Patellar tendinopathy (PT) is a degenerative condition that is most detrimental to volleyball players at all levels. It is an injury brought on and exacerbated by overuse, which can persist and cause debilitating pain, leading to over half a year of absence or premature retirement from athletics. One crucial external factor to consider is mechanical loading on the patellar tendon during activity, but there is a current lack of research on prevention compared to healing mechanics. Furthermore, although specialized footwear can alleviate tendon strain and, subsequently, decrease injury risk, there is little to no independent testing on the products of popular brands, namely Mizuno, ASICS, and Nike. This project is a two-fold theoretical approach to an unbiased experimental and clinical study on how specialized footwear can decrease PT risk in high school volleyball players. Aim 1 tests the effect of volleyball shoes on reducing tendon strain during activity through a combination of compressive load tests on the shoe material and calculating tendon strain of subjects through ground reaction force (GRF) measurements obtained by force plates and real-time MRI. Aim 2 examines injury rates by looking at injury characteristics determined by physical examinations for tendon pain and stiffness, and by ultrasound for increased tendon thickness and neovascularization. Due to the composition of ASICS shoes—foam cushioning plus gel shock absorbers—the hypothesis is that the ASICS experimental group will result in the lowest GRF, tendon strain, and injury rates. Overall, the elucidation of external factors that can ameliorate PT can further be extrapolated to present an ubiquitous method of decreasing patellar tendon injury risk.