are tennis shoes ok to use for badminton? the reason for my asking is because badminton shoes are hard to come by here in manila unlike tennis shoes which are widely available.
Tennis shoes are not optimal for badminton. They tend to be a bit heavy, and are not very good for the quick front-back stopping movements of badminton. Also, they are often cushioned too much. Cushioning under the heels is good, but not under the ball of the feet -- that absorbs too much energy from pre-tension jumps etc. If you can't get badminton shoes, see if you can find volleyball or handball shoes. Any indoor shoe that has a natural rubber sole, is low to the ground and light (say 300 grams or less) will do. Tennis and basketball shoes generally do not meet these requirements.
You'd also risk damaging your ankles using such terrible equipment. IMHO shoes are definately the last thing you want to compromise on. That's how important I think choice of shoes are.
If you intend to get serious with badminton, get serious with all your equipment. Shoes if wrong can screw up a lot of things. Knee problems, lower back pain, shin splints can be attributed to incorrect shoe fittings. Badminton shoes are designed for the specific movements of the badminton player. Most other court shoes are designed for their respective sports and features in each shoe to complement the specific actions and movements required. If you are intending to play badminton casually, or the court conditions are not good, then by all means look for alternatives.
