any athletic shoe. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/12 "2016-01-31T23:26:10Z")
> [@fc1114](#): > > Running shoes use black rubber or a similar rubber compound for their outsole because it provides cushion and traction at the same time. I have two pairs of running shes that are identical except that one is black and one is white. The black shoes have black rubber soles. The white shoes have white rubber soles. There doesn’t seem to be any difference in performance. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/13 "2016-02-02T20:46:04Z")
> [@fc1114](#): > > You are referring to a _training shoe_. In \*\*previous \*\*generations they were referred to as **cross-training** shoes. Training shoes have general purpose outsoles, and uppers made with more support than running shoes. Differences? Many companies make these types of shoes and they all have different types of cushioning technologies. Different people have different feet so you can choose which cushioning technology suits your feet. I do not believe that cross trainers are now called trainers. I have always referred to them as cross training shoes. Training shoes are differentiated from racing flats. Light weight running shoes, without much cushioning, that are made for racing, are called “racing flats,” or just “flats.” Regular running shoes are called “training shoes.” ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/14 "2016-02-02T20:58:48Z")
Every shoe that I’ve seen called a “trainer” is something that I would call a “sneaker” as a Yank. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/15 "2016-02-02T21:19:08Z")
Yes, cross training or training shoes are kind of the all purpose sneaker. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/16 "2016-02-03T01:04:48Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > Plimsoles generally refers to thin soled canvas shoes . . . Nitpick: plim_ **soll** _, after Samuel Plimsoll (1824-98). He was an MP who sponsored the Merchant Shipping Act 1876, one of whose provisions required British merchant ships to have painted lines on the hull showing the safe loading level . (Ships still have plimsoll lines; nowadays there are several, relating to different sea conditions. They look [like this](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_lu5lQxi-Pw/UZNjymX6xUI/AAAAAAAABc0/sB59UTsFSY4/s640/Plimsoll+line5.jpg).) When the rubber-soled canvas shoe became popular, it was called a plimsoll shoe because the welted join between the rubber sole and the canvas upper was usually in a contrasting colour, and was thought to resemble a plimsoll line. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/18 "2020-07-25T14:45:21Z")
I’ve seen the all encompassing term “athletic shoe” used for anything sports/movement related. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/19 "2020-07-25T16:05:37Z")
Note: Hampshire didn’t bump this thread; that was done by a now-deleted spammer. ---
**Author:** ![ehansi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@ehansi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ehansi)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-todays-sneaker/744731/20 "2020-07-26T04:46:51Z")
every sports have different requirement like basketball tennis soccer so they have different shoes but mostly people uses tennis shoes more often.In so[c](https://besttennisguru.com/best-tennis-shoes/)cer we use cleat.