I started playing a few months ago and didn't bother to buy any proper shoes while playing, and only recently my friends suggested that if I had some proper court shoes my movement would improve and it would probably help me in the long run. I'm interested in Yonex/Victor shoes but they're not readily available here, and also the ones I can find at clubs are >100 dollars, but I can be persuaded to buy one if the quality is that much higher. So far, this is all I can find at Sportchek: https://www.sportchek.ca/categories...cket-7-mens-indoor-court-shoes-331851614.html https://www.sportchek.ca/categories...bolt-3-mens-indoor-court-shoes-331597608.html https://www.sportchek.ca/categories...-shb75-mens-indoor-court-shoes-331857088.html My club also sells these ones: https://yumo.ca/collections/yonex-b...x-shb-02-mx-badminton-shoe?variant=1147798172 https://yumo.ca/collections/victor-...s-3w-badminton-court-shoes?variant=4070995397 http://www.amazon.com/Yonex-Cushion-SHB-SC5-Badminton-Shoe-Navy/dp/B00TT4MNNA And a few other Yonex/Victor shoes that I don't know the names of. As for the court, I usually play on a regular court, no cement or anything like that. I also have a question that I couldn't find definitive answers to: How should the shoes fit? My friend tells me that they should be tight, but I read some posts on this forum suggesting that the shoes should be slightly bigger than your feet. Thank you for reading, and I hope that someone can help me pick out some shoes.
I went through this process two years ago with my first pair of shoes. and got my second pair not too long ago. Once you start playing a few sessions with court shoes you won't use your running shoes ever again for badminton. These shoes in my opinion should fit snug and comfortable, but shouldn't be so tight where your toes are squished in and overlapping each other. Nor should they be so loose that your feet can move inside. If you use a replacement insole or have orthotics, you should get a slightly bigger shoe because they'll be a bit thicker than the regular insole that comes with the shoe. Badminton shoes tends to be a tighter fit than regular running shoes in my opinion. You should always try them on before making a purchase because the sizes can vary between different models and different manufacturers. I have wide feet so my choices are fairly limited. I've had a pair of Asics Gel Rocket 6 and they have served me well. Good ventilation, wide width, durable and price was good. Only bad thing is they do sit a bit higher off the ground, and there's no removable insole. My current pair of shoes is the Victor AS-3W FG and I have replaced the insoles with a pair of Spenco Total Support ones. They fit better but my only issue is that the ventilation is not as good as my old pair of Asics. I'm told this is also one of the widest pair of badminton shoes out on the market. Whatever model you choose, make sure it fits comfortably!
I see, so between Asics Gel Rocket 7 and Yonex's SHB75 which one would you recommend? I'm going to the store later to try them on as well.
I would second the suggestion of Asics Gel Rocket 7. They are much better than equivalently priced Yonex shoes. Only the higher priced Yonex shoes are worth using. But they are more expensive than they're worth. The Gel Rockets have really good rubber compound, and they're very light as well. I prefer them to all of the more expensive Asics shoes, specifically because of the weight. When picking a size, make sure you have a little bit of room at the end. If the toes are too tight to the front, you will pop off your big toenails. They should be snug around the midsole and heel, but not the tips of the toes. They should be able to wiggle relatively freely.
I used to be afraid of ordering shoes online due to having small feet and the variation in my "street" shoe sizes. But...that is only because of the messed up Canada/US/UK sizing charts where a size 7 isn't a size 7 isn't a size 7... I've been successfully ordering shoes online for years now without sizing issues simply by using the much-more-sensible centimetre/millimetre sizing given by the manufacturer. Measure your feet from heel to big toe, add a little bit for toe room, and order that size. For example, my right foot is 237mm, my left is 240mm + 5mm for some room => order size 245mm. I've ordered Yonex, Adidas, LiNing all this way and not had a problem. Next pair I will try Victor or Babolat with confidence that they will fit. There is slight variation in fit between brands but nothing too major: Yonex and LiNing are narrower than Adidas, Yonex is "taller"(more room vertically between insole and laces, etc. at least in all 3 pairs I've had). LiNing direct(https://shopbadmintononline.com/) has a free exchange policy to get the right fit. Also, no matter the brand, I've always ended up replacing the stock insoles with Superfeet green...I try the stock ones for a few sessions, but always switch. And because I all my shoes are 245mm, I can just slide my current insole in without any adjustment.
