When should I invest in court shoes?

Addy.leigh

New User
I’ve only been seriously practicing tennis for about a month now. I’m in the process of getting a private coach but I haven’t started lessons yet. I go to my schools tennis courts about 5-6 times a week and practice serving and hitting against a wall. Should I go ahead and buy a pair of proper shoes now, or just wear my running shoes until I start playing matches?
 

PistolPete23

Hall of Fame
Tennis is always safer with court shoes. The reason being running shoes tend to sit pretty high off the ground and they also don’t provide much support for side-to-side movements. So it’s easier to twist or roll your ankles when wearing running shoes.
 

Chopin

Legend
In my opinion, definitely purchase tennis sneakers. They don't have to be an expensive pair: just something comfortable and designed for tennis. Basketball sneakers can work too. Runner sneakers are a bad choice though for your safety.
 

Pheasant

Legend
Never, ever, ever scrimp on shoes. My sister, a former all conference tennis player, decided to scrimp on her shoes. She ended up blowing out her ankle(fracture). She said that would have been avoided had she worn proper shoes.

As an avid racquetball player, I finally learned after a bunch of sprained ankles over the years. I finally bought some racquetball-specific shoes and the sprains went away. As a matter of fact, my game also improved as well. It turns out that 150.00 racquetball shoes are 1000 times better than the 150.00 cross training shoes I had.
 

Pheasant

Legend
I don’t remember specifically. The sales rep in the large sporting store helped me out. They are Nikes with a mesh on the outside to breathe better. They have a 1 1/2 inch heel; cross trainers had 2 inch heel
 

dkmura

Professional
I agree with the comments here. Even just starting out playing tennis, footwear is an important piece of equipment. Give yourself the best chance to develop with some decent tennis shoes. You'll progress faster and have less of a chance of getting hurt.
 

johnmccabe

Hall of Fame
I’ve only been seriously practicing tennis for about a month now. I’m in the process of getting a private coach but I haven’t started lessons yet. I go to my schools tennis courts about 5-6 times a week and practice serving and hitting against a wall. Should I go ahead and buy a pair of proper shoes now, or just wear my running shoes until I start playing matches?
private coaching is the most expensive part of tennis learning. if you want to save money on shoes, buy multiple pairs when there is a deal. overall, tennis is an expensive sport if you want to do well. Injury and wasted court time are more costly.
 

Icsa

Professional
Likely not a popular opinion, but if running shoes work for you, keep using them. I have many friends that find better cushion and comfort playing in running shoes than tennis shoes.

You might need to go to tennis shoes depending on your specific case, for instance:
1. do you burn through your outsoles very quick? I do, and this is the reason I moved to tennis shoes.
2. do you break your uppers because you drag your feet when you play tennis? Then you might need tennis shoes with upper protection.
3. do you like to slide more or less than with your current shoes? Different brands of tennis shoes give you more options for sliding.
4. do you roll your ankles? Then you need shoes with more lateral stability. Tennis or basketball.
5. do you get pain in your knees? Then you need shoes and/or insoles with better cushioning and shock absorption.
etc

Some people choose their shoes just because they like the color - just saying :)
 

jimmy8

G.O.A.T.
I came back to tennis after decades of not playing. I just used running shoes. I sprained my ankle multiple times every session, 2-3 times per week for 2-3 months. Now my achilles is messed up and I have pain everyday. I need surgery to repair it. The recovery process is an excruciating year long process.

So buy proper tennis shoes, preferably nicer ones, like yesterday. I buy mine on the bay, the auction site for way cheaper than retail prices. Sometimes they're slightly used, but I have never had a problem with any shoes.
 

ajspurs

Rookie
Would never use running shoes for tennis, personally. The experience may vary between different ones, but I forgot my tennis shoes once when playing and only had the running shoes I was in (Nike Invincible Run) and was actually really surprised by how difficult I found it to move with confidence. Didn't feel like I had near the stability that I needed and I know it may sound dramatic, but it felt a bit dangerous to me also.
 

vokazu

Legend
I bought FILA tennis shoes for my student and it only costs like USD 40 (AUD 65). He said it's very comfortable.

Screenshot-20240617-061443-Chrome-Beta.jpg


Screenshot-20240617-061417-Chrome-Beta.jpg
 

Alcawrath

Professional
The other reason you should get tennis shoes immediately is that running shoes aren't cheap either and you can ruin them in one session on a tennis court if you're moving well.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
IMHO finding legit tennis shoes locally is usually like finding a needle in a haystack. Thankfully we have TW...................but no Bata or Jack Purcell,
D-Converse-04-01-23_NA_SU23-Icons-Site-Updates-Jack-Purcell.jpg
 

stapletonj

Hall of Fame
My 1st tennis shoe was a pr. of Bata's, like other things they floated
il_fullxfull.1647853203_1el1.jpg
OMG!!!! I remember those shoes from the 80s!!!!! My brother and I loved them.
They were super super light, but they wore out literally in less than a month, maybe even a couple of weeks.
WE were the same shoe size and figured out that if we bought them by the case they were less than $20.00 a pair.
We actually bought a case, and went through all of them (replacing them only when we completely wore a hole in the outsole) in a single summer.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
OMG!!!! I remember those shoes from the 80s!!!!! My brother and I loved them.
They were super super light, but they wore out literally in less than a month, maybe even a couple of weeks.
WE were the same shoe size and figured out that if we bought them by the case they were less than $20.00 a pair.
We actually bought a case, and went through all of them (replacing them only when we completely wore a hole in the outsole) in a single summer.
My dubs partner carried a roll of duct tape to patch shoes. Usually wore the tread off of the Bata shoe. Sliding on a Hardcourt
 

Mircat

Rookie
When you realize you only get one set of hips, knees, shins, feet, and other needed body in one's life. And that's it.
 

Addy.leigh

New User
Likely not a popular opinion, but if running shoes work for you, keep using them. I have many friends that find better cushion and comfort playing in running shoes than tennis shoes.

You might need to go to tennis shoes depending on your specific case, for instance:
1. do you burn through your outsoles very quick? I do, and this is the reason I moved to tennis shoes.
2. do you break your uppers because you drag your feet when you play tennis? Then you might need tennis shoes with upper protection.
3. do you like to slide more or less than with your current shoes? Different brands of tennis shoes give you more options for sliding.
4. do you roll your ankles? Then you need shoes with more lateral stability. Tennis or basketball.
5. do you get pain in your knees? Then you need shoes and/or insoles with better cushioning and shock absorption.
etc

Some people choose their shoes just because they like the color - just saying :)
I’ve noticed my running shoes are too cushioned that they make me pretty wobbly especially when I serve
 

brewcrew

Rookie
You need some tennis shoes. Just go to the clearance section of TW and buy some that are ugly but on sale. They will still be just as effective and if you don't play multiple times per week will last you for years. On top of being a safety issue, the court will really tear up any other shoes really fast. Tennis shoes are made with reinforcement in the natural wear areas.
 
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