Footwear/Blister Issues

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Ok so I am just wondering really what the benefits are to spending a fair amount on table tennis shoes are.
I have a cheap Tibhar pair and I keep getting blisters/hard skin at the bottom inside on my big toes as well as blisters on the outside of small toes.
I tried to wear regular footwear, even my most comfortable but still get them.
I tried my older more expensive table tennis shoes and still had problems.

Is it worth investing in expensive table tennis shoes and if I do what is the usual recommended fit, tight, regular or loose.
Or can I get away with some comfort running shoes or something
 
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Check your size with a shoe sizer at the store, if possible. You could be wearing half a size too small. But then again, it is not common for table tennis shoes to come in wide width.
 
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I have this problem also, I usually add a set of insoles, which helps. I've also noticed that some of it is caused by my poor footwork, that when I move I often have too much weight on one leg. If this is your problem too then expensive shoes won't solve it
 
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No idea about blisters and stuff but YES, it is definitely worth investing in GOOD shoes, not only in table tennis shoes but shoes in general. One of the remaining things in life where quality really pays off :D

Now, good shoes is not the same as expensive shoes. You can get a good pair of table tennis shoes for ~ 60 € already which is not too expensive I think. I know that ASICS are very popular these days, personally I got stuck with my Mizuno Wave Drive shoes. It does not have to be the newest Butterfly model for $ 150 but I would not recommend the cheapest models a brand offers neither. Used to play with 30 € JOOLA shoes a few years ago followed by some cheap TIBHAR shoes and I thought both are good enough. When I have tried some Mizuno / ASICS models by a happy coincidence I have only then noticed how bad my first shoe models really were. Huge difference in comfort.
 
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Invest in buying special "sports" socks, made of thick cotton. Any big sports store usually has them. But from my experience, if you are serious about table tennis, then these things (blisters, calluses, ...) are something that you will have to tolerate and live with. Especially if your feet have some unique features (mine do).
 
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I would advise you to try using good sport insoles. I don't think your problem is the shoo but the weight transfer when you play and the way you stand. The best way is to go to an orthopedist or try some kind of automated diagnostic(usually you can find such things in orthopedic shops), something like Aetrex istep which will tell you what's the weight distribution on your feet when you stand and maybe explain why you have those blister problems.
 
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Blisters happen because there's too much friction. This might be because your shoes is too small (does not have to be length, could be missing widths) or because your shoes are too big and you slip inside them. What you can do is wear thicker socks to have them narrower. It also happens when you sweat a lot which causes friction. You might want to use running socks (same material as sports shirts). When the fit of the shoe in general is not good, I'd recommend a new pair, you can't fix that really if that is the case:

Source: I work in a sports shop
 
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A sock like this:

https://www.nike.com/t/dry-elite-15-crew-basketball-socks-bkTvk8zA/SX5593-411

that fits snug, will do more to help than most people realize. It is not that it is thick. It is not that it is cotton. Because these socks are not. And I would not wear them for walking around in the street. It is that they wrap and fit snug on your feet. And they are thicker where you need them to be. But, more than anything else, these really wrap your fee snugly so that, even if your foot was moving in your shoe, the foot will not move around in the sock. At least if you get the right size for you.

And, yes, on socks like this, you should wear the one that says R on your right foot because the two socks are actually different and the L sock will not protect as much of what needs to be protected on your right foot as it will on your left. And it will not fit the same way on the wrong foot. So, it would move around on your foot more.

But it is true, if you are moving laterally, over and over again, for a few hours, and rotating on your feet on every stroke, your feet will get callused. But, if you are getting blisters, socks like these and shoes that fit properly, and that are tied properly, should help.

And when you do have high quality table tennis shoes, you can tell the difference between them and lower quality ones. Shoes and socks for the kind of movement that happen in TT should fit kind of like a glove. They should fit perfectly so your feet move in your socks and your socks move in your shoes as little as possible. Not tight. But snug. You don't really want the extra comfort of wiggle room. In TT wiggle room means your feet will be sliding around inside your shoes as you move laterally and pivot.
 
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TT shoes 2.jpg

So the Blue Tibhar ones are cheap I got from bribartt clearance costing only £25. The ones on the right are Yonex and more than twice the price which I used years ago when I played.
Both fit well. I have tried both thin and thicker socks with the Tibhar with no difference.
I haven't tried using the Yonex except the one time I already had blisters so I will give it another few go's with it before I look into purchasing any other shoes, socks or insoles.

Is the hard callus thing a common? It started off as mild blisters before turning into callus. Just wondering if I soak and get rid of it will I have to go through blisters and callus again lol. I don't remember getting this when I played years ago...
 
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Some 5 years ago I was suffering from toe blisters which I got constantly even after a couple of hours of intensive play.

I wasn't sure what was causing them, cause it seemed that I had rather comfortable TT shoes which didn't produce any pressure points on my feet. First thing I tried to solve this problem I bought a couple of different brands low friction running anti-blister socks. That didn't help. Then I tried some super expensive high end nike anti blister socks which had a toe part made from two layers stitched together so the inner part of is moving somewhat freely in the outer part thus reducing friction between your toes and your shoes. These socks helped a somewhat. Also there are 5-toe antiblister socks (they look funny), but I didn't try them. Another thing I tried was a special compeed anti blister stick. You rub it on the places you tend to have blisters. It didn't produce any significant effect.

So after trying all this, the only thing that was left were the shoes. After changing them, the problem went away.

I am also unsure if soles can solve the blister problem. As mentioned, they can make your shoe soles feel more absorbing preventing joint damage, help if you bought shoes which are too big (maybe..), also if the arch support of the original insoles isn't right for you.

So generally, the main reason for blister are shoes of the wrong size in any dimension...

If it seems that your shoes fit comfortably, my first suggestion as it was mentioned would be to try buying some special anti blister socks. Putting 2 socks might also help as this can reduce the friction (it was a common practice backpacking when you have to walk for a long distances with the backpack, etc...). But don't use cotton socks, cotton keeps the moisture, look for synthetic fibers.
 
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@Carl: The link to your sock does not work anymore (product not available) but I am curios to which article you have linked us.

Funny. Maybe the link works where I am. And not where you are.

It was just a link to Nike Basketball socks. Maybe I will show a photo of the ones I am carrying. But just do a search for Nike Basketball socks and several color variations of the socks will come up.


Sent from The Subterranean Workshop by Telepathy
 
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