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Are tennis shoes and badminton shoes the same? Are they interchangeable? Can tennis shoes be used for badminton? Keep reading to figure out the final answer!
Some people want to experience participating in sports with different types of shoes. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced player, if you consider a sport as a hobby, you may figure out that a good pair of shoes means more than you think.
Tennis shoes, as well as other sports shoes today, have gone through incremental improvement in terms of designs and features. As a result, they can perfectly provide you with the greatest performance. It is also worth noting that different sporting shoes demand different activities, so they are not always interchangeable in all circumstances.
If questions like “Can you play badminton with tennis shoes?” or “Can tennis shoes be used for badminton?” are still popping up in your mind, read till the end of our post to find out the answers.
Contents
Can Tennis Shoes Be Used For Badminton?
Tennis shoes can be used in playing badminton. However, this is not recommended. Some of them are manufactured for various sorts of courts, namely grass, clay, and so on, while others are made for a single court surface like grass.
Indoor tennis, although quite similar to badminton in many ways, requires special shoes. Some tennis shoes are not meant to be non-marking; thus, they would be prohibited indoors as well. They also feature a lot more cushioning in the heel, making them tough to use for badminton.
Tennis shoes used for playing badminton need to be sturdy because they wear out significantly faster. The reason behind this is that, unlike badminton, tennis involves a lot of running and sprinting activities. In contrast, the outsole of badminton shoes is thin and delicate, so it is not a good choice for strenuous activities in tennis.
Read more “Sports Knowledge: Can You Play Badminton On A Tennis Court?“
Why Can’t You Wear Tennis Shoes For Badminton?
If you are wondering: “Can I wear tennis shoes for badminton?”, the first thing you need to keep in mind is that tennis requires a lot of agility and changing direction of movement, especially while sprinting or jogging.
With substantial padding, elevated heels, and a slight protrusion on the outside edge of the shoe to avoid ankle sprains, the shoes used in this sport are intended for great impact absorption, rapid and steady change of direction.
Because you do not have to race around with inertia in badminton, there is not much sprinting or high-impact stops and turns. Instead, powerful leaps, abrupt lunges, and long stretches are used. The shoes have a low heel and less cushioning to decrease your center of gravity and prevent you from rolling your ankle and spraining it. The soles are designed for badminton courts made of wood or taraflex.
Read more “What To Wear For Badminton – A Complete Guideline“
In addition, lots of tennis participants play on many court surfaces such as grass, clay, hard, carpet, and others. Some tennis shoe manufacturers made products for use on specific surfaces. However, unless you are playing outside, badminton is generally played on wood or taraflex. The shoe’s grip is composed of non-marking rubber.
Shoes used in tennis and badminton have extremely distinct grip patterns. Tennis shoes feature a wider range of grip patterns than other shoes. They have the herringbone tread pattern that is beneficial to the prevention of clay from being stuck. It also permits controlled sliding while maintaining grip.
However, badminton shoes require you to move in all directions, so the grip patterns are radial. They have a strong grip in any direction when friction is applied.
What Do You Need From Badminton Shoes?
Sizing
When buying shoes, size is one of the vital factors that you should consider, especially when buying badminton shoes. Take the breadth of the shoes into consideration first. In many sports, you move most of the time diagonally, but in badminton, you go right or left with only a few moves ahead.
The width you pick is also influenced by your foot shape. There are shoes suitable for those who have wide feet. If you have medium or narrow feet, you can still find designs that work for your size. Make sure to double-check with the supplier.
Shoe Weight
When performing sports, it is usually preferable to use lightweight shoes to maximize your effectiveness. The finest badminton shoes feature fabric or mesh uppers and gum rubber bottoms, but you should make sure that the shoes you choose are comfortable.
Tennis shoes might meet the criterion due to their lightness, but their soles are kinda hefty and rigid. If you play on the cement floor, they are likely to damage the floor.
Read more “Are Badminton And Tennis The Same? Time To Clear Your Mind“
Cushioning
Since badminton requires you to move fast in diverse directions, a shoe with adequate cushioning will help absorb the impact. Shoes include a particularly built cushion that does a better job, and you definitely can modify it in various ways to find the most comfortable position for you.
Sole
The type of shoes you wear will be determined by the court you play on. There are PU, wood courts, or cement floors. If you are going to play on PU or wood floors, you will need shoes with rubber or gum bottoms, which will provide lots of grip and traction. If you can not locate badminton shoes, volleyball shoes are the closest thing that fits the bill.
Flexibility
You should look at 2 types of flexibility: vertical flexibility and twisting flexibility. As the ankle must adjust to continuous changes in direction as you go about the court, you must leave it loose. Shoes that allow for flexible ankle mobility are preferable because they allow the ankle to move freely, and the athlete can move more freely as a result.
In Sum
Can tennis shoes be used for badminton? The shoes used in a sport are just as essential as the playing technique since they have an impact on your efficiency. As a result of these variables, tennis shoes are not always the ideal choice for badminton.
If you can not find a pair of badminton shoes, the more suitable shoes are either volleyball or squash shoes, which provide extra support for your ankle and avoid sprains when you move around. We hope this article helped you ease your concern.
Read more “Are Badminton And Tennis Courts The Same? Useful Info You Need To Know“
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Hi there, my name is John Duong, and I'm a 10-year experienced badminton player. Badminton is my passion, and I've been playing the sport competitively since I was a teenager. Over the years, I've honed my skills, developed my technique, and gained valuable insights into the game.
