Get to know your arches: Do the Wet Test

While knowing your pronation pattern is the key to choosing your running shoes, you can’t evaluate it without specialized equipment or appropriate training. However, it is useful to determine what kind of arches you have as this has a direct relationship on how you run and can be a good starting point on figuring out what shoes you require.

Arch Types

There are three types of arch height. People with a flat foot, or very low arches, tend to overpronate. Conversely people with high arches are more likely to underpronate. If you have normal arches will usually have a normal pronation pattern. The Wet Test is a simple way you have figure what type of arch you have.

The Wet Test

1. Fill a basin of water and place a piece of paper beside it. A dark colored paper works best.
2. Stand into the basin and then step out onto the dry paper.
3. They step off the paper, and have a look at the prints left behind

Understand the prints:

If a print showing almost you foot is left behind, with hardly any curving inwards where you arch is, then you have very low arches or flat feet.

On the other hand, there is a very big curve between the ball of your foot and you heel then you have a high arched foot.

If you foot is somewhere between the two descriptions above, then you have a normal arch: there is slight curve inward but not too much.

See an expert

The wet test is a fun test to do to gain a basic idea of what kind of shoes you might need. However it not a basis on which to purchase shoes. It is still possible that while you have normal arches but still overpronate. We advise that when you’re buying new shoes (especially if you are changing models or brands) that you visit a store where staff can perform a gait analysis and use that to make a sound recommendation for your new running shoes.