Good tabletennis shoes

jammmail · Dec 3, 2019

Kolev said:
My feet also hurt after the first two sessions with my Wave Medal 5. I didn't pay much attention to it and continued anoder couple of months untill I realized I have developed plantar fascitis. Now I know that those mizuno are not made to be used on a concrete floor which is mostly what I play on. Too late though.....

This is very interesting as i have been having trouble with my ankle a lot more lately and I'm wearing Wave Medal 5s.

The doctor did suggest Plantar fascitis - but the symptoms aren't exactly the same as for this - its more the side of the ankles either side for me rather than the heel. They also suggested maybe because I have tight hamstrings which are effecting the ankle as a possibility - so i need to do a-lot more stretching exercises to see how that works. I did wonder if it was the shoes.

Where are you getting discomfort?

Airoc · Dec 3, 2019

mart1nandersson said:
How much do the Andro shoes weigh?

332 grams in UK 11

Baal · Dec 3, 2019

Lula said:
hey! i recently got injuried after playing a tournament. I did not do anything special, but the day after my foot was swollen and hur very bad. Went to the doctor today and she said that i have inflammation in the muscles and pinned(what is it called? swedish:klämd) nerves. The reason i got problems could be that my shoes is pretty soft and worn out i would say. I also have pretty long but thin feet so i need to to tighten them up pretty good which could be bad for the foot i think.

I have used Stiga Instinct 2. they are comfortable but to soft and get broken very easily.

I am now looking for shoes that would be good for my feet. Shoes that is a little harder, but still light and shoes that do not get worn out so easily.
I would prefer Tabletennis shoes, but maybe alternatives like badminton shoes could work aswell. I think it is maybe smarter to buy shoes from companys that actually make shoes, lika mizuno or asics.

Please help me to find good shoes!
thanks.

This is an old thread but if you haven't solved your problem, you might want to consider shoes intended for volleyball players, especially if you are tall. Many of these have grip on the bottom similar to TT shoes (good ones are made by Asics and Adidas). They may protect your feet from impact a bit better than TT shoes, although they are a little bit heavier. Here in the US Jimmy Butler uses them. He is very tall and a bit injury prone and can't wear TT shoes. I have a pair and they seem really durable. I can use TT shoes without hurting myself (I like Stiga Instinct) but at the first sign of foot problems would switch to the volleyball shoes.

jammmail · Dec 3, 2019

Baal said:
This is an old thread but if you haven't solved your problem, you might want to consider shoes intended for volleyball players, especially if you are tall. Many of these have grip on the bottom similar to TT shoes (good ones are made by Asics and Adidas). They may protect your feet from impact a bit better than TT shoes, although they are a little bit heavier. Here in the US Jimmy Butler uses them. He is very tall and a bit injury prone and can't wear TT shoes. I have a pair and they seem really durable. I can use TT shoes without hurting myself (I like Stiga Instinct) but at the first sign of foot problems would switch to the volleyball shoes.

Thanks Baal this is useful (though its certainly not to do with height I'm not tall! haha) - how are volleyball shoes defined? Are there any good online retailers that would stock them.

Kuba Hajto · Dec 3, 2019

I agree with Baal, Asics volleyball boots are great value. I've picked up Asics Rocket Gel 8 for 40$ from Asics Outlet. Only takeaway is that they are neon green eye seering color. Functionally they are really great.

Zaid323918 · Dec 3, 2019

I have the asic gel rocket 9s. The sole is a bit too firm for my liking but still the shoe performs great as a tt shoe.

Baal · Dec 3, 2019

Asics Gel Rocket 9 (probably the best at the moment, Jimmy uses these)

Adidas Stabil (I have an old version that is pretty good)

Keven702 · Dec 4, 2019

I just got the mizuno crossmatch plio ev for 50$ in hong kong .I tried on the more expensive pairs of shoes like wave medal and etc... but i found it not as comfortable , not as stable and balanced as crossmatch plio. If you like stable midfoot , balanced, lightweight and flexible you going to like these.

Kuba Hajto · Dec 4, 2019

The only problem I find with Assics Gel Rocket is the fact that they do suck at low temperatures. In `Wieliczka` near `Kraków` there are table tennis fo free to play on (if you do not have your own net, you can lend one for ~1$) but the room they are in is not heated. So sometimes we play on low temperatures. In such conditions these shoes shows suck real bad, because the the padding hets hard and painful. (hard chinese rubbers suck too, because they slip, but that's whole other story).

lasta · Dec 24, 2019

Lula, what did you go with?

Also, anyone suggest shoes with good lateral support and durability? I'd like something with good roll support for side steps.

Not sure if its a technique issue or that I'm too heavy, but my TT shoes only last ~7-8 months before breaking at the outer seam. Last pair was Stiga Instinct for anyone that cares.

piligrim · Dec 24, 2019

highly recommend gel rocket 9. My knee gone gone after I bought this shoes

MOG · Dec 24, 2019

Lula, I have recently bought a pair of Merrel Vapor Glove. They are very thin and more like slippers, they are very light and almost feel like playing barefoot, they give the best grip I have ever experienced, better than Mizuno etc. If you like thin soled shoes they are the best I think you could try.

https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/mer1054/merrell-vapor-glove-3-trail-running-shoes/

View attachment 20406

lasta · Dec 24, 2019

MOG said:
Lula, I have recently bought a pair of Merrel Vapor Glove. They are very thin and more like slippers, they are very light and almost feel like playing barefoot, they give the best grip I have ever experienced, better than Mizuno etc. If you like thin soled shoes they are the best I think you could try.

https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/mer1054/merrell-vapor-glove-3-trail-running-shoes/

Thin soled? How's the knees?

MOG · Dec 24, 2019

its better than slipping

UpSideDownCarl · Dec 25, 2019

MOG said:
Lula, I have recently bought a pair of Merrel Vapor Glove. They are very thin and more like slippers, they are very light and almost feel like playing barefoot, they give the best grip I have ever experienced, better than Mizuno etc. If you like thin soled shoes they are the best I think you could try.

https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/mer1054/merrell-vapor-glove-3-trail-running-shoes/

View attachment 20406

The link says those are running shoes and for outdoors, not for indoor court.

I think you would want an indoor court shoe for TT not an outdoor "bare foot" running shoe.

Those are designed for going straight forward. For TT you would want a shoe designed for support in lateral movement.

Indoor volleyball shoes, indoor soccer shoes, those would be good. But outdoor running shoes for TT actually may not be the best idea.

MOG · Dec 25, 2019

Carl, maybe not, but you don't slip as much, I just wear thick socks. I find them less likely to go over on your ankle for example. They are very good!!

UpSideDownCarl · Dec 25, 2019

MOG said:
Carl, maybe not, but you don't slip as much, I just wear thick socks. I find them less likely to go over on your ankle for example. They are very good!!

If you were doing actual footwork, lateral movements, they might not be so good for what you are doing. I could be wrong. But they do not look at all like they are designed for lateral movement. So, they might be fine for you. But they are not designed for indoor courts which means, if you were playing at a place that only allowed indoor court shoes, and some places do this, then those would not be allowed. And if you were doing movements that were heavy on lateral movements with sharp direction changes, they might be worse for you than you might otherwise realize.

Simply put, those are explicitly stated not to be for anything that you would want them to be for if they were used as TT footwear. Even Tennis or Basketball shoes would be designed better for what you need in TT than those are.

langel · Dec 25, 2019

UpSideDownCarl said:
If you were doing actual footwork, lateral movements, they might not be so good for what you are doing. I could be wrong. But they do not look at all like they are designed for lateral movement. So, they might be fine for you. But they are not designed for indoor courts which means, if you were playing at a place that only allowed indoor court shoes, and some places do this, then those would not be allowed. And if you were doing movements that were heavy on lateral movements with sharp direction changes, they might be worse for you than you might otherwise realize.

Simply put, those are explicitly stated not to be for anything that you would want them to be for if they were used as TT footwear. Even Tennis or Basketball shoes would be designed better for what you need in TT than those are.

Yes, Carl, I agree with you, but just generally.
In this thread, as well as in many others, I've said that for me the ordinary general purpose textile sneakers work the best. And they work the best for some other players too. I agree that special TT shoes are very well designed for TT particularly and they might work the best for the majority of players, and the majority of the players are using exactly that kind of shoes. But at the same time I believe that some, or even many of those players would find the ordinary general purpose textile sneakers to work better if only try them for a month or so.
I think that the MOG's shoes are not exactly for running, they are general purpose and if they are scratchless they would be allowed in any indoor court the same way the ordinary textile sneakers are.
I believe MOG that these shoes are more firm and less slippy even than the special TT shoes, and I've mentioned that many times too. It's easy to explain why. The well cushioned TT shoes, which have thicker sole as well, perform the hard firm anchoring to the floor at some ▲t period after the sole surface has touched the floor, and the sole leaves the floor at some ▲t period after the hard firm anchoring is released. During these ▲t periods the sole is still shivering and the slippage produces scratching noise. If the movement is not correct, the contact might miss the hard firm anchoring and the motion would end slippy. The harder and thinner soles of the ordinary general purpose textile sneakers do anchor much faster and produce much less noise. They are lighter, more flexy, and provide better feeling of floor, position and motion dynamics, which helps the motor system management.
About the ankles - I've had a lot of ankle injuries and I feel my ankles vulnerable playing with anything with thicker soles, even with special TT shoes.
So if a player feels good with such sneakers, let him be. I'm happy with these too.

UpSideDownCarl · Dec 25, 2019

langel said:
Yes, Carl, I agree with you, but just generally.
In this thread, as well as in many others, I've said that for me the ordinary general purpose textile sneakers work the best. And they work the best for some other players too. I agree that special TT shoes are very well designed for TT particularly and they might work the best for the majority of players, and the majority of the players are using exactly that kind of shoes. But at the same time I believe that some, or even many of those players would find the ordinary general purpose textile sneakers to work better if only try them for a month or so.
I think that the MOG's shoes are not exactly for running, they are general purpose and if they are scratchless they would be allowed in any indoor court the same way the ordinary textile sneakers are.
I believe MOG that these shoes are more firm and less slippy even than the special TT shoes, and I've mentioned that many times too. It's easy to explain why. The well cushioned TT shoes, which have thicker sole as well, perform the hard firm anchoring to the floor at some ▲t period after the sole surface has touched the floor, and the sole leaves the floor at some ▲t period after the hard firm anchoring is released. During these ▲t periods the sole is still shivering and the slippage produces scratching noise. If the movement is not correct, the contact might miss the hard firm anchoring and the motion would end slippy. The harder and thinner soles of the ordinary general purpose textile sneakers do anchor much faster and produce much less noise. They are lighter, more flexy, and provide better feeling of floor, position and motion dynamics, which helps the motor system management.
About the ankles - I've had a lot of ankle injuries and I feel my ankles vulnerable playing with anything with thicker soles, even with special TT shoes.
So if a player feels good with such sneakers, let him be. I'm happy with these too.

There is a difference between saying: "these shoes work for me." and: "try these, they are the best thin soled shoes for table tennis."

A tennis shoe, a basketball shoe, that would be fine. An indoor soccer shoe, a badminton shoe, a volleyball shoe, those would be fine.

If Mog likes the MERRELL BAREFOOT TRAIL RUNNING shoe for himself it is fine. If you watch him play, you can sort out why they actually might be fine. I know a guy who is quite a good player who used to play in a different version of barefoot shoes. They were fine for him too. But shoes like that would likely not be good for anyone who moves more.

Here is a line from the description of the Merrell shoe: "This barefoot shoe has a sock-like feel for a locked-down fit,"

It is meant for "barefoot" running outdoors, on trails.

All I will say is think about it.

And understand the difference between saying, "these work for me," and "these are good for table tennis."

"General purpose textile sneakers" would probably work better for TT for most people than those Merrell barefoot trail running sneakers.

Brs · Dec 25, 2019

Idk about anyone else but I have had more problems from my shoes catching on the floor than from slippage or lack of lateral support. A lot of that is down to poor movement and letting my CoG get outside my knee. But *for me only* rolling an ankle is no big deal. I have good flex from running in nike frees on a grass riverbank for years. A foot sliding is no big deal. I have flex enough, although I get pissed about losing the point. Having a shoe with bigtime lateral support catch on the floor and transfer lateral force from my ankle to my knee, which is not designed for that, is a big deal. So I use softer flexy shoes.

A recommendation can be generically right and safe and still be disastrously wrong for a specific person.
Everyone's body is different and we adults who play sport have to use common sense and be responsible for our own safety.

Good tabletennis shoes

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