Guidance on footwear for Line Dancing and hard floors

An update to our usual guidance regarding recommended footwear for Line Dancing:

We don’t always have the luxury of being able to have a sprung wooden floor nowadays, instead we are finding surfaces such as concrete composite and laminate on concrete, etc. These hard surfaces create an added risk to potential injury when dancing as the floor doesn’t ‘give’  - it means that your body would usually take around 100% of the impact from stomping or jumping, compared to around 47% on a ‘good’ dance floor.

We always aim to find a good hall with a good floor for us but sometimes it isn't possible. So we also have looked at ways to make this better for us if faced with that situation and one solution is to re-look at what footwear we are using.

Always wear supportive footwear. Look for boots which have shock absorbency in the heels.

Although trainers may stick a little, many trainers have shock absorbency built in and for this reason I am recommending the use of trainers on these floors also.

However, if you do prefer a little slip to your sole to help you slide when needed, I recommend adding a shock absorbing insole to your boots. I have found the soft, fabric type ones/memory foam to be best for putting into boots. I have bought the more expensive sort but cannot comment as I cannot get them into my boots to try them as they don’t bend enough to pass the ankle.

I have found much benefit to using insoles with boots as there is no shock absorption in the soles.

So please note the following:

·      Supportive footwear. Quality is important, choose carefully; look for support and shock absorbency.

·      Listen to our body - pay attention to any aches and pains and don't push through them.