I have one simple rule when it comes to shoes for athletic training and performance: Less is more.

I’m going to get a flood of e-mails about this, but ever since Nike first made a shoe with a waffle iron, we consumers have been conditioned to salivate over every new high-tech shoe innovation that manufacturers are too happy to sell us. I’m here to tell you, there’s no such thing as shoe support and too much cushion can be a bad thing.

First, let’s not confuse “comfort” with “support.” One is “feeling-driven”; the other is “mechanically-driven” and in fact the two are inversely related. The more the cushion the less the support and as a result, there’s a direct relationship between the price of the shoes and the risk of injury. The higher the price, the higher the risk. Today’s athletic shoes have absolutely no support when it comes to preventing ankle and foot injuries.

The foot and the skeletal structure above it do not like soft, squishy shocks, gel or air. All the foot wants to do is feel the earth, quickly respond to it and start the kinetic chain of events we call “movement.”

At the center of that movement is the ankle, and when you realize that up to nine times our body weight goes through the ankle joint during a sprain, a little bit of leather and a couple of laces just won’t hold that back. Worse, when the skin around the ankle feels pressure from the shoe, it will sense it’s being supported so the ankle’s muscles and tendons won’t fire and respond appropriately, thereby increasing the chance of injury. To prevent injury, that ankle needs to move and not be tied down by braces, tape or high-top shoes.

So here’s my prescription: Spend as much time as possible barefoot and smarten up those tendons. Our feet go dead from being inside shoes all day. Get them out and let them feel solid ground. Walk around the office in your socks, encourage your kids to go barefoot around the house and let them play without shoes. In our facility we spend the first 30 minutes of each class barefoot. Second, train in shoes with a sole that’s low to the ground; four millimeters or less is ideal. During speed, agility, quickness, and weight training exercises these types of shoes are a must. Avoid running shoes or high tops when training. On a quick note: When rehabbing an ankle sprain, short-term bracing is beneficial with the goal being to get out of them as soon as possible. Remember: It’s an aid not a crutch.

Cost-wise, a top-end training shoe runs about $65-$85. On the low end a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor’s goes for $39. That’s better for your feet and much easier to swallow than the $169 pair of “elasto shox vibra shoes” your kids are hitting you up for. And parents … you’re welcome.

Patrick Gallagher is owner and principal trainer of Pure Athletics Human Performance Center in El Dorado Hills. Contact him via his Web site at www.Pureathletics.com.