Shoes useless?

Very wrong, shoes is the most important component! Injury yourself is priceless. There is no need to buy the top of the line badminton shoes, but at least a proper one that provide enough support for the sport!

 

My high top basketball shoes are much better than some badminton shoes I tried. I have more ankle support, more grip, and better shock absorption. Having the right shoes is important. Although the right shoes are not necessarily badminton shoes.

 

I find the most comfy shirts for badminton are the hi tech sweat wicking collarless teeshirts. But these are generally made from a material that would stink real bad when soaked by sweat. Cotton teeshirts don't have this problem, but these are extremely uncomfortable when soaked.

 

if you get a good pair of court shoes you will see that there is a big difference between cross trainers and ESPECIALLY tennis shoes.

i suggest trying some nice asiics, mizunos or hi-tecs before passing judgement.

good shoes will make all the difference when making rough jerky turns.

i personally i find if i just use sneakers, ill just be tripping up every 5 seconds

 

I agree with Gosupizza, a good pair of badminton shoes make a big difference. The difference between your aveage pair of tennis shoes or basketball shoes is that height they are at for lack of a better word. Badminton shoes are made to be light and low to the ground so you can get around the court faster. Another thing to point out is the amount of time you are jumping around on your toes in badminton compared to other sports.

As for badminton clothing, there is a real difference after your 5th game of the day. Normal cotton t-shirts are soaked through by the first set so the plasticy clothing that pulls sweat away from your body is great. The freedome of movement is also really noticable if you don't wear oversized badminton clothing because of their light construct and tendency not to stick to you.

 

You couldnt be more wrong about badminton shoes. I used to be like you and think its ridiculous to pay $70+ for a pair of badminton shoe, so i bought cheap 25$ prince tennis shoes. I've noticed that i have a burning pain in my ankle after playing, its not serious but its very uncomfortable. And most of the people on my team wear regular shoes and so far 5 people have twisted their ankle very badly. I tried on one of my friend's shoe one day and i cant believe how incredible it was, after each lunge the shoe stop you like you hit a brick wall preventing loss of balance and it was super fast too. Im gettting a pair next week.

 

I definitely agree with everyone who said that a good pair of badminton shoes are important. I recently purchased a pair of yonex SBH 68 EX shoes and instantly the difference was huge when compared to the nike running shoes I used befor. The badminton shoes have much better grip and also provide much better support as well, not to mention that they weigh next to nothing and have a very low centre of gravity. So I would say that buying a pair of quality badminton shoes is something that shouldn't be overlooked.

 

True, it's mostly depend on skill. That statement only applies when you talk about "top of the line vs. reasonable product". There's no need to always spend twice as much for the latest, newest, and most expensive stuff.

However, there's do have a big difference in between "useable and un-usable". Most basekball / tennis / running (worst) shoes are either too heavy or dont offer enough support. If just recreation lvl of play, they might be fine. If you go through intensive training or competitive lvl of playing, then, they have good chance to wear you out in stamina or cause injury in a long run.

Many good quality badminton shoes are not even $50.

 

i used to wear dragonfly brand "made in china" to play badminton they r good for school and games. but now they cant be found anymore... so i used my running shoe to play.
at first u wont noticed any difference but soon u find that after a net return u have problem moving back in position cause there is no brakes.!!!!
soon i have problem moving to the net i CANT stop !!! i am like skating in and without properly stop u cant get good control of the shuttle...
and even if u manage to return the shuttle your moving back to def position will be slow. and if your opponent plays another net shot good luck u will be diving into the net waaaaaahhhaaha

 

Some of the best runners are more expensive than your regular baddy shoes. Oh, and I am not talking about the Nikes that cost a month's wage (they're more like street shoes to me ). The ones that are cheap don't worth much in terms of support. Like Cheung said, your footwork and skills hasn't pushed you to demand lateral support and other supposedly extra 'frills'. By all means, keep using those cheapie shoes you got. Your games don't need all that support. But once you encounter better opponents who would move you all over the place, you'll feel the need soon enough.

 

(5) Ahhhh, and shitty cushioning . . . Did someone say cartilage problem down the road?

 

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.

 

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.