Do you need tennis shoes to play tennis? There is no one answer to this question. It just depends on the circumstances. Visit us to get a detailed answer.
For most people, wearing a shoes that is specifically designed for tennis when playing is very important. The reason for this is because these shoes are made to provide you with comfort, support and the traction that you need while playing against your opponent.
We all know by now that tennis requires a lot more than just running around the court, it also requires that you are able to make quick starts and stops when necessary.
Another thing about tennis is that it requires a lot of lateral movements and therefore, tennis shoes are designed to you with the best possible support and cushion that you need in these situations. Also, the traction that you need on a tennis court is known to be different than what you would need if you were running.
Even if you were to be out running on the road, you have to constantly deal with short starts and stops, quick steps, small steps, longer lunging steps and because of this the tennis shoes is really made to provide you with the best shoe for these situations that you will be experiencing on a regular basis on the tennis court.
Different Tennis Shoes For Different Courts
Even if you’re new to the tennis world you may already know that there are many different types of tennis shoes available on the market today. The main difference between each shoes is what kind of court they are designed to be used for.
They are actually different tennis shoes for different courts and if you made the mistake by wearing the wrong shoe on the wrong surface, you could put yourself in a difficult position. With that said, there are many different options to choose from which means you shouldn’t only make your decision base on the color and fancy designs unless you are planning on using them for specific purpose.
The three type of courts that most people around the world play on are hard courts, clay courts and grass courts. Hard courts are typically made of rigid materials such as asphalt or concrete and covered with acrylic material to seal the surface. Clay courts on the other hand are made up of clay on the tennis field.
While, lastly we have the grass courts. A court of just grass and painted lines with the net. These courts are not very common and are often in the professional circuit mostly because they are more difficult to maintain.
As you can see these are the three types of courts that most tennis players are playing on. For this reason you will need three different types of shoes so that you able to play on each surface. Choosing the right tennis shoes for the style of court you are planning on playing will without a doubt make a significant difference in the performance of your game.
Hard Court Shoes
What these types of shoes does is provide you with the best traction possible when on the tennis court. These shoes are also known to be extremely durable, since hard courts can be very hard on your shoes. If you take a close look at the bottom of the shoes, you’ll certainly notice that they are covered in a variety of pattern and things on the bottom.
Another thing is that the mid-sole is designed to give you some cushioning to prevent injuries from taking place because as you may know playing on hard court can be very hard on our joints.
The sole of the shoe, the out-sole as well as the mid-sole is designed to absorb all the shock that comes from all the start and stops that will be taking place while you’re playing against your opponents. You should also keep in mind that no sport shoe that comes with black out soles should be used on a hard court, as this could lead to blemishes on the court.
Clay Court Shoes
What you’ll notice about these shoes is that they have pattern going across the outsole. What this does is help to properly grip into the clay on the clay court without retaining a lot of that clay in the sole of the shoe.
The worst thing that can happen is to have the clay constantly sticking to the shoe, even though it is hard to stop this from happening. If you look closely you’ll realize that a lot of tennis players bounces their racket their sole before every point, and the reason for this is to remove dirt from their shoes.
One thing for sure is that you don’t want your shoe to be caked in clay because then it will become slippery and you will slide around the court too much and even slide and fall causing injuries.
You may also notice that there are lateral support in the upper part of the shoe on a clay court shoe and the main reason for this is because you may experience a lot more sliding on clay courts compared to other surfaces.
Grass Court Shoes
Last, but not least is the grass court shoe. These are shoes are known to be specialized. If you look closely you’ll noticed that the bottom of the shoe will have little nubs or rubbery cleats which helps to grip into the very slippery grass surface.
You’ll also realize that there’s aggressive treading, however, the outsole will not cause any damage to the court and will also help players feel a lot more comfortable moving quickly on this fast surface. We only recommend using this shoe on the grass court. If you consider using this shoe on other surfaces you may face a few difficulties.
Can I Use Hard Court Shoes on Other Surfaces?
The short answer is yes! The hard court shoes can be used on any of the three surfaces mentioned above. It may perform just as good for you on the clay court as well. However, you won’t get a good feel if you wear it to play on grass court. With that said, if there’s a hard court or clay court available and you’re not sure what type of shoe to wear, getting a hard court shoe is probably the best decision.
It works both way since wearing a clay shoe on hard court won’t necessarily affect your performance either. However, there is an injury risk when it comes to wearing a shoe on the wrong surface. Because one of the main factor that these shoes are specially designed for is to prevent accidents from happening.
Also, the durability will decrease over time if you use the wrong shoes. Another thing is that wearing a shoe on the wrong surface that results in breakage, the warranty won’t apply anymore.
So, as we have just seen above, the type of court upon which a game of tennis is played is quite an important factor that determines the kind of footwear that you would pick. But in addition to the type of courts, factors like the below are also a good determining factor when it comes to tennis shoes.
- Your feet:
Every single person’s feet are unique. It is therefore really important to choose something that will suit them well without putting undue stress on them. If you wear a pair of shoes that are not meant for your feet, you will end up with a lot of easily avoidable foot problems such as calcaneal spurs,tendoachilis bursitis and even metatarsalgia.
Determine which category your feet fall in with a wet test in which you step onto a dry surface such as a sidewalk with wet feet and check the foot pattern left behind.
- Pronated feet -if you normally notice a lot of wear around the inner side of the sole then choose a shoe with extra cushioning.
- Supinated feet -if you normally notice a lot of wear around the outer side of the sole then choose shoes that are durable.
- Ideal feet -if there is even wear all around the shoe then choose any tennis shoes that are comfortable for you.
- Your game style:
Your unique game style will also determine the kind of shoes that will help you excel at a game of tennis. As you know, tennis is a sport that requires considerable agility and coordination. There is a constant back-forth and even lateral movement during the game so choose shoes based on if you are a baseline player or a serve and volley player.
- baseline player– shoes with good lateral support work best.
- serve and volley player– shoes with good toe cushioning are perfect.
Conclusion
So, do you need tennis shoes to play tennis? Well, if you’re new to the tennis world, then we don’t think it’s a good idea to play the sport in your running shoes.
However, if you’re planning on playing very often, then you should take the time out to invest in a pair of tennis shoes. Not just to improve your performance on the court, but also prevent you from getting injured due to wearing the wrong shoes.
