Table Tennis Shoes

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Okay, so, I was recently using one of the top of the line Stiga table tennis shoes: http://stigatabletennis.com/en/products/shoe-center-court/

They look pretty good. They look like they are made to hold up to the stress of play. I found that this was not the case though. The sole of the shoe was fine. But the upper was no good at all. They were not capable of withstanding LATERAL MOVEMENT. How could they make at table tennis shoe that cannot withstand lateral movement? That question is still bugging me. Within 2 months of starting to use those Center Court shoes, the material on the upper was torn away from the sole on ALL 4 SIDES: on the outer edges of my foot from the little tow to the center of my foot, and on the inner edges of my foot from the ball of my foot to the center of my inner arch. The soles are still fine, but they top is more like a sandal than a shoe at this point.

Now, having wrecked those shoes, I was in the market for something that would perform better and hold up to some of the action and work that happens in table tennis.

I was looking at Mizuno shoes and Butterfly shoes. I was about to buy the Butterfly Energy Force X

http://www.butterflyonline.com/inve...&CatId={91F32EC5-859C-401F-BAB1-5BD9D534F7C6}

I did not like the price, but they were there and they fit. $125.00 USD is a lot, in my opinion for a pair of table tennis shoes. But then I noticed something. On the sole of the shoe it said "Asics". I did not think Asics shoes cost as much as $125.00. But, I guess, Asics shoes that say Butterfly on them do. :) Now, even in that link above, on the Butterfly website, if you look closely at the pattern on the sole of the shoe, it says Asics. If Asics was selling them, I wonder what they would cost.

Anyway, this got me thinking. I remembered someone, somewhere told me that INDOOR SOCCER (football) shoes have almost the same exact specs as table tennis shoes. So I looked at Asics indoor soccer shoes.

http://www.soccer.com/IWCatProductP...e=c&cagpspn=&gclid=CI-hvYeSnLsCFXHxOgod1xMAnQ

Only $52.00 USD, and those look a lot like the cool Mizunos.

What I ended up getting was Nike Gato II indoor soccer shoes:

http://www.soccer.com/product/?nike-fc247-gato-ii---black/white/metallic-silver-10371383

They are perfect, they are definitely better than any table tennis shoe I have used before. I am sure they are as good as the Butterfly Energy Force X or the top of the line Mizunos, and I paid $50.00 USD.

The sole is Gum Rubber. The sole is thin just like a table tennis shoe, same thickness. Perhaps it is a fraction of an inch thicker. The upper is a mix of mesh and real leather. There is truthfully, not very much mesh though and it is only on the side of the foot near the ankle. And the footbed is way better quality than the footbeds I have felt in any table tennis shoe I have seen so far.

Upsides, more sturdy, sole is stronger sides are stronger. Sole grips just like a table tennis shoe. The shoe is designed to withstand lateral movements. The better footbed makes it less likely that the shoe will give you, or aggravate, plantar fasciitis which some table tennis players I know have gotten from using regular table tennis shoes.

Downsides, because so much of the upper is leather, these shoes are less breathable than any of the table tennis shoes I have used. I think I can live with that for a higher quality shoe that is made to withstand the stress of table tennis and more.

Why didn't I get the Asics. There is a simple reason: the store I went to did not have the Asics. The Nikes were there. At first I thought I would just go home and order the Asics on-line. But then I decided to try on the Nikes. I am glad I did.

I am happy and I think I will be using Indoor Soccer shoes for the foreseeable future.
 
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I figured would put some photos of the Stiga Shoes:

IMG_0213.jpgIMG_0214.jpg

IMG_0215.jpgIMG_0216.jpg

It is true that I used these shoes for about 6 months after they started ripping. But, the rips happened within 2 months of me starting to use them. And I have never had any kind of shoe rip like that. You can see that it is the material that they made the shoes with that is weak and tore. The Material could not withstand the lateral movement.
 
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I am using this one Carl
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=a...w.ebay.com%2Fbhp%2Fasics-gel-domain;1000;1000

Its really great in terms of lateral support and overall cushioning for the joints. However, it comes with the downside of having thicker soles that I personally don't like. But my ACLs are damaged so I prefer these to the table tennis shoes.

I am not sure about the Nike ones though. They were really popular in my club but someone did complain about its longevity. Will wait for your experience.

P.S. I used to use these for practice , for match play I used to change to Energy force , quarter of an inch lower I suppose.
 
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Wow that is really bad, quite shocking tbh.

I have been using Mizuno for many years and most people I know who uses Mizuno wear it until the sole has holes in it.
One can see the sides have wear and tear, but not to your extent.
your one looks more like quality issue as it is tearing off on all 4 sides.
Your sole still looks fine - really doesn't match (sole and sides)

Mizuno to me is the best in terms of price, quality and options - both soft flooring and hard floorings
 
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I am using this one Carl
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=asics+indoor+volleyball+shoes&client=firefox-a&hs=4Ch&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:eek:fficial&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=VhmiUsrzIMWIrQfih4DoBA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=668#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=FWHtx6qTEOJD1M%3A%3BEMDPTa9VLrZfbM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fgalleryplus.ebayimg.com%252Fws%252Fweb%252F350718842154_1_0_1%252F1000x1000.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.com%252Fbhp%252Fasics-gel-domain%3B1000%3B1000

Its really great in terms of lateral support and overall cushioning for the joints. However, it comes with the downside of having thicker soles that I personally don't like. But my ACLs are damaged so I prefer these to the table tennis shoes.

I am not sure about the Nike ones though. They were really popular in my club but someone did complain about its longevity. Will wait for your experience.

P.S. I used to use these for practice , for match play I used to change to Energy force , quarter of an inch lower I suppose.

I have heard that indoor Volleyball shoes are pretty good for table tennis as well. The ones you are using look pretty decent. I know a few people who don't like the soles as thin as regular table tennis shoes so they use indoor volleyball. Good choice.

I will let you know how they hold up, but they seem pretty solid to me. They cannot be as bad as those Stiga shoes though. LOL
 
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Wow that is really bad, quite shocking tbh.

I have been using Mizuno for many years and most people I know who uses Mizuno wear it until the sole has holes in it.
One can see the sides have wear and tear, but not to your extent.
your one looks more like quality issue as it is tearing off on all 4 sides.
Your sole still looks fine - really doesn't match (sole and sides)

Mizuno to me is the best in terms of price, quality and options - both soft flooring and hard floorings

Definitely a material/quality issue. The soles are in very good shape. The soles are actually real good. But the material on the sides is definitely not able to withstand the stress of lateral movements.

I have only heard good things about Mizuno.
 
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Lads, the best shoes ever (and I used to wear Mizuno wave drive) in terms of cushioning, movement, light weight, and quality are my current shoe - the Asics Gel Blade Lyte attack 3. Pricey, but worth every single penny.
 
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Lads, the best shoes ever (and I used to wear Mizuno wave drive) in terms of cushioning, movement, light weight, and quality are my current shoe - the Asics Gel Blade Lyte attack 3. Pricey, but worth every single penny.

Those do look pretty good. And, they are table tennis shoes made by a regular shoe company. When what I am wearing are done, I will give them a try. But these Nike indoor soccer shoes I got, are so far, pretty darn good.
 
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Yea that's quite interesting, my Donic-Speedflex shoes also tore up on the sides like yours after just few months of training. But I've looked on some asics on ebay and they can be quite costly too, like 40-50£ while I can buy some Stiga shoes for just 25£. But I've looked on some indoor football shoes and what do you think about these would they be good? They cost 27£.
http://www.sportsdirect.com/adidas-super-sala-mens-indoor-football-trainers-263186?colcode=26318638
http://www.sportsdirect.com/nike-5-davinho-mens-indoor-football-trainers-261194

Or shall I opt for more like these which are for the actual indoor tennis
http://www.sportsdirect.com/nike-court-shuttle-v-mens-tennis-shoes-145215?colcode=14521546
 
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says Do you guys have streaks where you are just not playing...
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Its no secret that the Butterfly branded shoes are made (well, certainly used to up to last year) by Asics.
 
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tpa325.gif
hmm these shoes really look like energy force x from butterfly. Just compare them:
93480.jpg

Compare this one to the Butterfly Energy Force X:

tpa328.jpg


It is definitely the exact same sole.
 
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And the Nike indoor soccer shoes that I got are really great. No complaints. Especially since I paid $50.00.

Here is what they look like:

2174586-p-MULTIVIEW.jpg

For more angles, here is a link: http://www.zappos.com/nike-nike-gat...white?ef_id=Usv7XwAABK1tAxHP:20140107130431:s

They work really well, they are strong and well designed. A little less breathable than some Table Tennis shoes because the upper is almost all leather. But they perform really well and are very comfortable.
 
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so i'm pretty inexperienced with table tennis at a competitive level as of now, so could someone give me a run down on what is so special about table tennis shoes specifically? I've played tennis my whole life and i've always just played table tennis in my tennis shoes. My running shoes would be lighter, but tennis shoes made sense to me as the movement in tennis is similar to the movement in table tennis, just on a different scale. The biggest thing for me is that they have great side support for lateral movement and not turning an ankle, thoughts?
 
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so i'm pretty inexperienced with table tennis at a competitive level as of now, so could someone give me a run down on what is so special about table tennis shoes specifically? I've played tennis my whole life and i've always just played table tennis in my tennis shoes. My running shoes would be lighter, but tennis shoes made sense to me as the movement in tennis is similar to the movement in table tennis, just on a different scale. The biggest thing for me is that they have great side support for lateral movement and not turning an ankle, thoughts?

Yes, your are right about the movement and support.
Other than light, other factor is hard flooring or soft flooring (rubber mats) and then grip.
For soft flooring, it is advices to use thin soles, while hard flooring - a medium sole. If the sole is too high, it could lead to ankle injury too.
 
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so i'm pretty inexperienced with table tennis at a competitive level as of now, so could someone give me a run down on what is so special about table tennis shoes specifically? I've played tennis my whole life and i've always just played table tennis in my tennis shoes. My running shoes would be lighter, but tennis shoes made sense to me as the movement in tennis is similar to the movement in table tennis, just on a different scale. The biggest thing for me is that they have great side support for lateral movement and not turning an ankle, thoughts?

Yep, Tony's Table Tennis has given a decent answer. As both of you said, you want lateral support because there is a lot of lateral movement in table tennis. If you play outside, tennis shoes would be as good as anything. When you play indoors, on a surface that was thought out for table tennis, table tennis shoes or something similar, are worth it. My footwork is considerably better with good TT shoes. It is very noticeable to me at this point. Every so often I will walk into a place that has tables but the flooring is brick, or concrete or something. Then good sneakers like tennis shoes would be better than TT shoes.

Table tennis shoes are very low to the ground. The sole of the shoe is very thin so your foot is as close to the ground as possible. There is very little heel. The heel is about the same thickness as the ball of the foot. They are pretty light and they are designed for lateral movement which is why I was so annoyed with those Stiga shoes which are being sold as top of the line shoes and are clearly not capable of handling lateral movement at all.

Table tennis shoes have gum rubber soles because they are designed for indoor courts. You do not want to wear them out in the street. They do not have enough support for your heel or arch to wear as a regular shoe and if you tried to do that you could end up with Plantar Fasciitis. Also, if you wore them out in normal outdoor conditions, the rubber on the sole of the shoe would only take days to wear through.

Shoes that are good to use for indoor TT that are not table tennis shoes: Indoor soccer (futball) shoes have almost the exact same specs as TT shoes. They are just a tiny bit less breathable and a tiny bid more heavy duty. Indoor Volleyball shoes are similar enough with a slightly higher heel. These are particularly good for someone who has already had plantar fasciitis or someone who is on the older side where wearing shoes with almost no sole would not be good for them.

If you look at the photos of my indoor soccer shoes, you can see how thin the soles are. If you compare them to some of the photos of table tennis shoes you will see they are similar but the indoor soccer shoes have less breathability, and are perhaps a tiny bit heavier.

If you read this post from TTMonster and look at the link, you can see that the Indoor Volleyball shoes he is using have a little higher heel than any of the TT shoes. And he does a nice job of explaining why he uses indoor volleyball shoes rather than TT shoes:

I am using this one Carl
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=a...w.ebay.com%2Fbhp%2Fasics-gel-domain;1000;1000

Its really great in terms of lateral support and overall cushioning for the joints. However, it comes with the downside of having thicker soles that I personally don't like. But my ACLs are damaged so I prefer these to the table tennis shoes.

I am not sure about the Nike ones though. They were really popular in my club but someone did complain about its longevity. Will wait for your experience.

P.S. I used to use these for practice , for match play I used to change to Energy force , quarter of an inch lower I suppose.
 
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