Shoes useless?

[madman]

Some people play badminton outdoors (reason - they are FOC), especially in tropical countries like Singapore & Malaysia. The flooring is usually cement, and they are usually dusty. In this case, I would think that running/tennis shoes are better than badminton shoes. People here usually play on these outdoors courts first (ie; when they first started playing) before they "upgrade" to indoor courts.

[Cheung]

I have twisted plenty of times wearing low top shoes, with outside of my ankle crashing onto the floor. I can tell you, that hurts. Then I decided to get some cushioning in the form of a pair of high top basketball shoes with thick looking side padding. Twisted a couple of times in those. But the paddings were very effective. My ankles were never hurt again. Now I have stopped twisting altogether. Even so, I just feel unsafe going on to the court without having some padding on the side of my ankles. So I am stocking up on the basketballs shoes in case they stop making the type I like.
Of course wearing the wrong shoes and clothing on the court has its drawbacks. Often I meet new players who take one look at what I wear and conclude I am an utter beginner. But their arrogance becomes their downfall. The fact that I wear a cycling jersey, badminton shorts, and a pair of basketball shoes probably confuse some people.

I have had a similar problem. My ankle was originally twisted very badly by wearing tennis shoes for badminton (young and fearless that time) And it's always been a bit loose after that. I wear an ankle support on it. Now, if you meet the physios, they say such supports are not very useful. I find them very useful, but not for direct support of the ankle joint. I think it makes my foot fit more snugly into the shoe which helps stop me from going over on the ankle. Improving my footwork was another thing that really helped me.

I don't wear tennis shoes for badminton now.