Well, without a racquet and birds you can't play at all, but other than that, i can say almost NOTHING is more important that good shoes...
They are usually lighter and the soles are grippier than tennis shoes (or cross-trainers, etc). Assuming you are playing on wood or taraflex courts, then you should really be using badminton shoes. The grippiness of the sole is important because of start/stop motions.
i used to play in trainers and i thought there was no need for badminton shoes until now because i tried them recently to see if i got more grip because my trainers were sliding a lot and not only are the much grippier but they have a much lower centre of gravity because of their thiner sole which hugely reduces the risk of going over on your ankles so yes there is a need for badminton shoes
Slayer is spot on it's not really about the grip its about the lower centre of gravity as well as not having a built up heel with an air bubble to roll over on and break your ankle, they are generally more supportive for your feet and ankles than a fashion trainer becasue they are specific to badminton and certain other racket sports.
The design of BAD and Tennis shoes is very diff. Good BAD shoes are designed for the special movements in BAD court. Try a good pair of badminton shoes like Mizuno Angel. BAD shoes are much faster than outdoor shoes or running shoes. The design of Good BAD shoes and bad BAD shoes are also huge. I have a friend , who has "obsessive compulsive" personality spends a big forturne to buy diff brand of shoes to test for comfort, fast in reaction, durability, good looking etc. He recommends Mizuno highly for overall product superiority. (Declaration for conflict of interests: I redkingjoe and close relatives are not director or employees of Mizuno; we do not own, direclty or indirectly, any shares. )
Sorry. I should say "faster when play indoor sports". Explained by my "obssessive compulsive friend", one example: a good indoor shoe will normally has a balance towards to the front of the first half of the foot such that when the player is standing and prepareing to return a bird/ball, it will be much faster than wearing a running shoe which has a diff bal in design. There are a lot of diff features which makes good indoor shoes eg special rubber for wood floor. I'm not expert but I had compared using (new balance)running shoes and Nittaku indoor for playing table tennis. The reaction time on footwork is very much diff. You try you will find out the diff between a good BAD shoes and a better BAD shoes. (I bought 5-6 pair of indoor shoes for my son's trying, even at 12, he can accurately tell me which one is faster or more comfortable) (Declaration of conflict of interest: I'm not employee or shareholder of New Balance, Nittaku or Mizuno)
A most emphatic - YES Aside from the issues of grip, comfort etc as described above, badminton shoes are designed for lateral movement on badminton surfaces...you move better, faster and more confidently... In particular, these shoes prevent injury!!!!!! For example, using running shoes or cross trainers is dangerous as there is a tendency for your ankles to move inward to outward more easily... totaly unstable and is not suited for lateral movement ... Trust me on this - a pal of mine tore a muscle in his calf wearing his jogging shoes to play - I was the opponent He went for an operation - and is out of action 4 months... so please.... there is a difference a BIG difference....
As long as you are comfy and the shoe is not too high it should be ok. You don't need a specific shoe for badminton but it always help as it is designed for badminton purpose. Remember this, DO NOT USE HIGH SHOES FOR BADMINTON!!
badminton shoes are a must but there is no need to spend a fortune, i got my shoes for £15 and they were the most comfortable pair i tried on
I used to, then I rolled over on my ankle with a severe sprain on the badminton court. I can still remember that time. Afterwards, always wore either a badminton shoe or squash shoe for badminton. Had minor roll overs on my ankle afterwards but never as bad as that time wearing tennis shoes.
I have tried various brands of badminton shoes over the years. My personal preference always comes down to Mizuno and Yonex. Until recently I used to have 3 pairs of Yonex shoes, hardly used, because they either could not fit my orthoses, or if they fitted they were not twist-resistant enough, which is a must to hold my orthoses firmly in place. Most of the Mizuno have the same problem except one. So, my choice of Mizuno was simply a case of #beggars cannot be choosers"!