Minimalist Shoes ---- Traction that allows sliding

R

Royce

Semi-Pro
Most of my life I have been wearing what would categorize as minimalist shoes. I've never worn (if i have, it wasn't for a long period of time) shoes that have modern technology with padding and support or any type of specialized shoe. So as you can imagine, my feet are stronger than the average person and I have a different way of walking and running which is that I never strike my heel first.

I have been using Feiyue shoes to play tennis.

blackFeiyue-shoes.jpg


I will tell you that i have zero issues playing competitive tennis in these shoes. Since I have proper technique and footwork, I never land improperly on myself and have never caused myself a foot injury (the last time i hurt my foot was when i was a kid). I can even slide in them like any tennis shoe. I am also off the ground a lot, jumping for balls and jumping on drive volleys and powerful forehands. My strong feet and proper foot striking allows me to minimize any shock or impact naturally.

My problem, though, is that the feiyue shoes will get holes in the bottom within just a few weeks of hard court play. So, of course, I looked into the super durable tennis shoes like the Adidas Barricade 7.0. I have nothing bad to say about tennis specific shoes except that they probably aren't right for me. I know the majority of tennis players really enjoy these type of shoes and love the support they offer, but for someone like me it's a nightmare. My knees and joints were in moderate pain after just 30 minutes. I played in them for about 3 hours. I do acknowledge that it's kind of like a luxury car. Everything is a smooth ride. You don't have to do much, but that also causes me to be less physical and reduced my movement speed in all directions significantly.

I am still open minded to different tennis shoes, but I think I need to stay in the lightweight zone and lower to the ground. Shoes I want to try but havent: Adidas Feather III, Nike Vapor 9.5. If you know of any tennis specific shoes that might fit my minimalist style, please let me know.

As for other complete minimalist shoes, I have seen some of the Vivobarefoot models as well as the Minimus line from New Balance. The Minimus looks very promising but the reason I won't buy it for tennis is because it probably has the same court life as my Feiyue shoes for 5x the price.

Also, if there is anyone who knows a lot about traction and what type of tread allows for sliding and what type does not (perhaps you can slide in any type of tread? I haven't tried), please enlighten me.
 
P

Povl Carstensen

Legend
Royce said:
I will tell you that i have zero issues playing competitive tennis in these shoes. Since I have proper technique and footwork, I never land improperly on myself and have never caused myself a foot injury (the last time i hurt my foot was when i was a kid).
Click to expand...
I just want to attest to this. Plus wearing minimal or no shoes will automatically hone your technique, because of the bigger feedback from the ground. About minimal shoes with the best sole durability, I do not know. For their thinness, Vivo Barefoot are very strong, I believe they contain kevlar. But also quite expensive.
I think you will have a hard time finding a traditional (which ironically means high-tech) tennis shoe that fit your needs, because of the height, cushioning (ie wobbly) midsole, raised heel, etc.
 
Last edited:
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
Povl Carstensen said:
I just want to attest to this. Plus wearing minimal or no shoes will automatically hone your technique, because of the bigger feedback from the ground. About minimal shoes with the best sole durability, I do not know. For their thinness, Vivo Barefoot are very strong, I believe they contain kevlar. But also quite expensive.
I think you will have a hard time finding a traditional (which ironically means high-tech) tennis shoe that fit your needs, because of the height, cushioning (ie wobbly) midsole, raised heel, etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yeah, I figure it might be impossible to find what I'm looking for in today's market. Might just have to stick with these. But I will definitely try the minimus and vivobarefoot shoes when i can.

snoflewis said:
i can't imagine the toes lasting very long on those shoes
Click to expand...

Yup. The toe on the outsole is the first thing to go. First the grip wears off completely, then there becomes a hole where the big toe is. Luckily these shoes are only 15 dollars a pair so to me its just another monthly expense like balls and overgrips.
 
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
Povl Carstensen said:
When you see Federers shoes, they look very near zero-drop.
http://static.businessinsider.com/image/51caf9696bb3f7df38000010/image.jpg
But then again they might be paintjobbed.
Click to expand...

Wow you're right those look very comfortable compared to the other tennis shoes i've seen. Do you know exactly what model he is *proposed* to be wearing in that picture? I know we can never completely trust that he's wearing what they say he's wearing haha.

It looks like 4mm drop which is still very good.
 
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
Lukhas said:
Well OTOH Federer doesn't wear insoles. He wears two pairs of socks instead. It's not to bad if you like that feeling.
Click to expand...

Really? Thats exactly what I do lol. No matter what shoe, I take the insole out and double up my socks.
 
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
I did a reverse image search on the shoes and it looks like they are calling them "trainers" which makes sense.. cross-training shoes or trainer shoes are usually like that. The fact that he'd use a trainer shoe, which is essentially a minimalist shoe, to play tennis should say something haha.
 
WildVolley

WildVolley

Legend
Royce said:
I did a reverse image search on the shoes and it looks like they are calling them "trainers" which makes sense.. cross-training shoes or trainer shoes are usually like that. The fact that he'd use a trainer shoe, which is essentially a minimalist shoe, to play tennis should say something haha.
Click to expand...

I think you are getting confused by the terminology in England. Athletic shoes there, including running shoes, are often called trainers.

Those look like the famous orange soled grass shoes Federer wore in a single match at Wimbledon before he was told by tournament officials that he must wear white soled shoes.

Some members have posted photos of actual pairs of Federer's shoes which they have bought in auctions - Fed auctions them off for his charity. The interesting thing is that Federer is wearing custom variants of the model of shoe that Nike sells to the public. Federer's actual shoes are said to be very wide and seem to be built on custom lasts. That sounds completely credible to me.

The Feiyue shoes you wear look interesting, but would be far too narrow for me to wear.
 
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
WildVolley said:
I think you are getting confused by the terminology in England. Athletic shoes there, including running shoes, are often called trainers.

Those look like the famous orange soled grass shoes Federer wore in a single match at Wimbledon before he was told by tournament officials that he must wear white soled shoes.

Some members have posted photos of actual pairs of Federer's shoes which they have bought in auctions - Fed auctions them off for his charity. The interesting thing is that Federer is wearing custom variants of the model of shoe that Nike sells to the public. Federer's actual shoes are said to be very wide and seem to be built on custom lasts. That sounds completely credible to me.

The Feiyue shoes you wear look interesting, but would be far too narrow for me to wear.
Click to expand...

The Feiyue shoes actually have a wide toe box. They are a classic minimalist shoe.

As for Federer's shoe, that's my mistake then, however, to me it does look like a cross training shoe and I will definitely have to try one on and see how it is.
 
Lukhas

Lukhas

Legend
Royce said:
As for Federer's shoe, that's my mistake then, however, to me it does look like a cross training shoe and I will definitely have to try one on and see how it is.
Click to expand...
It's not I can tell you. it's a lightweight tennis shoe but it's certainly not a cross training shoe. Of course it's not like the Barricade, but it doesn't make it any less of a tennis shoe. Not every tennis shoes are Barricades after all.
 
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
Lukhas said:
It's not I can tell you. it's a lightweight tennis shoe but it's certainly not a cross training shoe. Of course it's not like the Barricade, but it doesn't make it any less of a tennis shoe. Not every tennis shoes are Barricades after all.
Click to expand...

Oh, I know, don't worry. I was just saying its construction looks like a cross trainer to me, not that I still think it IS a trainer. Meaning it looks low to the ground and flexible, which is what I'm looking for.
 
R

Ramon

Legend
Maybe you should try the K-Swiss Ultra Express. Tennis magazines named it "Editor's Choice: Best Lightweight Shoe". The first sentence of their review started with "Taking cues from minimalist running shoe technology".

Personally, I'm in the stable shoe, supportive insole camp, but I don't think there's anything wrong with someone having an opposite view if it seems to work. I see people who've gone barefoot all their lives, and I envy how they can walk on hot pavement and not feel any effects, and I've even seen them hit a few tennis balls that way (not in a serious game, but nonetheless, it's some thing I can't do). I, on the other hand, will get cuts and bruises just going barefoot on grass for a few minutes. It's amazing how the body adapts if you give it a chance.
 
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
Ramon said:
Maybe you should try the K-Swiss Ultra Express. Tennis magazines named it "Editor's Choice: Best Lightweight Shoe". The first sentence of their review started with "Taking cues from minimalist running shoe technology".

Personally, I'm in the stable shoe, supportive insole camp, but I don't think there's anything wrong with someone having an opposite view if it seems to work. I see people who've gone barefoot all their lives, and I envy how they can walk on hot pavement and not feel any effects, and I've even seen them hit a few tennis balls that way (not in a serious game, but nonetheless, it's some thing I can't do). I, on the other hand, will get cuts and bruises just going barefoot on grass for a few minutes. It's amazing how the body adapts if you give it a chance.
Click to expand...

Right on the money. I just tried a pair of the ultra express last week and they were extremely comfortable even though I never find conventional shoes comfortable. I bet they would be a good option for me if I take out the insole or use a flat insole.
 
S

stules

Rookie
A couple of solutions that I use.
First, I normally play in Asics gel Solution, with the innersole removed, in order to lower the foot in the shoe as much as possible.
My normal running or casual shoes are all minimalist.
I have petitioned TW to add the 'stackheight' measurement on tennis shoes, in the same manner that Runners warehouse does, to no avail.
another option is Dunlop Volley. Zero drop, herringbone sole, very lightweight.
https://www.google.com/search?q=dun...v&sa=X&ei=H2doVLu6LsWQmwWr-4KwAQ&ved=0CC8QsAQ
 
galain

galain

Hall of Fame
I love my Feiyues when I'm teaching my martial arts classes but they'd be far too narrow for my feet to play tennis in. I also have a pair of Merrell Vapor Gloves - same thing. Comfortable when I'm demonstrating but not wide enough for tennis specific movement.

OP - if you want a tennis specific zero drop shoe similar to Feiyues, see if you can find some Dunlop Volleys. They're considerably heavier but the sole is very robust. I usually tend to blow mine out at the sides - but as noted, I have wide feet.
 
Last edited:
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
galain said:
I love my Feiyues when I'm teaching my martial arts classes but they'd be far too narrow for my feet to play tennis in. I also have a pair of Merrell Vapor Gloves - same thing. Comfortable when I'm demonstrating but not wide enough for tennis specific movement.

OP - if you want a tennis specific zero drop shoe similar to Feiyues, see if you can find some Dunlop Volleys. They're considerably heavier but the sole is very robust. I usually tend to blow mine out at the sides - but as noted, I have wide feet.
Click to expand...

OK thanks for the suggestion, I'll look at those.

As for the narrowness of feiyue and vapor gloves, I will never understand lol. What part of it is narrow? Are you saying it needs to be wider to support your erratic movements? I ask because I've never had issues with the narrowness, and if I did I simply moved up a size and it was solved.
 
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
stules said:
another option is Dunlop Volley. Zero drop, herringbone sole, very lightweight.
https://www.google.com/search?q=dun...v&sa=X&ei=H2doVLu6LsWQmwWr-4KwAQ&ved=0CC8QsAQ
Click to expand...

galain said:
OP - if you want a tennis specific zero drop shoe similar to Feiyues, see if you can find some Dunlop Volleys.
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]

Sorry I overlooked the last part of your post stules. These shoes are definitely worth trying for me. Ordering a pair. They look legit and look like what I need.
 
C

Clintspin

Professional
Tretorns have done well by me. I love the original Jack Purcells but they have zero tread. They played well on hard courts but you couldn't use them on the clay.
 
galain

galain

Hall of Fame
Royce said:
OK thanks for the suggestion, I'll look at those.

As for the narrowness of feiyue and vapor gloves, I will never understand lol. What part of it is narrow? Are you saying it needs to be wider to support your erratic movements? I ask because I've never had issues with the narrowness, and if I did I simply moved up a size and it was solved.
Click to expand...

I just have wide feet. When i teach my martial arts classes i'm either in the Feiyues or the Vapor Gloves for 2 hours at a time. I'll typically slip them off before the next group of students arrive. I won't wear them anymore when I'm doing my own training. I've already ripped the sides out of 2 pairs of Feiyues whilst practising alone. The forefoot is too narrow for my feet. The Vapor Gloves are a little softer and stretch more, but feel even narrower to me.

I would never be able to play a set in the Feiyues, I'd be through them pretty quickly. A size up would make the heel loose, and you know they already have a somewhat unusual fit to start with.

Your link is a classic Volley! Like I said, heavier, but sturdier. Also a good performer on clay. And at the price, what 's the harm in trying a pair?
 
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
galain said:
I just have wide feet. When i teach my martial arts classes i'm either in the Feiyues or the Vapor Gloves for 2 hours at a time. I'll typically slip them off before the next group of students arrive. I won't wear them anymore when I'm doing my own training. I've already ripped the sides out of 2 pairs of Feiyues whilst practising alone. The forefoot is too narrow for my feet. The Vapor Gloves are a little softer and stretch more, but feel even narrower to me.

I would never be able to play a set in the Feiyues, I'd be through them pretty quickly. A size up would make the heel loose, and you know they already have a somewhat unusual fit to start with.

Your link is a classic Volley! Like I said, heavier, but sturdier. Also a good performer on clay. And at the price, what 's the harm in trying a pair?
Click to expand...

For sure. The volleys look like exactly what I was looking for and are really good looking, too. Appreciate it.

And I see. if you just have wide feet then I guess it can't be helped. Yeah, going up a size makes a little loose. To fix that I double up my socks. Closes the gap so my feet don't slide around plus it makes everything softer.
 
WildVolley

WildVolley

Legend
Clintspin said:
But are those Dunlop Volleys or made by a company brand named Volley?
Click to expand...

Looked at similar shoes on Amaz on they are not Dunlop Volleys but shoes made by a company called Volley.

I've never had a pair of Dunlop Volleys (a pair of Stan Smiths as a kid was the oldest school that I can remember). Are these copies of the original Dunlop Volley?
 
J

joshthefisher

Rookie
Royce said:
Most of my life I have been wearing what would categorize as minimalist shoes. I've never worn (if i have, it wasn't for a long period of time) shoes that have modern technology with padding and support or any type of specialized shoe. So as you can imagine, my feet are stronger than the average person and I have a different way of walking and running which is that I never strike my heel first.

I have been using Feiyue shoes to play tennis.

blackFeiyue-shoes.jpg


I will tell you that i have zero issues playing competitive tennis in these shoes. Since I have proper technique and footwork, I never land improperly on myself and have never caused myself a foot injury (the last time i hurt my foot was when i was a kid). I can even slide in them like any tennis shoe. I am also off the ground a lot, jumping for balls and jumping on drive volleys and powerful forehands. My strong feet and proper foot striking allows me to minimize any shock or impact naturally.

My problem, though, is that the feiyue shoes will get holes in the bottom within just a few weeks of hard court play. So, of course, I looked into the super durable tennis shoes like the Adidas Barricade 7.0. I have nothing bad to say about tennis specific shoes except that they probably aren't right for me. I know the majority of tennis players really enjoy these type of shoes and love the support they offer, but for someone like me it's a nightmare. My knees and joints were in moderate pain after just 30 minutes. I played in them for about 3 hours. I do acknowledge that it's kind of like a luxury car. Everything is a smooth ride. You don't have to do much, but that also causes me to be less physical and reduced my movement speed in all directions significantly.

I am still open minded to different tennis shoes, but I think I need to stay in the lightweight zone and lower to the ground. Shoes I want to try but havent: Adidas Feather III, Nike Vapor 9.5. If you know of any tennis specific shoes that might fit my minimalist style, please let me know.

As for other complete minimalist shoes, I have seen some of the Vivobarefoot models as well as the Minimus line from New Balance. The Minimus looks very promising but the reason I won't buy it for tennis is because it probably has the same court life as my Feiyue shoes for 5x the price.

Also, if there is anyone who knows a lot about traction and what type of tread allows for sliding and what type does not (perhaps you can slide in any type of tread? I haven't tried), please enlighten me.
Click to expand...

OP - I'm a hardcout slider and the best shoe to date I have worn for this purpose and many more are Nike lunar balistecs. First off don't let the price scare you they will easily outlast 3-4 pairs of the shoes you posted you wear. They slide exceptionally well and are low to the ground as far as tennis shoes are concerned. Very good cushioning, stability and good durability. Barricade would by my opinion be the worst shoe line for sliding (unless your djokovic & I doubt his outsole is the same compound the consumer gets) they ride high and have great traction(I almost went flat on my face the first day I wore b5 after my first pair of lb when I hit brakes expecting to slide). As far as tread pattern is concerned I think traction is almost entirely dependent on rubber compound unless your playing on clay.
Hope this helps,
Josh
 
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
Clintspin said:
But are those Dunlop Volleys or made by a company brand named Volley?
Click to expand...

I believe these are the same shoe.

WildVolley said:
Looked at similar shoes on Amaz on they are not Dunlop Volleys but shoes made by a company called Volley.

I've never had a pair of Dunlop Volleys (a pair of Stan Smiths as a kid was the oldest school that I can remember). Are these copies of the original Dunlop Volley?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure these are the same company under a different name or something of that nature. They are the same original shoe (or copies of) as far as my research could tell.

joshthefisher said:
OP - I'm a hardcout slider and the best shoe to date I have worn for this purpose and many more are Nike lunar balistecs. First off don't let the price scare you they will easily outlast 3-4 pairs of the shoes you posted you wear. They slide exceptionally well and are low to the ground as far as tennis shoes are concerned. Very good cushioning, stability and good durability. Barricade would by my opinion be the worst shoe line for sliding (unless your djokovic & I doubt his outsole is the same compound the consumer gets) they ride high and have great traction(I almost went flat on my face the first day I wore b5 after my first pair of lb when I hit brakes expecting to slide). As far as tread pattern is concerned I think traction is almost entirely dependent on rubber compound unless your playing on clay.
Hope this helps,
Josh
Click to expand...

Thanks Josh I'll keep that in mind.
 
C

Clintspin

Professional
I don't think they are the Dunlops. The tongue looks, from your picture, to say Volley International. I think you have purchased a very nice casual shoe to kick around town in your jeans. Go back to the web-page and look at the soles of these shoes and then take a look at the Dunlop Volleys.
 
WildVolley

WildVolley

Legend
Royce said:
I believe these are the same shoe.

I'm pretty sure these are the same company under a different name or something of that nature. They are the same original shoe (or copies of) as far as my research could tell.
Click to expand...

They seem to be a remake of the Volleys of the 1970s and 1980s. Apparently a few different versions have been made over the many decades. Give us a review after you've had them a while.

I don't think I'll be getting a pair at this point because the shoe still looks too narrow. At the moment, the shoes that seem to have the toe box width for me are Lems and Altras.
 
R

Royce

Semi-Pro
Clintspin said:
I don't think they are the Dunlops. The tongue looks, from your picture, to say Volley International. I think you have purchased a very nice casual shoe to kick around town in your jeans. Go back to the web-page and look at the soles of these shoes and then take a look at the Dunlop Volleys.
Click to expand...

WildVolley said:
They seem to be a remake of the Volleys of the 1970s and 1980s. Apparently a few different versions have been made over the many decades. Give us a review after you've had them a while.

I don't think I'll be getting a pair at this point because the shoe still looks too narrow. At the moment, the shoes that seem to have the toe box width for me are Lems and Altras.
Click to expand...

Lol sigh. Guys please do at least one google search before saying things like this. There are no "dunlop volleys" anymore. They are called Volley International now. They started going by that name years ago. It's the same company. Making the same shoe lol.

http://www.volley.com.au/about-us

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunlop_Volley

And yes I'll give a review after I've worn them. They are generally narrow I think. I have an average foot so I can't tell. I usually wear a 10 but their 10s were way too long for me so I had to send them back.
 
C

Clintspin

Professional
That may all be true but they are not the same. Check out the sole pattern. The Volley Internationals look like shoes made to walk around in. Then check out the real Dunlop Volleys. I did. I checked out a bunch of web sites and even Youtube clips.
 
C

Clintspin

Professional
Don't get me wrong, I hope you report back that they are everything you wanted because I will also pick up a pair.
 
C

Clintspin

Professional
It's true of almost all if not all of the classic shoes. They just are not the same. The Tretorn, Jack Purcell and so on are all different than the really well made originals. At lot of it is small but meaningful stuff, like the strap to hold the laces in place or the insoles or comfort or durability.
 
T

TeamHumphrey

New User
I have settled on the Inov-8 trailroc 245. The 235 is a little lighter and more flexible, but I like the 245 myself. There is another thread on here somewhere on this topic, and the Merrell line got some love.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Minimalist shoes for Tennis?
2 3
Replies
134
Views
61K
cortado
C
Amone
Minimalist footwear?
Replies
0
Views
982
Amone
Amone
Tennismom0803
Is there really a market for foot shaped, minimalist tennis shoes?
Replies
28
Views
5K
CVT
C
C
Shoes that allow midfoot strike AND are more supportive?
Replies
4
Views
559
Carleyspisak
C
Z
Shoes with good traction?
Replies
7
Views
4K
hcb0804
hcb0804
Top