Hello, I have a very old pair of Asics badminton/volleyball shoes (sorry don't know the model). They have no grip left, practically no insole left and holes in the sides. The problem is they are still more comfortable than the pair of Asics Rocket Gels and Hitec Switchbacks I have bought and failed with recently, so I continue to wear them and slide all over the court. I have very flat and therefore wide feet so I struggle to find any trainers to fit. Please can anyone recommend a pair of flexible wide fitting badminton shoes. Preferrably Asics. Thanks!
well, the only other asics shoes available here in the UK that are recommended for badminton are the Gel Sensei and the Gel Tactic. have you tried those?
I haven't done yet. Mainly because I don't know of a suitable store in my area where I can go to try on shoes so I end up having to buy online - which is not ideal. I have also seen Gel Blade, Gel Task and Control for sale. Does anyone know which have the widest fit?
widest is new balance indoor court shoes. you can get 2E or 4E. be careful in case the 4E is too big (not just wide) - if so, you may have to tighten the laces too much (if your foot is wide but not big in volume). personally, i am considering going back to asics or whatever and just cutting a hole in the side. i always end up wearing a hole through it eventually anyway.
Give the Asics Gel Powerplay a try. Your foot sits lower than in the Gel Rockets and the outsole provides excellent traction.
The only Asics I've tried are the Gel Rockets which I found to be quite narrow. Do you have an orthotic? If not you might want to try an insole with arch support like Superfeet. I find that when I put them in, my feet become less wide and shoes fit better. DinkALot has said that the Yonex SHB91 runs much wider than the usual Yonex shoes and since it doesn't have the Lateral Claw it should be more likely to stretch a bit. You might also want to try out the Mizuno Wave Lightning 4. The upper is made almost entirely of mesh and it feels very flexible and light. DinkALot recommended them as one of the best non-badminton shoes for badminton. You can also try lacing up your shoes to help adjust for you wide foot: http://runningshoes.ransacker.co.uk/...ing-Shoes.html So if there is one spot where the shoes are too narrow, don't do a criss-cross there and it helps a bit. But wide feet are a problem for a sport where the shoes are tight and light. I might eventually try the New Balance indoor court shoe (CT653) in a wide.
If I'm not mistaken, the Yonex SHB 70's are slightly wider for wider feet. I ended up getting the 100's... They're kind of expensive but worth every penny. They're surprisingly comfortable... I didn't even need a break in period for them. I have size E to EE feet. D: I also tried the Wilson EB-7's which are great on comfort but can't grip at all. Also, if you loosen up your laces right after a game it helps a lot.
Did you get them a size larger than you usually wear or the same size? I tried the MX100's and they were the correct length but too short. Someone mentioned the 80W which is supposed to be a wide Yonex shoe but it doesn't seem to be available in the US and I don't know if it's an old model or not. Sadly they were too narrow for me too. Damn, I don't know how people who wear E or EE shoes can fit in normal width badminton shoes. Maybe I'm worrying too much about whether the shoes hurt
i just bought a pair of shb-100LTD and they felt a bit stiff. however, i've only used them for a couple of times. maybe they'll loosen up a bit
Thanks to everyone for your replies. Months later and I have finally bought a pair of Hi-Tec Venom 300:3 I find they are lovely and wide in the forefoot and quite flat under the arch, so they feel comfy under my flat feet. (Although I'm sure there are arguments for having more arch support when you have no arch!) They feel alot more flexible than the Hi-tec Switchbacks which I've tried before so I have my fingers crossed for their first game on Wednesday.
i have a similar problem that I'm trying to figure out right now. I have asics power plays right now and thet feel good. wide enough in the toe but a little too wide in the heel. (i had to get them a half size bigger for length and width) if you foot is sort of wide in the heel too they could be great. my only other issue with them is that there is no mesh so they can get kinda hot. that being said the cushioning is really good. I was a lot less sore than after playing with my old shb-100s (which did not fit great). in my search I did try on the shb 91 from yonex but I'm trying not to buy yonex this time as i want more cushioning. especially after feeling the cushioning of the asics. II might try the asics blade 2 as that is supposed to be almost as wide as the power play but not as big in the heel. you may also want to try the Prince NFS line of squash shoes.