Tennis Shoes

Do tennis shoes really matter?

Many people often ask the question, "Do tennis shoes really matter?" The answer is yes, they do.

Tennis is a game where the players do a lot of running and cutting with sudden stops. This puts heavy stress on your ankles and feet. This is also why tennis shoes are heavily cushioned for maximum shock absorption and comfort.

Many of you may think, "Running shoes are heavily cushioned too, shouldn't they be fine?" The reason running shoes aren't ideal for tennis and is in fact dangerous, is because of the design. Running shoes are designed to have high, soft heels to cushion the feet for forward motion. Tennis does involve forward running, but it also incorporates side stepping and cutting back and forth across the court. Because of this, running shoes aren't recommended as replacements for tennis shoes.

Moving on to picking out your tennis shoes. There are two main types of feet: pronated and supinated. Pronated feet make up about 65% percent of people in the world. The characteristics of these feet are that they generally have lower arches and tend to roll inward more than supinated feet. Because of this rolling, people with pronated feet should look for tennis shoes that are more roll resistant than cushion heavy. The other type of feet, supinated, make up about 20 to 30 percent of the human population and have generally high arches with the feet pointing inward. These feet require more cushion than roll protection.

Also for the sake of common courtesy, please wear shoes with non-marking soles while playing tennis. Clean public courts are something everyone can benefit from. For more information on tennis shoes, please check out the sites listed below.

And be sure to check out our pages about Tennis Ball Launcher, Tennis Racquets, Tennis Racquet Reviews, Tennis Balls, and Tennis Apparel elsewhere on this site.