I have been an average badminton player and had never purchased shoes specially designed for playing badminton until one month ago. have not noticed any difference when comparing to shoes from Nike/Adida/Reebok I have purchased for badminton in the past. In fact, I find Yonex shoes are much heavier when comparing to brands mentioned above. What are your thoughts?
Use a scale . It is not all about weight anyway, but if they are actually heavier it could be because they have better cushioning and stability features than your previous shoes. Just naming some brands tells us nothing about those shoes as all brands have a huge variety, from cheap shoes with no special cushioning and poor stability to high top, max cushioning for the bigger guys ... That said, you can get good performance out of non-specifically designed for badminton shoes as well and also you may not be pushing the shoes to the limit to notice the difference ...
I was a big fan of yonex shoes. Recently i shifted to adidas indoor shoes with gum soles and they are definitely better for me than yonex (leg aches reduced to significant extent). I feel you can use other brand shoes with a gum sole. Personal comfort is the key, at the end.
It's not just about weight. Shoe design has changed dramatically. Shoes now are far better than 10-15 years back. Demolidor put things very well.
I noticed a big difference going from trainers to tennis shoes, and then again tennis to badminton shoes.
Does anyone know why most badminton shoes have a "hole" at the bottom (i.e. on the undersole)? Is there a badminton-specific purpose for this? On the picture below, it's where the Yonex words are.
the hole is where the arch of you foot is. the arch do not contact the ground and there is no need to put any extra material/weight in that region. further, in order to support the arch the curvature of the sole is made to bulge up. and thus what you end up is what you see there.
Unfortunately, this is an ideal world situation. Arches differ slightly from person to person. So for a person like me with slightly altered arches, typical badminton shoe cause shin splints - intense pain on shins. I have to remove insole of every shoe i purchase and replace it with customized insoles, which reduces the pain by about 90%.
For a few years, I played with regular "gym" shoes but then I tried out some badminton shoes. Is there a whole lot of difference for me? Yes. I feel badminton shoes are more comfortable AND supportive. Less ankle rolls for me now, where in the past, every once and a while, I would roll an ankle during the fast paced games. I can push off faster and less sliding around. I wouldn't go back to standard shoes anymore. I guess others could also say no, there is no difference, but it really depends on one's game. How fast are you moving, the cuts you make, how hard are you pushing your regular shoes with your game play.
When you have more athletical ability, specifics gears is what u need to push the limit. For example a jumping smash requires a high athletic ability to execute. If you wear a normal shoes with lesser cushion, you might get injured easily
