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Finding comfortable, foot-cradling golf shoes is a cinch these days, thanks to technological advances and intense competition among manufacturers to deliver the latest and greatest. But what about golfers with “problem feet” who are plagued by ailments like tendinitis, trauma or plantar fasciitis?

These unlucky souls must turn to orthopedic shoes, of which few are made specifically for golf, or to orthotic inserts placed inside the shoe. Both products are designed to correct improper foot positions while standing, walking or running by putting the foot in a “neutral” alignment with the leg when lifted off the ground.

Orthopedic shoes feature things like padded footbeds, extra-wide toe boxes and added arch support. Orthotic inserts can be bought over the counter based on shoe size, specially made to match a mold of your feet, or custom-built to your exact dimensions and needs based on a podiatrist’s prescription.

If you’re a golfer plagued by a foot condition, orthopedic shoes or orthotics are a necessity.

Golf may seem like a low-impact activity, but the swing’s twisting motion can put serious stress on muscles and connective tissues in the legs, back and abdomen. When the feet are out of balance, the golfer will often (unknowingly) overcompensate and overuse certain muscles, as well as tendons and ligaments.

Orthopedic shoes and orthotics eliminate imbalance so that weight is distributed evenly and body parts function together properly. Remedial footwear can also correct over-rotations in the rolling motions known as pronation (inward) and supination (outward), reducing the risk of injury.

Studies have proved that golfers benefit from such footwear. One survey found that wearing orthotics for a nine-hole round reduced fatigue; others have concluded that orthotics help improve shot accuracy through better balance.

One simple solution for golfers with problem feet is to transfer the orthotics from your regular shoes into your golf shoes when it’s time to tee it up. A better idea, though, is to have a pair of orthotics made specifically for golf. The unique motion of the golf swing is best supported with tools designed precisely for that purpose.

Dozens of companies make orthotics for various activities, including golf. A quick Internet search will turn up a wide selection.

Finding orthopedic golf shoes, on the other hand, is rather difficult. One prominent manufacturer, Bite, was purchased by Crocs and later dissolved. You can sometimes find a pair of Bites on closeout or through auction sites.

Finn Comfort, a well-known German brand, makes two lines of orthopedic golf shoes for men and women. Each pair is hand-made and retails for around $365. Otabo’s high-end custom golf shoes can be fitted with orthotics through the company’s “Orthopedia” program. The price tag: $400 and up.

Fortunately, you don’t have to spend that much. If you suffer from a foot-related malady, though, it’s essential to invest in special golf shoes or orthotics.

Your feet, and your scorecard, will thank you.

We offer a wide range of golf shoes on our site including all the top brands, so we can help people find the golf shoes they want and need. If you wish to, take a look at our golf shoes

It is interesting when showing students or customers a black plate and wing style buoyancy system. Some remarks are, “it looks too technical”, “that plate must be hard on the back”, “where are the pockets”, and the best of all, “it’s not colorful or pretty looking.”

New divers are first exposed to diving using a jacket style BCD (buoyancy control device) for their training and are not exposed to other styles or configurations. Two remarks stand out from these new divers. One is that the jacket floats up around their ears while on the surface. The other is that it twists on their bodies while diving.

Fair enough, my jacket-style BCD does the exact same thing, no matter how I adjust it. I have been diving since 1993 and have had more than one jacket BCD from various manufacturers over the years and I had to fight those same issues with each one. Don’t get me started on the impossibility of accessing the pockets at depth. It is nearly impossible in warm water and impossible in cold water with thick gloves on.

When it comes down to a “back plate & wing” system, it can be adjusted for any size of person, regardless of sex, weight, or height. This is also true for switching from a thin 3mm drysuit to a thick 7mm wetsuit or drysuit. The system is modular, meaning that you can change the size of the wing depending on where you are diving or what you are diving (single tanks or double tanks). The back plate can be either aluminum or a heavier stainless steel and your preference will depend on where you are diving. Weight systems can be moved for better trim in the water within minutes, no plastic quick releases to break when something heavy lands on your BCD. Also, you can add a thigh pocket for your SMB (surface marker buoy), finger reel, spare mask and other essential items for the dive, which makes it easy to access these items. The system also utilizes a crotch strap that holds the BCD down when floating at the surface or being inverted underwater looking for creatures under ledges. What? A crotch strap! Yes, and it is comfortable when adjusted correctly!

When the back plate and wing system is on the diver, it fits snugly. No loose gaps, no pressure around the stomach or chest areas as the air cell is on your back. Your arms move more freely by not having the bladder on the side of your body. It becomes a part of the diver. When you move, the unit moves with you. Your trim (horizontal position) is improved in the water as the air cell is on your back, causing less drag and you use less air.

Some remarks from divers who have tried the back plate and wing system were: “I have been fighting my trim for years, now after twenty minutes using a wing, I trimmed out perfectly!”, “it feels more secure and fits better than any female jacket BCD that I’ve had before”, “I don’t feel smothered when on the surface, nothing pushing against my chest,” and finally, “it feels like it’s a part of me.”

The price of a wing and back plate system including the harness and optional weight pouches is comparable to the price of a traditional BCD. Because the wing and back plate system is modular, it is more economical in the long run because the type of wing, back plate, and weight pouches can be easily changed to suit the diver’s needs. I used to have two BCD’s, one for tropical diving in a thin wetsuit and another one for diving in my 7mm drysuit. Not anymore!

If you are interested in seeing a back plate and wing system, please check out our website or stop by the store. Pool sessions are available to try one out and see for yourself how comfortable they really are.

Real Action Paintball has brought the same technology that made their.68 caliber paintball work so well and introduced the AG1 formula to the .43 caliber AG1 formula paintball. As with all AG1 paintballs, this .43 caliber’s casing and paint is 100% biodegradable and non-toxic. The AG1 paintball has taken great leaps and bounds in helping to standardize the reliability, functionality and size of the modern paintball.

The .43 caliber AG1 formula paintball will yield peak performance using the RAP4, RAP5, RAP 17, RAP47 and T16 model markers. However, these paintballs will work great in any .43 caliber paintball marker. They can also be used an ammunition source for the Rocket Propelled Grenade Paintball Launcher and other battlefield simulation devices.

The RAP4, RAP5, and RAP47 will require shell casings to use the .43 caliber AG1 formula paintballs. These shell casings come available in two forms. One is a completely biodegradable, plastic version that is a little cheaper than its counterpart. An alloy version of the shell casing, which can be collected as they are discharged with a netting attachment for your paintball marker, is also available. Players using the RAP17 and T16 model markers do not require these shell casings for their paintballs. The .43 caliber AG1 formula paintball simply slides into the clip of these paintball markers.

Like its predecessor, the .43 caliber AG1 paintball suffers from very few “chamber breaks”, while retaining its 99% chance of breaking on impact and not just bouncing off. They have been designed to fly farther and are more accurate than traditional paintballs. Proudly made in the United States, these are by far the finest quality .43 caliber paintballs on the market today. Please remember to always wear the appropriate protective safety gear when firing your .43 caliber AG1 formula paintballs from your marker. Serious harm or injury may occur when mishandling any paintball or tactical training product.

Aiming can be a tricky thing. You’ve got to remember to do it (we’ve all forgotten to aim on shots, right?), but you don’t want to be aiming for too long. This article sets out a few solutions for those having problems.

Not aiming at all

This is where an archer releases almost as soon as reaching full draw, and often gets called ‘target panic,’ or for recurve archers ‘gold rush’. This, unfortunately, affects most archers to some degree at some point, and is very frustrating. It also illustrates how large a role our subconscious mind has to play in a shot, as opposed to the rational, computing way we think we go about shooting.

While there are no hard and fast solutions for target panic, the following are a few pointers that I personally have found helpful.

• Forget scoring for a while; focus solely on correcting your technique.
• Move closer to the target – a lot closer if necessary. When shooting close to the target it becomes far easier to feel the shot because we focus more on what our bodies are doing – at long distance focus shifts to conscious aiming. Take some time out of your regular rounds to shoot up close to the target, not more than ten metres or so, and shoot with your eyes closed. Forget completely about where you are aiming and where your arrows are going, and focus only on your technique. Hopefully, you will find this strangely liberating, and you may be surprised by how your arrows group on the target. This is your subconscious aiming at work – your brain still aims even when your eyes are closed!
• Count to three at full draw. Very simple, but harder than you might think if you’re used to shooting very quickly.

Aiming too much

Aiming too much can actually paralyse your shot, leading you to over-analyse what you are doing. Remember, shooting should be a drawn out movement where you effectively aren’t still at any point – even at full draw you need to be maintaining back-tension. And unless this has become second nature to you, this is what you need to be focusing on. Over-aiming often leads to problems with your release, forward loosing and fatigue.

If this happens to you, again a possible answer is to move up-close to the target, and shoot with your eyes closed. It will force you to focus on your technique rather than worrying too much about where your arrows are going, and this is the mindset you need to then take back to your regular rounds.