Running
Starting
A neutral daily trainer fitted in a store or by size chart; two or three pairs of synthetic or merino running socks (no cotton); a phone app for time and distance. Skip the watch for now.
A free buying guide, sport by sport
The Counter
What to buy for your sport, at the level you play
The advice a good sports shop gives across the counter, written down: what you need when you start, what to add once you play every week, and what earns its price when you get serious.
Three levels, one honest question
Every sport on The Counter is split the same way. Pick the level that matches how you play this season, not the one you hope to reach by next year.
Starting
Your first season, or your first in a while. The few things you really need, what to borrow or buy used, and how each should fit. Most of the money saved here is on things you can skip.
Regular
You play most weeks and know what you like. What is worth upgrading first, what to add, and where the mid-range does the job as well as the flagship.
Serious
You race, compete or train to a plan. Where the top of the range earns its price, when a proper fitting pays off, and what is worth keeping a spare of.
Pick your sport
Each sport gets its own list at each level, with fit notes, what lasts and what to skip. Every pick links a retailer, so you can check today’s price and buy where you like.
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Running
Most new runners need one good pair of shoes and the right socks, and nothing else for the first few months.
Running
Regular
A second pair to rotate (a lighter tempo shoe or a different daily trainer); a GPS running watch; a wind or rain shell; a light or reflective vest for runs in the dark.
Running
Serious
A race-day plated shoe kept for races and key sessions; a trail shoe if you run off-road; a hydration vest or belt for long runs; a chest-strap heart-rate monitor if you train by heart rate.
- How it should fit
- About a thumb’s width between the longest toe and the end of the shoe, a heel that does not lift, room to spread the toes; try shoes on later in the day, with your running socks.
- What lasts
- Most makers suggest replacing shoes at around 300 to 500 miles; a flattened midsole or worn outsole says it sooner.
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Racket sports
The most common mistake at the tennis counter is a racket that is too heavy and too small for the player holding it.
Racket sports
Starting
Tennis: a light, forgiving racket of about 100 to 110 sq in with a soft multifilament or synthetic gut string. Pickleball: a midweight paddle with a polymer honeycomb core. Padel: a round racket with a soft foam core. Court shoes for your surface, not running shoes.
Racket sports
Regular
Tennis: a racket demoed before you buy, usually about 98 to 105 sq in, most often 100, and restringing on a schedule. Pickleball: a paddle chosen for control or power, demoed where possible. Padel: a teardrop-shaped racket. Overgrips and a bag.
Racket sports
Serious
Tennis: a second identical racket strung the same, and strings chosen for your game and kind to your arm. Pickleball: a paddle on USA Pickleball’s approved list for sanctioned events. Padel: a diamond racket only if your game is built on power. Eye protection.
- How it should fit
- Tennis grip size runs from the palm crease to the tip of the ring finger; between two sizes, take the smaller and build it up with an overgrip. A paddle that tires the arm by the third game is too heavy.
- What lasts
- Strings lose tension before they break; a frame lasts years if it is not dropped or left in a hot car. Paddle faces lose grip and cores can go dead with heavy play.
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Team sports
Soccer needs very little gear, which makes the little it needs matter. Baseball and softball gear starts with the rules: a bat without the right stamp cannot be used, however good it is.
Team sports
Starting
Soccer: molded cleats for the ground you play on, shin guards sized by height and a ball in your league’s size. Baseball and softball: a glove sized for age and position, a bat with the stamp your league requires, a helmet that meets its standard and cleats.
Team sports
Regular
Soccer: a second pair for the other surface you play on, goalkeeper gloves if you play in goal and a ball for practice at home. Baseball and softball: a glove broken in and cared for, batting gloves, a bat bag and a bat chosen after swinging a few.
Team sports
Serious
Soccer: soft-ground cleats for wet grass if your league allows them, and an upper chosen for touch. Baseball and softball: a glove or mitt for your position, a bat in alloy or composite chosen for your swing and your league’s rules, and catcher’s gear sized properly.
- How it should fit
- Cleats sit closer than running shoes, with a little room at the toe; shin guards cover from just above the ankle to below the knee. A bat you can hold straight out to the side for half a minute is not too heavy.
- What lasts
- Cleats last longer worn only on the surface they were made for and dried away from heat; leather gloves last for years with conditioner and dry storage.
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Golf
Golf is where the gap between the player and the box is widest.
Golf
Starting
A half set or a complete starter set (a driver or fairway wood, a hybrid, a few cavity-back irons, a wedge and a putter); used or practice balls; a light stand bag; a glove.
Golf
Regular
A fitting for lie angle, shaft flex and length; hybrids in place of long irons; a ball matched to your swing speed; a rangefinder or GPS device; golf shoes.
Golf
Serious
A full fitting from driver to wedges; wedges chosen for loft gaps and bounce; a launch monitor or net for practice at home. The Rules of Golf allow 14 clubs in the bag.
- How it should fit
- Shaft flex follows swing speed, not ambition; a forgiving cavity-back iron suits most amateur golfers for longer than they expect.
- What lasts
- Irons last many seasons; grips wear out much sooner, and regripping is cheaper than new clubs.
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Cycling
What a commuter needs is not what a racer needs, and the bike is only half the bill.
Cycling
Starting
A hybrid or comfortable road or gravel bike in the right frame size, new or used and checked by a mechanic; a helmet carrying the CPSC label (required for bike helmets sold in the US); front and rear lights; a good lock; a floor pump.
Cycling
Regular
Padded shorts; flat pedals with grippy shoes, or clipless pedals and shoes; a saddle that suits your sit bones; a bike computer or phone mount; a basic tool and spare-tube kit.
Cycling
Serious
A professional bike fit; a road or gravel bike chosen for its gearing and tire clearance; an indoor smart trainer; a power meter if you train by power.
- How it should fit
- Standover clearance, a comfortable reach to the bars and a slight bend in the knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke; frame sizes vary by maker, so check each size chart.
- What lasts
- A clean, lubricated chain lasts much longer; replace a helmet after any crash, even when it looks fine.
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Home gym
A home gym is sized by the room, not the catalog.
Home gym
Starting
A pair of adjustable dumbbells or one or two kettlebells; a set of resistance bands; an exercise mat; training shoes with a flat, stable sole.
Home gym
Regular
An adjustable bench; a doorway or wall-mounted pull-up bar; heavier dumbbells or a second kettlebell; rubber floor tiles under the weights.
Home gym
Serious
A power rack or squat stand with safety arms; an Olympic barbell and bumper plates; a rack’s rated capacity checked against what you lift; a cardio machine only if you will use it more than a clothes rail.
- How it should fit
- Measure the ceiling height (overhead presses and pull-ups need room), the floor (concrete or joists) and the doorways before buying anything large.
- What lasts
- Plain iron and steel last decades, which is why second-hand dumbbells, plates and racks are often the best buy; check welds and bolts before buying used.
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Kids’ gear
Parents buy more sports gear than anyone, and most of it is outgrown by spring.
Kids’ gear
Starting
The league or club’s equipment list first; anything borrowable borrowed, or bought used through a swap; only the protective gear the sport requires, fitted now; shoes or cleats with a little room at the toe.
Kids’ gear
Regular
Their own glove, cleats or racket in the right youth size (junior rackets by length, bats by height and weight, sticks by height); a bag they can carry themselves; a spare pair of socks for every bag.
Kids’ gear
Serious
For travel and club teams: gear that meets the league’s rules exactly (bat stamps, helmet standards); a fitting for skates or cleats at each growth spurt; no adult-level gear until the player has outgrown the youth range.
- How it should fit
- Clothes and some shoes can take growth room; helmets, pads, shin guards and mouthguards cannot, because they only protect when they fit.
- What lasts
- Young players outgrow gear before they wear it out, so used, swapped and handed-down gear is often the best buy; check helmets for age, cracks and recalls before passing them on.
How it works
The Counter is our buying guide, one sport at a time. Each sport has three short lists, for starting, regular and serious players: what you need, what you can skip, how each piece should fit and what tends to last. The picks we would hand you across the counter are on the Gear page, each with a link to a retailer, and the guides on the blog go deeper on any one of them. We earn a commission when you buy through those links; the price you pay is the same.
Questions people ask at the counter
Is The Counter free?
Yes. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to pay. Read it, take the list to any store, or buy through our links.
How does Fordham Sports make money?
Through affiliate links, and through ads on the site. When you buy something through a link on The Counter or in our guides, the retailer may pay us a commission; the price you pay is the same. A commission never decides a pick: we would rather send you to the cheaper pair that fits. Sponsored articles, when we run them, are labeled as sponsored.
Do you sell anything yourselves?
No. Fordham Sports is a publication, not a store: no shop, no stock and nothing to ship. The retailer you buy from handles the price, delivery and returns.
Why are there no prices on The Counter?
Gear prices change by the week and by the retailer, so we link you to the current one rather than print one that is out of date. Where it matters, we say whether a pick is a budget, mid-range or top-of-the-range buy.
How do I know which level I am?
Go by how you play now. New, or coming back after years away: Starting. Playing most weeks and you have worn out at least one piece of gear: Regular. Racing, competing or training to a plan: Serious. When in doubt, pick the lower level; you can upgrade once you know what you want more of.
Have you tested everything you recommend?
No, and we will not pretend to. Picks are chosen from makers’ specifications, fitting guides, league and governing-body rules and, where our writers have it, their own use; each guide says which. We do not run a test lab or give lab scores.
Should I buy kids’ gear a size up?
Clothes, and some shoes, can take a little growth room. Helmets, pads and other protective gear cannot: they only protect when they fit now. Each sport’s list for kids says which is which.
Are you connected to Fordham University?
No. Fordham Sports is an independent gear publication with no connection to Fordham University or its athletics teams, and no brand, league or retailer we cover endorses us.
From the counter
Start with the gear we would hand you
Our picks for every sport and level in one place, each linking a retailer. Read the fit notes first, then check the price.
See the gear