How to Choose the right pickle-ball shoes

Why do you need pickle-ball shoes

Investing in a pair of proper pickle-ball shoes is crucial if you’re serious about improving your pickle-ball game and protecting yourself from injury. Many beginners and casual players may wear regular running shoes will be just fine, but what they don't realize is running shoes are not made for quick lateral movements. With such a fast-paced game like pickle-ball, it is important to have good ankle stability and a well-fit shoe for the comfort of your game. Let's dive into some differences between regular tennis shoes vs pickle-ball shoes.

Main differance

The main differences between tennis shoes and pickle-ball shoes come down to the specific demands of each sport. Especially when it comes down to agility and the game pace, surface type, and shoe design. Here are some big differences.

Weight

Pickle-ball shoes compared to tennis shoes are much lighter, for a faster-paced game it is important to keep your feet light and dry. Because of the fast pivoting and change of direction, these shoes are made to keep as little weight as possible. This allows you to pick up your feet faster removing any kind of dragging on the court.

Lateral movement support

Tennis requires a lot of front-to-back as well as side-to-side movement, which is why the shoes are meant to provide overall robust lateral support. This makes the shoe heavier which we have mentioned before but also much bulkier. Pickle-ball shoes are precisely made for side-to-side movement. Because the courts are much smaller than tennis you do not need to do a lot of front-to-back running. The engineers of these shoes have mainly focused and ankle stability allowing you to go above and beyond when it comes to quick pivoting and fast change of direction.

Sole thickness

Like previously said tennis shoes are much heavier which is also a direct relation to the thickness of the sole. In tennis, especially on a hard court, it is important to have a good thick sole that will minimize any kind of excessive stress on your joints, however in a pickle-ball we can get away with such thick soles. Because the courts are smaller it involves less running and having extremely thick soles is not necessary. But even though the thickness of the sole is smaller it doesn't mean the durability is any different. Pickle-ball shoes soles are very durable to withstand the large volume and pressure players put the shoes through.

Are pickle-ball shoes really worth it?

Considering how quickly the sport is growing these days, and how important it is to stay injury-free when it comes to any kind of sport, we say YES! When looking at the professional field you will never see someone play pickle-ball in tennis shoes, it simply will not happen because players who want to maximize their output and dominate in the game know that the difference between regular tennis shoes and pickle-ball shoes is huge. At a pro level, the smallest changes can turn the tide in battle, and in this case good supporting shoes have a huge impact on how you feel and how you play

If you want to improve your pickle-ball game, check out these shoes! #ad