OOAK Table Tennis Forum

....and why?

I was looking for some new shoes to wear for TT. They don't have to be specific TT shoes, as I know many of us usually have court or volleyball shoes. At my club the Asics brands seem very popular.

When I first started going to the club, I had some Asics running shoes that I would wear. Love them because the mesh toe area was extremely comfortable. Big mistake! I quickly found out those are the worse to wear as I had undue stress and soreness in areas of my legs. I tried various other shoes I had, but settled on some old Converse canvas Chuck Taylors. Super comfortable! Our club has matted floors, so the gummy rubber of the Chucks just adds to the shock absorption.

During one of our weekly round robins, we had a guy play barefooted. He strolled in with flipflops so I though he just forgot his shoes. The next week he played barefooted again. That's interesting. That got me thinking of Vibram Five Fingers shoes. Those unfamiliar with VFF shoes, they look like gloves for the feet. I wonder how well those would work for TT?

I was looking at some regular tennis shoes, or should I stick with just volleyball and court shoes? What do you wear?

Tried tennis and cross court shoes - too heavy. Tried volleyball shoes - Asics GEL Rocket 6, very good durability, somewhat light, but too tight in the toe area. Next were the Butterfly Lezoline Sonics - relatively light, comfortable, roomy in the toe area, but not durable, fell apart in less than a year. Currently using Butterfly Radial Win Speed - comfortable, light, again, not durable. After 4 months of use, started showing signs of tearing, loose stitching, etc. This time, I use shoe adhesive (Shoe Goo) to touch up the problem areas and after 8 months, they're holding up, and they still look very good.

I do have to disclose that the Butterfly shoes were purchased from AliExpress so there's a good chance they weren't/aren't genuine so the durability issues may not be representative of the genuine shoes.

Having said that, I think table tennis shoes are the way to go. The shoes are lighter, have lower heels (good for lateral movements as well as reduces ankle injuries), and good grip for most surfaces. You'll probably end up replacing the insoles with ones designed for sports though.

Asics Gel Hunter 2's.

Asics gel rockets.


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I used Yasaka Ma Lin during my teenage years, I really loved them but durability was abismal, they lasted half a season. I then found Mizuno, the ones I use are Mizuno Crossmatch Plio LP, I'm so in love with these shoes and they've lasted me five years and haven't shown much sign of breakage yet.

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Asics Gel Rocket 6 - cheap (~45$ on Amazon), have the right kind of sole, and are engineered to accommodate lateral movement (main difference between running shoes and volleyball ones, I think).

Probably that's why I'm skeptical about Vibrams - no lateral support whatsoever. Fine for occasional running perhaps - still would like to have some cushioning for that, but hey - your knees...

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I have worn vibram five fingers for TT, and do not recommend it. Not because the lack of "support", (I am all about minimalist footwear in general) but because In the middle of a match the inside seam on one of my big toes blew out and my toe came completely out of the shoe. The fabric between the toes is very thin, and I guess couldn't hold up to all the lateral movement.

After that I started wearing the Merrell Road Gloves (gen 1) minimalist running shoes and never looked back. They are super light and agile, grippy, plenty of toe room, very secure on my feet.

The road gloves are finally wearing out after a couple years hard use, and I got a pair of these Tesla minimalists to try:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F1KASNC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_JsE0xbAE262RP

They are ok, but not as snug in the heel as I would like.

Nike Fusion Run, been thinking of buying a tennis or badminton shoe, but for now my nikes are so comfy and durable i guess. Being light and all.

I add/replace thin in-sole with something like this.



Makes it easier on the knees.

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Cheap fake Butterfly shoes off AliExpress...

Iskandar

I was going to pick up a pair of Asics Gel Rockets, but wanted to expand my possible selections. Nice to see various shoes people use. I'm very happy with my Chucks so I can just fall back to these if any new ones aren't comfy. Even with a lack of lateral support, I have less soreness than when I wear my other court shoes. Although I'm not sure how they'll feel on un-matted floors.

@ Smacktooth
Thanks for your experience and your recommendations for the Merrells and Teslas. I might pick up a pair for those Tesla; for $30, why not? I can use it for casual wear if they don't work out. As a kid I was always running and playing around barefooted and do recall toe/mid footed running. All these Nike and Adidas pairs later, we unknowingly became heel stomp runners


@ rokphish2
Have you tried the insoles where it's almost entirely gel? I wonder if that would help lessen your soreness with the shock absorption?

Edit: read bout the chuck Taylors on top, but them I can barely run in the high tops , the canvas kinda scratchy on your heels even when wearing socka.

A guy who used to play regularly at my club wore these kind of "foot gloves". Not sure what brand he wore, but he seemed to love them as he said he felt odd in normal shoes. His game was ultra movement oriented too, and it certainly didn't seem to hold him back.

Personally, I use Adidas Duramo 6 running shoes. Nice cushioning and good grip without being overly impeding to lateral movement. I have done a write-up elsewhere on the forum on Stiga Instinct II's that Aussie TT sent me to review, which I didn't mind. But the Adidas suit me down to the ground (pun intended ). They are starting to lose grip just slightly after 18+ months with them, but I find its probably due to dust on the floors, as when I put a little water down beside the table and dab the shoes on it after each set, the grip returns.

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@ZeroZero
For $30 the teslas are totally worth it. They are basically a carbon copy of the merrell vapor glove which cost $90.

You can also find a lot of older model merrell barefoot shoes in good shape on eBay real cheap. I don't like the current merrel barefoot line at all, so I've been stocking up a few pairs of the old ones when they appear in my size for $15-20, woman's 10.5 and men's 9.

The thing I've noticed about these minimalist shoes is that they actually last way longer for me than traditional athletic shoes, because there's not all that foam in there to break down and put my foot at weird angles. As long as you don't shred the uppers on rocks or tennis courts (tried that, baaad idea: there's a reason tennis shoes have all that armor around the forefoot) and have good running form, they'll where very evenly and still be grippy on flat surfaces.

The soles appear the same very good quality, upper is of lower quality, added insoles, mine play well.

Use light tennis shoes for rec ctr carpet floor, works good.

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