Describe the forces before choosing a bearing family
A shaft can impose radial and axial forces on its supports at the same time.
Calling a bearing “radial” or “thrust” identifies an important design purpose, but does not replace the manufacturer's load-direction and capacity information. Some radial bearing types also accommodate axial loads, while a thrust bearing may not provide the required radial support. Draw the shaft axis, mark each external force and identify the required axial restraint directions. This makes the design question explicit before a catalog type is selected. The bearing name alone cannot establish the reactions at the supports or show that all load directions have an adequate load path.