Will Asics ever release an exclusive badminton line of shoes? like say Mizuno, Yonex etc?.. and no i don't consider the gel blade a "true" badminton exclusive. I'm talking about shoes specifically designed for badminton and not "all-purpose" court shoes that you can use for badminton. Many professional players use Asics volleyball or handball designed shoes to play and quite recently Joachim Fischer Nielsen suffered a broken ankle at the world championships. I believe he was using an Asics volleyball or handball specific shoe. The only place to see anything remotely Asics badminton is on Gosen's website which in my opinion is a failed attempt at anything badminton from them. So this brings me back to my question. Why won't Asics invest in this sport which they garner heavy support? it baffles me. I would love to see Asics use some of their volleyball shoe designs on something exclusively engineered for badminton. So if anyone has any insight or info please share your thoughts!
Asics did released exclusive badminton shoes like this : https://global.rakuten.com/en/store/imoto-sports/item/c4-tob511/
Yeah i know about these, i mentioned it can be found on Gosen's website but no dedicated website or R&D department for badminton. Badminton is no where mentioned on Asic's website unlike what Mizuno is doing
https://www.asics.com.hk/squash-badminton/products/gel-blade-men/ http://www.asics.com/jp/ja-jp/gel-blade-5/p/0010256967.0190
Although it would be nice to see Asics put some R + D and marketing into badminton, they must have at least 10 indoor court shoe models that are suitable. Unfortunately, I have tried about 5 pairs in 5 years and didn't really like any of them. In the 80's we used to swear by them as the best grip available.
The reason why they won't do badminton "specific" shoes is because there is no actual need. The Gel-Blade, Netburner Ballistic and Beyond are all models that can be easily used for badminton, and they are IMO tier 1 models together with certain Yonex and Li-Ning. The JFN example doesn't make sense at all. Just because he suffered an ankle injury doesn't make them less supportive than other models. Especially as JFN has had problems with his ankles before the WC.
have you used any of these models? if so how do you rate them? i'm in the market for a new pair and a bit skeptical to try something other than Yonex, since ive been using yonex shoes for almost 10yrs
If have played with Gel-Blade, Gel-Beyond and Netburner Ballistic. If you feel comfortable with Yonex, then they are not a bad choice either. I went from Gel-Beyond to Gel-Blade to Yonex Aerus. Gel-Beyond are the most bulky and wide, Gel-Blade's are a bit more low and "skinny", whereas Netburner are the least "stable" as in square to the floor, however the cushioning is great on those and the weight is also lower. Most players I know that are using Asics are going with the Gel-Blades. They are really stable, have excellent cushioning and a medium weight. Before you ask, the only reason I went for Aerus is because I love the thin upper and low weight, however they are nowhere as supporting or stable as my pair of Gel-Beyond.
The original Gel Blades were actually designed for the fast racket sports like badminton and squash. It was a light weight, low profile shoe for fast and directional movements. I was (still am) a big fan of them, as you feel really 'grounded', but with enough support. As Rbynck stated before, Asics designed more shoes that are suitable for badminton. Another shoe designed specifically for the faster racket sports was the Gel Progressive, although I'm not quite sure if they're still producing it. The Progressive has much more cushioning. I've switched to Victor, as I had some issues with the Gel Blades (and Asics in particular): the GB5 fits completely different compared to GB 4 (the 5 is actually larger in size and feels less grounded and stiffer compared to the previous ones). Next to that, it was difficult to obtain the GB's in actual stores. I had to buy them online (from handball web shops), so it was a bit of a gamble with the sizing . The GB 4 remains my favourite one though. Quality wise, they know what they're doing and you can't go wrong with them
Has anyone gotten hands on the Gel Blade 6? Im planning to buy one of those and just wanted another opinion
anyone come across asics gel court ff... can be use for badminton??? hope to have some comment and comparsion too..tq
I received my pair of GB6 and my first impression is that Asics redeemed themselves after the GB5, which felt completely different compared to the previous models (I wasn’t really pleased with my GB5). The GB3 and GB4 (the ones I’ve owned before) were light as a feather, offered great shock absorption and felt quite ‘flexible’. Infact, they were my favourite badminton shoes ever and after that I solemnly swore I would never change to a different brand. Unfortunately with the GB5 I changed my mind, as that proved to be a different story. The GB5 is more clunky, has a different sizing fit (more in line with a regular sizing chart, as the previous models tend to be way too small) and felt stiff and heavy. I’m glad to say that the GB6 is more in line with the GB3 and 4; light, great cushioning and flexible. Leave it up to Asics for offering excellent quality with their shoes. That’s something you always can rely on with Asics. The finish of the GB6 is terrific: special rubber-like lining to protect your shoes against dragging it with the floor. After the GB5, I switched to Victor SH P9100. I have the Victors for a couple of months and I was quite disappointed with the quality (already heavy signs of wear) and comfort (quite clunky). The GB6 are in the same price range, but I have more faith in Asics. A few drawbacks though are the shoestrings (ridiculously short, bit of a first word problem) and the difficult availability, but I’m happy I’m back to Asics. All in all you can definitely feel the GB6 is designed for badminton.
have anyone compared asics gb6 with yonex premium badminton shoes about the cushion? do asics gb6 have good cushion for badminton?
Ok, after a few weeks with my GB6, I come to the conclusion that they are my favourite badminton shoes ever! Even better than the GB 3 and 4. I think I will even buy a second pair Great cushioning, while maintaining a ‘grounded’ feel with the court.
