For a long time, court shoes lagged behind running in
developing proper footwear, but due to the input of
sports podiatrists and other physicians, court shoes are
high-tech equipment designed for fit, comfort, durability,
and stability.
So when do we replace our shoes, and how should we go
about buying proper pickleball shoes?
A shoe is worn way before you see holes in the sole. The
modern athletic shoe is engineered primarily around an EVA,
or polyurethane mid-sole material. This is the material that will
wear out first in all current court shoes.
The outer sole material is made of hard carbon fiber, which
can be very abrasion resistant. The mid-sole material is a
compressible, shock-absorbing, protecting device, which after
a certain amount of compression will not rebound. When this
material loses its rebounding protection, it then becomes less
shock absorbing and, even worse, can create an alignment
change of the foot, due to the compression of the EVA with
repetition of foot plant.
In runners, 300-500 miles is the limit and in court players
this can translate to 45-60 hours of court time, depending on
the surface players play on.
So replacing your shoe is good preventive medicine and if you
find a model you like, buy a second pair and rotate usages.
The ideal time to shop for shoes is after you have played or in
the af