Do you really need to have special shoes to play pickleball? I mean wouldn't just a plain
old running shoe do? You're gonna want to know this answer. Stay Tuned.
Hey everybody its CJ Johnson today we're going to talk about court
shoes and why they are important to your pickleball game. You want to make
sure that you stay tuned to the very end of this video because I am going to give
you some resources that will help you to pick the best court shoes for you. In the
meantime if you're new to the channel welcome glad you're here. If you haven't
already done so if you do me a little favor and go ahead and hit the subscribe
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Let's take a look at the design of three different shoes so you can better
understand why you really do want a court shoe.
There are a couple of differences that make the court shoes well worth the extra fifty to a hundred
dollar investment. They're going to help to protect you while you're playing
pickleball and they might even help you play just a little bit better.
I've got three different pairs of shoes here and they all happen to be Asics because
that's what fit my feet the best. The first two are both court shoes and the
one on the end here is an old retired pair of running shoes. Now the outdoor
court shoe and the volleyball shoe they're designed for the side-to-side
motion that we got when we play pickleball. The running shoe is designed
for a forward motion as well as to cushion the foot from impact.
The upper of the court shoe is designed to keep the foot on the foot bed during quick
stops and starts and lateral movements.
So let's compare the running shoe and the court shoe to see what makes them different in the upper.
When I look at a court shoe typically what you find is you're going to find the upper on the
court shoe is thicker and it's heavier. It's reinforced to protect the foot and
the ankle from the side-to-side motion. You're gonna see that both on the
outside of the shoe as well as on the inside of the court shoe.
When you look at a running shoe one of the major noticeable differences that you'll see
here is you're gonna see a lot more mesh. It's not reinforced same thing on the
inside of the shoe more mesh not reinforced. The other thing
that you really can't tell that I can tell here is the running shoe is a lot
lighter the court shoe is a lot heavier and it's specifically because of that
upper. In addition to being a little thicker and firmer the other thing that
happens in court shoes is they tend to be just a little bit higher cut than a
running shoe. That helps to protect the ankle from rolling when we move to the side.
What I want you to look at now is the height difference between the two shoes.
If you look at the total height of the shoes they really don't appear to be that different.
But if you look at the difference between the sole of the shoe and the upper.
The court shoe is actually about an inch and a quarter whereas the running shoe is 2 inches.
Typically that's because mid soles on running shoes are much thicker because
the foot needs to be protected from the impact caused during running. Court shoes
have a thinner in midsole so that the ankle and the foot are protected from
ankle roll as we move side-to-side.
Another major difference you'll see is the tread on the bottom of the shoes.
The circular pattern on this shos is designed to help us to move point to point
and protect our feet and ankles as we move laterally.
On the running shoes you'll notice that it has
a much deeper tread. That's to help us to grip the surface as well is to cushion
the foot during the running motion.
The last big question is are you playing
indoors or outdoors? Court shoes like a volleyball shoes a basketball shoe, squash,
racquetball shoes those are all designed to be used on a hardwood floor and
that's what this shoe is. It has the traction to move on that hardwood .
Where as an outdoor court you like this particular tennis shoe is designed to be
used on an asphalt or a rougher surface. You'll want two different shoes because
if you take the indoor shoe and use it outside on that hard asphalt surface
it's not going to last as long. Conversely if you take the outdoor shoe
and bring it inside to the hardwood courts you might have a problem with traction.
My last tip is a money saving tip. When you find a pair of shoes that fit
purchase two of them and then wear them only at the courts. If you wear
another shoe to and from your gonna save that tread and that shoe is going to last a
whole lot longer.
At the beginning of the video I promised you a freebie if you
stuck around to the end what you want to do is you want to click up on this link
above it's gonna take you to a resource that will help you to pick the best
pickleball shoes for you.
If you got value from this video if you want mind
giving a little like maybe make a comment down below tell me what are your
favorite court shoes and why. Share it with your pickleball playing friends
because you want them to stay healthy too don't you? Because together we can
Train Smart, Live Bold and Age Well