H
aving the proper
shoes for pickleball
doesn’t rate very high
with most players.
Ben Simons, Senior
Business Manager of
Pickleball for HEAD,
has worked trade booths at many events
around the country, fitting players with
shoes, and he can sum up his observations
in one sentence: “Players change a paddle
out every six months, but don’t think about
their shoes until they’re totally worn out.”
Why footwear is an afterthought for most
people isn’t hard to figure out. Shoes are
something we wear every day and there’s
a “frog in the kettle” aspect to shoes—as
they break down, we tend not to notice until
they fall apart.
But there’s a lot of science that goes into
making shoes for a specific application,
and shoes that are good for hiking or biking
aren’t going to give you an advantage on
the pickleball court.
“What you need is a court shoe with good
lateral support,” explains Simons. “Stay
away from running shoes, walking shoes
or cross trainers. None of these shoes are
really built to go side to side and, unless
you have really strong ankles, you’re taking
a chance that you might roll your ankle due
to a lack of lateral support in the shoe.”
Another part of that support includes
having a solid upper. Uppers are everything
on the shoe that’s not sole or mid-sole and
they should be stiff for pickleball players.
Again, the stiffer the upper, the less chance
your foot has of slipping around inside the
shoe and the greater your stability.
“People may like mesh or soft uppers
because they’re more comfortable, but
your foot can get out over the sole causing
you to roll your ankle,” adds Simons.
Players should look for a flat sole
or good herringbone-type tread. While
deep grooves or knobby soles may look
impressive, Simons explains that the
goal is to have great traction but shoes
that don't grab the court. “You don’t
want anything that can catch on this
hard, outdoor surface and put you on the
ground,” he says. “You want flat traction.
When you plant, you want to make sure
the shoe doesn’t grab and flip you. This
is why you’ll see pros glide and slide on
hard courts.”
Other considerations for footwear
include lacing and cushioning.
Lacing is a personal preference,
according to Simons, and lots of people
have different ways of lacing up their
shoes that suits them best.
“There are many techniques for lacing
up your shoes and that’s mostly about
fit and what feels good to you,” he says.
“Your foot will swell as you play and you
can loosen them up. There’s also an extra
eyelet on top that you can use if you feel
a little bit of heel slippage. Those eyelets
will hold the shoe a little tighter, but it’s a
preference.”
Cushioning, on the other hand, is
where a lot of players don’t know when to
throw in the towel. By design, cushioning
compresses to lessen the shock of
movement. That shock absorption
lessens over time as the cushioning loses
its resiliency.
Simons explains that if people pay
attention, they will feel the difference.
“When your cushioning breaks all the
way down, you’ll feel it. You’ll come
down hard and it feels like there’s more
shock going through the shoe,” he says.
“When you feel that, it’s definitely time to
replace the shoe.”
Simons notes that there are more visible
indicators as to when you need to visit the
shoe store. “Most people use their shoes
way too long. They’ll have ripped out sides
or the soles are completely smooth,” he
says. “This is when it’s important to replace
them. When you’re playing five or six times
a week, you’re going to wear them out
faster, and when the tread gets smooth at
all—as soon as it starts to slide—one slip
can result in a major injury. And if your
foot gets injured, you’re out of the game
until it heals.
“When we put customers in a good
court shoe, they come back and thank us.
They don’t realize how bad their footwear
is until they have a new pair that’s well-
fitted and supporting them properly.” •
Players
change a
paddle out
every six
months,
but don’t
think
about their
shoes until
they’re
totally
worn out.”
MAY/JUNE 2019 |
MAGAZINE
57