Popular sporting trends: Support sports leggings, baseball-style shoes

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The week's top five most popular sporting trends on April 13 as selected by Trendhunter.com include sports leggings that support knee joints during rehabilitation and a new line of baseball-branded shoes from a manufacturer better known for board sports.

1) Stylish jogging braces
The Opedix Knee Support System claims the backup of clinical trials in reducing wear and tear on knee joints using a design that integrates the benefits of a knee brace into breathable running tights. The Steadman Philippon Research Institute, home of world famous sports injury knee specialist Dr Richard Steadman, has lent its stamp to the product with an accompanying approval from the Institute's Dr Michael Torry.

2) 'Batter up' kicks
Skate, surf, and snowboarding shoe manufacturer Vans teamed up with the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team to produce a unique mid-rise baseball style sneaker, with both the Vans and LA Dodgers logos on prominent display.

3) Football fighting brides
Twenty-one-year old model Suzanne Diaz posing in immaculate dresses, fending off the attentions of grubby male accomplices clad as American Football players in this fashion shoot by photographer Matt Jones for the April 2010 Italian edition of Elle magazine.

4) Golden Gate City kicks
Vans's line of Major League Baseball-themed footwear catches the eye of Trendhunters once again with these Vans Vault Era LX's, part of the Vans x MLB Collection, colored to match the brown and orange of the San Francisco Giants.

5) Soaring soccertography
A preview of photographer Tim Tadder's shoot for the Corbis photo agency. The Tadder hallmarks are there - stark contrast between light and dark, freeze-frame action, bold coloring and extensive post-processing.