Having lost some highly expensive Mizunos just before a game (don't ask) my partner conviced me to play with no shoes on at all. I wouldn't have normally done this, but he wanted a game and so did I. Although it felt strange at first I soon got used to it and it ended up feeling very comfortable. I have continued to play barefoot for a few weeks now. I think you get terrific grip, feel very light/springy, and seem to be generally more responsive. Basically, it's as good as any sports shoe could be (in my opinion better)- and cheap. Asthetics aside, I don't see any reason not to carry on like this. The shoe sponsors may not like this idea, but perhaps they selling a product that is unnecessary ? Has anyone else got experience of this, or do you think i am barking mad ?
must take time to get used to....at a summer camp i playe dliek 5 min...and not good... did you jump? did you lunge deep? i find those to very hard on the feet at some gyms... it sounds very injury-prone....
I've seen it done before but not for high levels of play (sorta beginners levels). The only reason why it could work is if you don't move much. I wouldn't recommend it. The sweat build up from your feet would make for a dangerous situation. If it's a hard wooden court, weet feet certainly do not provide sufficient grip for anything useful.
Playing badminton barefoot is a bad idea. Okay for messing around in the garden; but play barefoot competitively and you will injure yourself.
Well, I have heard of competitive runners running barefoot, and winning marathons, even! I suppose an important part of it is having your feet conditioned to going shoe-less, such as the pads on the bottom toughening up, as well as developing the small muscles in the feet to support intense loads. In the history of humanity, how many years have shoes been around? Before that, I can imagine ancient hunter gatherers going around barefeet and they were probably quite mobile.
marathon runner don't jumpsmash..... hunters don't change directions 360 times in 1 hour... badminton is very hard on your feet...especially on the concrete-liek floor we have around here....imagine how much you slip when your really sweating...
Yeah, Jerby I hear ya. I give up on this post. Just because a very few select people can do this... or can do that... doesn't mean it's right or better. How many marathoners actually run bare feet? Way less than 1%. How many run bare feet and win, way less than 1% of 1%. Marathoners who run bare feet mostly want to get a wow factor, attract attention. And the Hunter theory, ancient Hunters didn't have shoes back then. If they did, they would definitely wear them. You ever step on a small rock while running on the concrete bare feet? What about with boots on or athletic shoes? BIG difference.
I think "stumblingfeet" nailed it on the head. The keyword is, IMHO, "conditioned." Zola Budd broke the 5000m world record 3 times running barefooted. Our ancestors were conditioned to function barefooted. Not by choice, perhaps, but all the same from the moment they could walk they lived their lives barefooted. They also had a much lower life expectancy than we do now. And no one ever said that they didn't have joint problems. Mind you, all these cautionary words aside, playing an impromptu set or two rarely probably aren't going to immediately condemn you to be a cripple for the rest of your life. I think all we're saying is that it's probably not something you'd want to do for the long term, if you want to keep playing badminton, or really keep physically active, in your later life.
NOT. more like nail in the coffin. wrong because: -badminton isnt like running, running has near zero lateral +/- acceleration. - ancestors runs on dirt ground or forest floor, not on polished flat hardwood or concrete surface. - how long is your term 'conditioned' go for, 1-5 years? Tell those who have ankle and knee injuries from constant pounding, tell them they just have to learn to condition their joints and their problem will go away LOL. - our ancestors(males) weigh 80-90 lbs versus ~150lbs+ players now. Is our joints 2x bigger and stronger to take the extra load? i'm just scratching the surface of your fallacy
Playing in bare feet. There is a guy I play with here who has played in bare feet for as long as I have known him(10 years+). He is a vegetarian and takes very good care of his body. He plays at a good intermediate level. The skin on the soles of his feet is very thick from doing this. I am sure he would be a better player if he wore shoes(I've told him so many times!) but he plays pretty good without and certainly hasn't injured himself by playing that way. James
I have to agree with the majority here, playing in bad or no shoes is suicide. I recently turned up to play in a match and realised I had forgotten my shoes. Luckily I was wearing a pair of adidas superstars (the ones with rubber toes) I was able to tighten and relace them and got through the match. The thing that counts here is that, my movement was so bad and I was slipping so much and this league was lower than the standard I normally play. To play competativley you need decent shoes
even the chinese badminton shoes are no longer popular with the chinese. http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=520&highlight=dragonfly i think that says alot about bare feet footwork
I think you misunderstood my post. We're actually in agreement. I didn't say that the OP should continue playing barefooted. Certainly not for the long term if he wants to continue to play and be active in his later years. I brought up the bit about our ancestors to point out that they had a different physical make up and they didn't (get to) do it for the long term---due to their short life expectancy---and that it's very possible that they had joint problems. All I added to the discussion was that while it isn't beneficial, playing occasional recreational set or two in that manner---like what got the OP started after he lost his shoes---also (most probably) isn't going to immediately condemn us to wheelchairs. Assuming no existing physical problems, of course.
I suppose what works for one person might not work for another. If you are used to playing in shoes, then your muscles/tendons etc. are probably conditioned for that posture. Most shoes raise your heel very slighly, so your calf is a bitcontracted. So if you suddenly tried leaping about without shoes on, you may feel more prone to injury. However, Nike have brought out running shoes called "free running" which is supposed to replicate bare-feet on surfaces where you can't run barefoot (e.g. tarmac). So there must be some good advantages to not having footwear and letting your body take impact naturally. I have heard of people wearing rhythmic gymnastic shoes for indoor sports (not badminton). This is basically bare-feet with straps which protect the ball of the foot against friction burns etc. This is sort of half way between shoes and no shoes. I see nothing wrong with bare feet provided it is right for the particular individual concerned- but it won't suit all styles.
