Keep seeing ads for pickleball-specific shoes and wondering if this is actual innovation or just marketing. I have a decent pair of tennis shoes that seem fine for pickleball. Is there really a difference? My feet dont hurt or anything but maybe im missing something?
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Tennis shoes are totally fine for pickleball. The lateral support is similar since both sports have side-to-side movement. Pickleball-specific shoes are mostly marketing IMO. The key is having proper court shoes (flat, non-marking soles) rather than running shoes which are designed for forward motion only.
ok thats what i figured. thanks for confirming
I thought running shoes were fine until I rolled my ankle going for a wide ball. Now I preach court shoes to everyone. The lateral support is no joke, especially on hard courts. Learn from my mistake.
ouch sorry to hear that. im definitely not using running shoes at least
The real question is court vs non-court shoes, not pickleball-specific vs tennis. Any good court shoe (volleyball, tennis, squash, indoor soccer) will work. Pickleball shoes are just tennis shoes with different branding and sometimes a higher price tag.
If youre playing multiple times a week, invest in good court shoes regardless of brand. Cheap shoes wear out fast and can cause knee and hip problems over time. I spend about $80-100 on shoes and replace them every 6-8 months. Worth it for my joints.
Also depends on your court surface. Indoor gym floors need different traction than outdoor concrete or sport court. Some shoes grip too much on certain surfaces and can actually cause more injuries. Try a few options if you play on different surfaces.