[Poll] When should tennis shoes be replaced?

[forzamr_b]

When do you decide that your pair needs to be replaced? Personally, I can’t tell if support/cushioning is gone so I rely on thread wear. Should my current pair be replaced, moderate thread wear but so far not experiencing grip issues on the court yet. Been in use for 1 year, averaging 4 hrs of single per week. Reply to share your thoughts.

https://imgur.com/a/tB5WCEb

 

[d-quik]

not experiencing grip issues

If you don't mind the cushioning disappearing, then you should just keep playing. I also don't value cushioning very much either, and replace mines when I start slipping (voted "When you start slipping on the court"), which can completely vary depending on shoe or surface. Some shoes will grip all the way until the midsole is visible. Some shoes will lose grip long before that. A grittier hard court will sometimes allow me to wear any shoe all the way to the midsole. Then there are slicker, smoother courts where just bare tread (like on the medial side of your right shoe) is pretty much a death sentence. It totally depends. Happy new year.

 

[esm]

When I started slipping and feeling tenderness on the knees/hips

 

[McLovin]

Personally, I can’t tell if support/cushioning is gone

So, I’d suggest the main reason for this is that the cushioning degradation is so slow, that you’ve adjusted to the feel over time. I bet if you pulled out a brand new pair of the same model after, say, 6 months, you’d notice a big difference.

Obviously it depends on multiple factors (frequency & style of play, surface, singles or doubles, weight), but I rotate 2 pair of shoes for 6 months, then move on to a new 2 pair (the old pair are relegated to lawn cutting duties). My knees/hips/ankles thank me for it.

 

[socallefty]

When I feel soreness in my knee and tightness in my calf/Achilles or I have to lace so tight after the shoe gets loose that my plantar area in the foot starts hurting. Happens much faster than the sole or upper wearing out on hard courts.

Wear a new pair for a match and if your feet/knees don’t feel as sore as when you wear your old pair, it is time to give your old pair away to charity. Often this can be the case when the upper and sole still looks pretty good.

 

[wxcrawler]

I break down midsoles faster than I go through outsoles. So, I go by how my feet feel after playing a match. If my feet are consistently sore after playing a few times, I know it's time.

 

[Rosstour]

Depends on the shoe. I wore through a pair of Yonex soles long before anything else happened to them, they look and feel perfect otherwise.

My Vapor 9.5s would wear the soles out first and I would slip and tweak my Achilles when they were finished.

Clay Vapor X, cushioning went first obviously. Tore my calf in those while soles looked great

 

[forzamr_b]

So, I’d suggest the main reason for this is that the cushioning degradation is so slow, that you’ve adjusted to the feel over time. I bet if you pulled out a brand new pair of the same model after, say, 6 months, you’d notice a big difference.

Obviously it depends on multiple factors (frequency & style of play, surface, singles or doubles, weight), but I rotate 2 pair of shoes for 6 months, then move on to a new 2 pair (the old pair are relegated to lawn cutting duties). My knees/hips/ankles thank me for it.

Yes, agree. What I meant was I am not sensitive to the slow degradation.

 

[FloridaAG]

When I feel soreness in my knee and tightness in my calf/Achilles or I have to lace so tight after the shoe gets loose that my plantar area in the foot starts hurting. Happens much faster than the sole or upper wearing out on hard courts.

Wear a new pair for a match and if your feet/knees don’t feel as sore as when you wear your old pair, it is time to give your old pair away to charity. Often this can be the case when the upper and sole still looks pretty good.

About the same for me - my guess is that it somewhat depends on age/injury history. For me, cushioning almost always goes before the outsoles these days. If my legs and back (and feet) are more achy than expected based on amount and intensity of play - it is generally time to switch.

No real injury history but I am over 50 and play about 4 times a week - I generally get about 2 months (sometimes longer sometimes less) out of a pair - although now have a little rotation going so will see what impact that has

 

[puppybutts]

I guess I must be a heavy toe dragger. Most of my shoes I had to throw out because it gets worn down under/side of the big toe, which makes the shoes uneven and rickety, causing my knee to roll inward. I finally got rid of my knee pain after 3-4 years and I am not risking going back. It sucks to throw out shoes that look great everywhere else, but it's what I had to do.

One time I tossed a pair because I got ball of foot pain, which isn't something I usually get. I assumed the cushioning had gone dead.

 

[Youngheart]

Watch how the outside edge of the sole is doing. When that gets worn down, it's easier to sprain your ankle, by rolling to the outside.
The outside edge can last longer by using "Shoe-goo" in a line down the edge, about the width of s popsicle stick.
But that has to be redone after about five matches. The liquid rubber really should dry for two days before using the shoes.
------ So Be It ------

 

[Alcawrath]

~4 months is about the threshold for me for various reasons. I've had vapor 11s and Asics gel res 8s that looked fine on the outside but started giving me foot pain after about 4-6 months of hard use. I've had vapor pro 2s that felt fine but had to pitch because I was wearing through the uppers in about 4 months, and I've had Asics speed solutions and the latest adidas barricades that I wore through the outsole in about 2-4 months.

 

[NattyGut]

For my dedicated tennis shoes, I only wear on court and track the # of hours. So “Other” is my vote.

 

[ryohazuki222]

I’m thinking about pulling a foot Dr Zach and cutting open a pair of older shoes that has portions of the sole that’s bare to visually see if I can see what the cushioning looks like.

Still can’t believe there’s not a more tangible way to establish the life left in the midsoles.

 

[socallefty]

Still can’t believe there’s not a more tangible way to establish the life left in the midsoles.

What is more tangible than your body talking to you in the form of pain, soreness, tightness of your foot, Achilles, calves, knees etc.? Listen to your body and you will know when to replace shoes. If you are unsure, wear a new pair for one match and if pain/soreness/tightness of your lower limbs is much less than when you wear your old pair, it is time to replace your old shoes.

Take the same approach with poly strings when they go dead - at the first sign of any tightness in your wrist, arm, shoulder etc., cut them out. Usually you will also start seeing a loss in control at the same time, but some players are not as sensitive to it. Listening to the body is the best way to prevent repetitive injuries and keep playing tennis daily.

 

[ryohazuki222]

What is more tangible than your body talking to you in the form of pain, soreness, tightness of your foot, Achilles, calves, knees etc.? Listen to your body and you will know when to replace shoes. If you are unsure, wear a new pair for one match and if pain/soreness/tightness of your lower limbs is much less than when you wear your old pair, it is time to replace your old shoes.

Take the same approach with poly strings when they go dead - at the first sign of any tightness in your wrist, arm, shoulder etc., cut them out. Usually you will also start seeing a loss in control at the same time, but some players are not as sensitive to it. Listening to the body is the best way to prevent repetitive injuries and keep playing tennis daily.

My body is a liar. And it’s highly dependent on the level of effort from that day.

maybe “precise” is a better word than tangible.

 

[FloridaAG]

I think you are both right to be honest - I understand both points. If you focus on the pains/aches - you will be able to learn over time if it is because of effort/intensity level or a result of the shoes

 

[forzamr_b]

I think you are both right to be honest - I understand both points. If you focus on the pains/aches - you will be able to learn over time if it is because of effort/intensity level or a result of the shoes

Yeah, that’s my biggest learning point from starting this thread. Looking back, there were subtle signs that I didn’t pick up on. For example, legs feeling surprisingly sore when the session didn’t feel that intense. I didn’t make the connection to the shoes and just assumed I wasn’t hydrated enough etc. I happen to have a new pair in storage so I decided to use them in my last session and there was indeed a stark difference in cushioning. The session was too short to truly tell the impact of new shoes, so will be monitoring over the next few weeks. But guess moving forward I do need to have a spare on hand to check cushioning, while I improve my ability to sense the signs from my body.

 

[McGradey]

Same for me as above — when I start getting noticeably more sore in the foot/knees after playing. As I play the vast majority of my tennis on artificial grass, the outsole takes forever to wear down. It's nothing like hard court where the soles wear through much more quickly. After 8+ months of play, my Vapor 11 outsoles showed very little wear, almost like new, but the cushioning was completely gone. I typically buy new shoes once or twice a year.

 

[FloridaAG]

It took me a while to figure out that the additional pain and soreness in my back and legs was the shoe cushioning going as I used to wear out the soles (at least a large part) and not just me getting older

 

[socallefty]

The soles even in sole warranty shoes like Barricades and GRs used to wear out before the support/cushioning wore out till about 3-4 years ago. I used to wear out my sole within 2 months playing 12-15 hours per week on hard courts and get a warranty replacement. But I guess the manufacturers got wise and made the soles extra tough so now when the cushioning/support wears out in 50-80 hours, the sole still looks great. So now I give the shoes away to charity with uppers/sole looking great and hopefully someone gets to use it to just wear around.

 

[adchris2]

usually at the point when I'm just starting to wear through the outsole rubber to the foam. the cushioning is gone at that point, for me

 

[TheBoom]

I feel like it’s different for everyone, but I never let it get to a hole. For me it works out now that I swap shoes out every 4-5 months, but I’m 6’7” 240lbs so I’m harder on shoes than someone 6 inches shorter and 40 lbs lighter. I also slide so I just wear the shoe down fast.

Once the parts of the sole of the shoe I use most start smoothing over, I start looking around. If the shoe’s still good I just switch it to my gym shoe for lifting/workouts. Works great!

 

[FloridaAG]

The soles even in sole warranty shoes like Barricades and GRs used to wear out before the support/cushioning wore out till about 3-4 years ago. I used to wear out my sole within 2 months playing 12-15 hours per week on hard courts and get a warranty replacement. But I guess the manufacturers got wise and made the soles extra tough so now when the cushioning/support wears out in 50-80 hours, the sole still looks great. So now I give the shoes away to charity with uppers/sole looking great and hopefully someone gets to use it to just wear around.

I had the same experience. About or during Covid time is when I had to start replacing for loss of support vs. Sole going and warranty claim. On the plus side, I did not have to only look at warranty shoes. This also may always have been the case and my body just got more sensitive as I have aged. Who knows?

 

[jim e]

The Asics shoes I were hold up nice. When it gets close to wearing through, before that occurs, I switch those to use for walking, and everyday shoes, and open up another new pair. Works for me.