How to Prevent Holes in Your Badminton Shoes!

Guys,

As some of you know I recently purchased a pair of Victor SHLYD and after using it for a short period, I noticed some scuffing on the inside area of my non-racquet foot shoe. This is quite common and is generally considered normal as we tend to drag our non-racquet foot during lunges using correct technique.

However I have not had this for the best part of the last 10 or so years when I have only been using yonex shoes. Comparing the two shoes, I noticed that the rubber soles on my yonex shoes has a high and thicker raised edge which provides better protection than my victor shoes.

Not content with allowing this scuff to develop into a hole for my new shoes, I set about finding ways of preventing it happening and would like to share with others here the solution I've come up with.

My first thoughts was to use gaffa/duct tape to patch up the area, but whilst they are strong in tension, they are relatively poor in abrasion resistance. I found some 3M clear protection tape which was developed to protect helicopter blades and is widely used by mountain bikers to shield against chips and scratches. Although this was very good against abrasion, it was too rigid to firstly conform to the shape of the shoe and also to allow movement as you bend your toes. So eventually after only 2 sessions, it was starting to peel. Back to the drawing board.

I then discovered that skateboarders have the same problem as us badminton players with holes developing on the outside side of their shoes. The solution they favour is to use a product called Shoe Goo. This stuff is fantastic, I have used it before to repair my Converse shoes but there is one big drawback. It is messy. Very messy. It looks awful once applied, so I decided not to try it. But if you're not bothered about looks and getting it every where, this would probably work very well.

Anyway, I then remembered a product that has been very popular with car enthusiasts particularly in the past few years to change the colour of their cars and wheels. And one that has been used by mechanics to protect tools etc... it's easy to apply, flexible, removeable and abrasion resistant... Plastidip!

This sounded perfect, so I ordered a clear aerosol version of plastidip and gave it a go. It wasn't cheap though at £17 a can (there are cheaper alternatives now). I masked up the whole shoe, leaving only the area that is prone to wear and sprayed 3 coats of plastidip. Let it dry for two days and it was ready to go. I did rush the last two coats and applied it a little too heavy which made the plastidip a bit hazy, otherwise it would have been more transparent. Anyway, it's removeable so I thought I'd leave it on and use it as a sacrifical skin until it wears out, then I'll just apply a new coat again.

All in all, it took about 10-15mins to do and after the first two sessions it has held up very well. I can see some small crease lines underneath where the shoe bends and forms white lines in the plastidip but otherwise the surface is more or less intact. It hasn't peeled at all, no more scuffs and stretches as if it was part of the original shoe. It also isn't very noticeable being on the inside face of the shoe.

Needless to say I'm very pleased with the result!

Hopes this helps someone! And no, I don't have shares in plastidip! lol

 

Oh, I forgot to mention that you should clean the area really well first. I used rubbing alcohol to remove any grease or dirt so it sticks better. Also I avoided the threads/seam lines to keep it neat.

 

Here you go Cheung.

I had two pairs of yonex shoes, the other pair which probably had better protection I have left in HK. These are my other pair - which are still ok - better than my victors.

Just in case people are wondering why there is a dark patch in the middle of the plastidip, its because I painted the scuffed area in pink before spraying (I should have left it in hindsight!).

 

Coincidently I saw a pair of Asics badminton shoes that had a rubber pad in this exact area to protect it from abrasion. Looks like they are taking note of this problem... wish the mainstream badminton equipment manufacturers would do the same.

 

Just a little feedback on this thread... I'm really impressed with the plastidip.... It's been quite a few sessions now and it's held up really well. No noticeable wear whatsoever!

 

Yep that's the one... I bought the clear version. My first attempt (above) lasted until 2 weeks ago when I peeled it off and applied a new layer. So the idea is really for it to act as a sacrificial material.

Also, to get a neat edge to the plastidip, peel off the masking tape before the plastidip hardens.

 

What do you mean it came off really quickly? Do you have any photos and did you clean the area well before applying the plastidip?

 

Just a little update to this thread I found that some clear bandage /dressing tapes also seems to work ok. It needs to stretch a little and have good adhesive as well as being thick enough not to wear too quickly.

So if you can't get hold of sprayed rubber/plastidip, then may be give clear bandage tape a try.