After our article on Court Shoes, we were asked for more detail. If you play 2 or 3 times per week, your shoes should be replaced approximately every 6 months. Not only do they lose tread, but they also lose cushioning. There are a few important things to understand about Court Shoes:
- Court shoes are made to give you the support, the cushioning and traction needed on a pickleball/tennis court.
- Court sports require quick starts and stops as well running around. In addition, Pickleball requires a lot of lateral movement, and these are made to provide you with the support and cushioning that you need in these situations. They have rounded edges to minimize flipping over that can turn one’s ankles.
- Walking or running shoes are designed to prevent lateral motion, which is fundamental to pickleball. This is one of the top two reasons people fall and/or are injured (the other is running backwards – to paraphrase Nike – “Just don’t do it!”).
- Non-court shoes may leave marks on the court, and if there is any dew or rain, these become very slippery, leading to potentially serious injury to others.
We were asked to show some images of differences:
