Need new shoes! Help please!

[Fuji]

Hey all! I'm looking for some new shoes for my indoor season and I really don't know too much about them. I use the Nike Zoom Breathe 2k11, and they are slightly too narrow and have NO traction on courts. I slide a ton when I don't want to.

- I have a slightly wide foot.
- I need REALLY good ankle support. The courts I play on for indoor have a slight tack to them and I've rolled my ankles a few times due to slippage.
- Extra comfort would help, I deal with sore knees and leg muscles.
- Soles need to be NON MARKING due to facility rules.

Here's the catch, the only shoes I can't get are Asics. Other then that pretty much everything is free game! Any suggestions for me to try would be awesome. The main thing is I need a bit of a wider fit, and I definitely need better traction / ankle support. Durability would be good, but honestly if the other criteria are met, it's not a huge concern.

Thanks!

-Fuji

 

[Roger Wawrinka]

I would go with yonex shoes, there really comfortable. Only down side is that there not very durable.


Also, If you need some support have you ever tried wearing two socks? Trust me if you try it once you will not wear only one sock again

 

[Fuji]

I would go with yonex shoes, there really comfortable. Only down side is that there not very durable.


Also, If you need some support have you ever tried wearing two socks? Trust me if you try it once you will not wear only one sock again

Two pairs? I can't say I've ever actually tried that. I'll definitely have to try it next time I'm out! (I have large feet as is, hopefully my shoes will still fit! :razz: )

-Fuji

 

[Dreamcastin]

babolat propulse 3.

 

[smirker]

Hey all! I'm looking for some new shoes for my indoor season and I really don't know too much about them. I use the Nike Zoom Breathe 2k11, and they are slightly too narrow and have NO traction on courts. I slide a ton when I don't want to.

- I have a slightly wide foot.
- I need REALLY good ankle support. The courts I play on for indoor have a slight tack to them and I've rolled my ankles a few times due to slippage.
- Extra comfort would help, I deal with sore knees and leg muscles.
- Soles need to be NON MARKING due to facility rules.

Here's the catch, the only shoes I can't get are Asics. Other then that pretty much everything is free game! Any suggestions for me to try would be awesome. The main thing is I need a bit of a wider fit, and I definitely need better traction / ankle support. Durability would be good, but honestly if the other criteria are met, it's not a huge concern.

Thanks!

-Fuji

Babolat SFX. Lightweight, good traction and wide fitting.

 

[hcb0804]

Babolat SFX. Lightweight, good traction and wide fitting.

^^^^^^^^No. SFX have no ankle support, and sit high off the ground; not stable. You would roll ankles in them for sure. The Yonex is a good suggestion.

 

[Llefty]

Propulse 3s are great for ankle support and wide feet, but they definitely aren't the most cushioned shoes out there. The back of the heel by the achilles tendon fits strangely but a second pair of socks takes care of that problem. I also have the SFX and I think the Propulse 3 is significantly better in every category except cushioning, where the SFX wins.

 

[Llefty]

Oh, and the Propulse 3s aren't great in the durability category, but I overlook that for the fit.

 

[NJ1]

Just to check, indoor hard court or carpet?

I have a fairly wide feet so size up to fit into shoes, but a hitting buddy of mine has boat width feet and he love his Yonex 308s. They seem to to tick all the boxes you're looking for.

I'm not sure they're so wide you'd be able to fit two pairs of socks though, I've certainly never been able to do that plus my feet sweat like hell with just one pair.

 

[Mighty Matteo]

Prince t22 sounds perfect for you because they are slightly wide, 6 month outsole guarantee and good cushioning. good price too

 

[Roger Wawrinka]

Two pairs? I can't say I've ever actually tried that. I'll definitely have to try it next time I'm out! (I have large feet as is, hopefully my shoes will still fit! :razz: )

-Fuji

Haha they will, It might feel a bit weird when you first put two socks on but I think you'll like it after a couple times playing.

 

[SoCalJay]

It sounds like your foot situation is similar to mine, Fuji. I've personally gone through multiple pairs of ProPulse 3's and Prince T22's - both are excellent.

The big difference for me:

ProPulse 3 - feel faster, less durability
T22 - feel slightly slower, more durability

One thing of note, however, is that I've been using the T22 MID (which is 10 bucks cheaper than the regular version on TW) and the support is absolutely phenomenal. The extra support might be why I feel slightly slower than when I wear the ProPulse.

 

[Fuji]

Very cool! Thanks for all the opinions guys! I'm going down the pro shop this weekend to try on shoes and hopefully get a new pair for winter.

I'm playing on indoor hardcourts, they have the slightest bit of grit on them so it makes rolling ankles a very real possibility!

-Fuji

 

[sstchur]

I have really wide feet and I've had a hell of a time finding comfortable shoes. I tried the Prices but they weren't wide enough or giving enough in the toe box. I tried KSwiss but that didn't work either.

I tolerate the Babolat Propules for a while, but while they are excellent shoes, they also aren't really wide enough for me.

The only thing that works are the New Balance since they come in 4E. Some people claim durability issues w/ the MC 1005, but I wore through the Babolat's in less than 6 months (yes, they replaced them) but the NBs are holding up even better.

And I just got a pair of the NB 656s. These are awesome! Super comfortable and super supportive. And they look awesome too!

Give NB a try!

 

[smirker]

^^^^^^^^No. SFX have no ankle support, and sit high off the ground; not stable. You would roll ankles in them for sure. The Yonex is a good suggestion.

Yonex is a good suggestion unless you have wide feet! I do and can't wear them as they are far too narrow for anything more than medium wide feet. The things I said about the SFX still apply, never found them unstable personally. The wide footed among us don't have a lot of choice. Babolat, K-Swiss (horrible durability) some Prince and latterly some Nike and that's about it. Beggars can't be choosers!

 

[WildVolley]

If you have a slightly wide foot the Yonex will be a good choice. They have good traction and cushioning.

Tennis shoes aren't going to give you ankle support. You're going to need to buy ankle braces for that or wear high top basketball shoes to warn you when you're rolling over.

 

[smirker]

If you have a slightly wide foot the Yonex will be a good choice. They have good traction and cushioning.

Tennis shoes aren't going to give you ankle support. You're going to need to buy ankle braces for that or wear high top basketball shoes to warn you when you're rolling over.

I agree. I have never rolled an ankle playing tennis. I have used the Vapor line before which must rate as the least supportive shoe out there. Perhaps my movement is not as dynamic as some others? I would have thought the Babolat offers significantly more support than the Vapor.

Re the Yonex I really wanted it to work for me as the construction of the shoe is so solid. i just couldn't get it to fit. maybe an extra half size might help?

 

[WildVolley]

I agree. I have never rolled an ankle playing tennis. I have used the Vapor line before which must rate as the least supportive shoe out there. Perhaps my movement is not as dynamic as some others? I would have thought the Babolat offers significantly more support than the Vapor.

Re the Yonex I really wanted it to work for me as the construction of the shoe is so solid. i just couldn't get it to fit. maybe an extra half size might help?

Hard to say about the Yonex fit. Your foot may be truly too wide or just not match up with the Yonex last. In my limited experience of trying them on, I thought the latest Vapor was definitely narrower than the Yonex 304.

My feet are just slightly wide up front (probably only an E) with a wide toe-spread. The Yonex simply fit me better than Prince T22s or Viper VIs. Most Nike and Adidas shoes quickly cause foot pain. I haven't found a New Balance last that fits my foot even though they definitely will make wider shoes.

Fuji said his feet are just slightly wide, so I think Yonex are a definite option for him.

 

[mmk]

Prince Viper mids.

 

[Tyler91]

Reviews say that the KSwiss Big Shot is very wide...haven't tried them myself.

 

[hcb0804]

Reviews say that the KSwiss Big Shot is very wide...haven't tried them myself.

Not that wide^^^^^^

 

[S&V Specialist]

Barricade 7's...

 

[WildVolley]

Prince Viper mids.

These are a possibility, but I found the viper VIs weren't as wide as the previous model despite claiming to be on the same last. The mid will give you feedback that your ankle is rolling over, but at the expense of more weight on an already heavy shoe.

The NFS last seems to be a good idea, but the Viper VI is a heavy and stiff shoe. I didn't find it wider than normal and because it was so stiff, it took a long break-in period to soften up enough to not crush my toes or kill my feet. It is fairly comfortable now that it is broken in.

I wish Prince would use the NFS last on a performance shoe, but years ago when they were answering questions on this board, they stated they had no intention of using it in a performance shoe. Apparently, the market for the straighter last tends to be players who value durability far more than performance.

 

[Chotobaka]

Prince t22 sounds perfect for you because they are slightly wide, 6 month outsole guarantee and good cushioning. good price too

Co-sign. If you need room in the forefoot and toe box, but still want a snug fit on the heel, these will work perfectly. Very good cushioning. While not as overtly supportive as my old Barricade V's, I have had no issues at all with stability. And they come in all-black.

 

[mmk]

These are a possibility, but I found the viper VIs weren't as wide as the previous model despite claiming to be on the same last. The mid will give you feedback that your ankle is rolling over, but at the expense of more weight on an already heavy shoe.

The NFS last seems to be a good idea, but the Viper VI is a heavy and stiff shoe. I didn't find it wider than normal and because it was so stiff, it took a long break-in period to soften up enough to not crush my toes or kill my feet. It is fairly comfortable now that it is broken in.

I wish Prince would use the NFS last on a performance shoe, but years ago when they were answering questions on this board, they stated they had no intention of using it in a performance shoe. Apparently, the market for the straighter last tends to be players who value durability far more than performance.

Prince did have the Cobras, which were also built on the NFS last, and presumably more performance oriented, but I didn't like them all that well. I've never needed to break in any generation of the Vipers, but the NFS fits me really well.

Unfortunately the choices are very limited for mids. Because I live close to one of TW's competitors I've been able to try on every mid on the market, and the Viper is the only one that feels good for me. I really wanted to like the K-Swiss Tubes or Ultrascendors, but never felt comfortable. I guess I could try moving away from mids and using ankle braces instead. Once you've turned your entire lower leg black from a sprained ankle, you become very conscious of footwear.