Hard court outsole on clay?

liftordie

Hall of Fame
Do you think that outsole could be OK on clay?
I always use clay outsole on red clay, and I play only on red clay, but I really love the color of that shoe and it is only available with hard court outsole....
What you think??
chaussures-nike-zoom-cage-3-hard-court.jpg
 

TforTommy

Semi-Pro
Yeah. Hardcourt will be fine on clay, you might find that because of the pattern the shoe doesnt grip the clay as well, but you can absolutely use a hc shoe on clay.

Typically with clay shoes especially nike they've got a more "wwwwwwww" kinda squiggily outsole shape that help grip the clay, and a tighter upper to stop the clay from getting into the shoes. But from my experience zoom cage is just fine for clay, you won't notice much difference
 

Hansen

Professional
there a two scenarios:
1. if you are a reasonably fast and competitive player you need all the traction you can get and if you buy hardcourt shoes you fool yourself.
2. if you are old or slow it doesn´t matter anyway and you can use what you like.
 

TforTommy

Semi-Pro
there a two scenarios:
1. if you are a reasonably fast and competitive player you need all the traction you can get and if you buy hardcourt shoes you fool yourself.
2. if you are old or slow it doesn´t matter anyway and you can use what you like.

100% the truth

I don't play clay court but the odd time I do perhaps once 2-3 times a month. Unless you really plan on playing clay alot and need the traction for competitive reasons I like hard court shoes, i like the sliding I get from hardcourt shoes too 8) especially if the clay is damp/isn't dry like sand
 

liftordie

Hall of Fame
there a two scenarios:
1. if you are a reasonably fast and competitive player you need all the traction you can get and if you buy hardcourt shoes you fool yourself.
2. if you are old or slow it doesn´t matter anyway and you can use what you like.
I'm totally in the first one!!! And I play ONLY on red clay!!!
Actually I have the great Asics SS3 clay version and I love it so much!!! But I need new ones for the spring/summer tournaments season.
I LOVE the color of a specific model of Zoom Cage 3 but only with hard court outsole.....
So I will stay with Asics and buy the Solution Speed FF or maybe the Resolution 7 because I could get even more stability.
Thanks guys!
 

Lukhas

Legend
Do you think that outsole could be OK on clay?
I always use clay outsole on red clay, and I play only on red clay, but I really love the color of that shoe and it is only available with hard court outsole....
What you think??
chaussures-nike-zoom-cage-3-hard-court.jpg
In my experience, the Zoom Cage 3 is already slippery on hard courts. I wouldn't trust them on clay.
 

Sambuccashake

Hall of Fame
Last season my group was hastily moved outside for the remaineder of a training session.
I wasn't prepared for the move so I didn't have my clay shoes with me.

I slipped and almost face planted when landing after the first serve.

So no, you do not play clay with hardcourt soles.
 
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KluddKalle

Semi-Pro
Do you think that outsole could be OK on clay?
I always use clay outsole on red clay, and I play only on red clay, but I really love the color of that shoe and it is only available with hard court outsole....
What you think??
chaussures-nike-zoom-cage-3-hard-court.jpg

Depends on what type of clay court it is. Here in Sweden we have three types

Green clay - not that slippery, hard court/all round shoes will be fine
Red clay - same as above
Red fine clay (like Roland Garros) - clay shoes recommended

I actually find it hard to slide to my shots with clay shoes on the first two types mentioned. Hard court/all round makes this easier with a small increased risk of slipping.
 
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StringGuruMRT

Semi-Pro
I've got the Vapor X hard courts, and 99% of my time is on clay courts, and they do just fine. I may be completely off base, but I feel like HC shoes perform better on clay than CC shoes perform on hard courts.
 

mmk

Hall of Fame
I guess it depends on the particular hard court sole. I couldn't get enough traction on HarTru wearing hard court Gel Resolutions, they don't have anything resembling a zigzag outsole pattern. So I bought Speed Solution clay shoes which do have the zigzag outsole, and that solved the problem. Vapor X soles aren't zigzag, but they do have lots of edges, and so are similar to a zigzag pattern.
 

JoaoN

Semi-Pro
I play 99,9% of the time on clay, and i am playing with this exact model (Zoom Cage 3) but blue. I never had problems with it.
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
there a two scenarios:
1. if you are a reasonably fast and competitive player you need all the traction you can get and if you buy hardcourt shoes you fool yourself.
2. if you are old or slow it doesn´t matter anyway and you can use what you like.

No foolin'?

;)
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
I've got the Vapor X hard courts, and 99% of my time is on clay courts, and they do just fine. I may be completely off base, but I feel like HC shoes perform better on clay than CC shoes perform on hard courts.

Well yeah, lol..

Clay court soles are meant for clay surfaces - a much more forgiving and less damaging surface. Hard Courts are the worst in terms of wear and tear on the soles of your shoes. Using any shoe on hard courts with a sole meant for use on other surfaces is just stupid.
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
Last season my group was hastily moved outside for the remaineder of a training session.
I wasn't prepared for the move so I didn't have my clay shoes with me.

I slipped and almost face planted when landing after the first serve.

So no, you do not play clay with hardcourt soles.

It's been a while since I played on clay, but I don't recall having any issues with slipping/falling when I used my regular hard court shoes.
 

Gemini

Hall of Fame
LOL..to each his own. I'm lucky enough to get the chance to play on hard as well as clay including red clay courts. I use the hard court cages and have no problems with grip or sliding.

And I'm not slow and still pretty far from being old.
 

liftordie

Hall of Fame
LOL..to each his own. I'm lucky enough to get the chance to play on hard as well as clay including red clay courts. I use the hard court cages and have no problems with grip or sliding.

And I'm not slow and still pretty far from being old.
I have two good greenset courts in my club but never putted a foot on it...
Red clay is the best surface and the real luck is to be able to play on it all the year. And Asics SSFF and R7 are the BEST tennis shoes. :whistle::sneaky:
 

Sudacafan

Bionic Poster
Depends on what type of clay court it is. Here in Sweden we have three types

Green clay - not that slippery, hard court/all round shoes will be fine
Red clay - same as above
Red fine clay (like Roland Garros) - clay shoes recommended

I actually find it hard to slide to my shots with clay shoes on the first two types mentioned. Hard court/all round makes this easier with a small increased risk of slipping.
That green clay, was it like Forest Hills 1974-1977 US Open surface?
I only know the red clay, which by the way, I see it actually orange, or ember colored, if you like.
 

airchallenge2

Hall of Fame
there a two scenarios:
1. if you are a reasonably fast and competitive player you need all the traction you can get and if you buy hardcourt shoes you fool yourself.
2. if you are old or slow it doesn´t matter anyway and you can use what you like.

Funny and true!
 

KluddKalle

Semi-Pro
That green clay, was it like Forest Hills 1974-1977 US Open surface?
I only know the red clay, which by the way, I see it actually orange, or ember colored, if you like.

I was born -77 so I just missed it... :)

I don’t know. The type of clay (green) is called Canada Tenn http://www.canadatenn.cz/en/

Yeah, agree with the colour. Since it’s made from crushed bricks orange or terracotta is more correct than red. And the difference between type 2 and 3 I mentioned is how fine the grain is and how the surface beneath is prepared.
 

34n

Semi-Pro
Do you think that outsole could be OK on clay?
I always use clay outsole on red clay, and I play only on red clay, but I really love the color of that shoe and it is only available with hard court outsole....
What you think??
chaussures-nike-zoom-cage-3-hard-court.jpg
You will be okay with any shoes as soon as the court is watered properly. Once it starts drying out it will become slippery. That is when you really need a clay specific shoes.
 
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