Need new shoes - specific requirements

[marmoset]

Hi,

I'm in need of some new badminton shoes and before i start searching i would like some input in order to narrow down my choice. I'm a lot more serious about buying the right shoes this time as, being an over pronator, i have damaged ligaments in my right ankle. This happened when wearing the wrong type of shoe and my foot pivoted on the right edge of the right shoe and turned the shoe inwards. Recently a similar thing happened but this time i fell over and broke my fall with my arm ending up with multiple fractures of the radial head near my elbow. Luckily it has been healing quite well and i have now recovered enough to start badminton again!!

http://i36.tinypic.com/242zx8h.gif

The over pronation was shown to me whilst having my gait analysed by video when i was buying running shoes. It was quite shocking to watch but apparently it is quite common and can easily be catered for with the right type of shoes.

First of all, i live in West London and the nearest badminton shop to me is tennisnuts:

http://www.tennisnuts.com/shopscr190.html

I am prepared to travel into central London or drive a reasonable distance if need be.

My stats:
* I'm quite heavy for my height, at 87Kg.
* My feet are quite wide at 2E width (this rules out brands such as adidas)
* I'm a mild over pronator
* My normal UK shoe size is 6.5 (yes, i'm a shortarse!!) but this depends on brand. Size 7 fits with some brands.

So i'm looking for a very stable shoe with good cushioning. My coach advised to go for a size 7 and wear a decent insole such as Sorbothane Shock Stopper Double Strike but he can't advise on which shoe for best stability.

Short of just going into the shop and trying pairs on, which i will do soon, could someone please give me some pointers.

Thanks
:)
marmoset

[marmoset]

Just to add, i have no set budget. I will happily pay for the correct shoes :)

[Lordofthefart]

Yo, that's a medical problem, don't go to a badminton forum for this, get a medical professional for this kind of thing. Once something like this happens, it weakens your ankles and it makes it much easier for it to reoccur.

I suggest getting a custom sports insole. I know they are pricey but if you don't want to be in constant pain when you're older I suggest you take care of yourself. I mean I love badminton as much as the next person, but it isn't worth chronic problems.

[marmoset]

Thanks for your reply Lordofthefart :)

It's not a massive medical problem really; a large percentage of us overpronate but just don't realise it as we have not had our gait analysed at a running shop. I have run several half marathons and played sport since i was a nipper and had no clue that i did this until last year.

Indoor court shoes, from research, are not structured like some running shoes and thus they don't favour supinators or pronators, even though some manufacturer blurb will tell you that they do.

After trying on practically the whole yonex and asics range, the pair that fit me best were the Asics Gel Blast 2 (the 2008 blue and white version). The Blade 2 are supposed to be the best for badminton (apparently designed with badminton in mind) but they were the wrong shape for my feet.

My new shoes:
http://i46.tinypic.com/2pziutd.jpg

My first badminton session with the Blast 2s was on Tuesday and the arches of my feet were aching after the first game but with short rests between games, the pain lessened over the two hours. My feet were aching considerably for a couple of hours after the session. I spoke to Asics 'tech' people at length the other day and they advised to wear them a couple more times and if the pain didn't go away then they would happily exchange them for any Asics shoes of my choice; very kind of them and excellent customer service :) However, last night i played for a couple more hours and there was no pain whatsover!! I felt very comfortable on court and my movement was vastly improved over my last pair of Adidas. I also realised after the session that there was no excessive lateral movement which is good news!! Also my feet felt fresh after the session when normally they ache for a good hour. So far so good!! :)

[exalted]

you should really look into getting good insoles, i recommend footdisc for those

i used to have terrible foot pain but after switching the normal stock ones for a better insole, no longer have any pain