Best Pickleball Shoes 2021: Reviews + Buying Guide

Pickleball is a sport that was invented out of boredom. Yes! It was when three fathers tried to entertain their kids and came up with this amazing pickleball game in the process.

It combines the elements of badminton, ping-pong and tennis. So, you are no short of fun and exciting elements as you play this super innovative sport. But, do you need any special accessories to play the game?

You will need pickleball paddles, a pickleball ball, a net, and what else? Yes! You should have the best pickleball shoes!

However, you will not find designated shoes for pickleball in the market, but you can surely find shoes that share similar qualities. So, we have found the best pickleball shoe as K-Swiss Men’s Express Light Shoe for excellent ventilation and cushioning.

Though you are not short of options to explore as this guide discusses detailed reviews of the five best shoes to help you win a pickleball game. So, let’s dive in.

A Spotlight On Some of The Best Pickleball Shoes 2021:

 

Top 5 Best Pickleball Shoes to Choose from

With the right pair of pickleball shoes, you can play the game outdoors as well as indoor. Some players might think that ordinary shoes are suitable and efficient, but they are not designed to provide quick footwork.

So, the sport based on agility and skill is won with the best pickleball shoes. Let’s go through the detailed reviews to understand how they help improve your game.

Adidas Barricade Classic Bounce Tennis Shoe

Anyone looking for pickleball shoe land on Adidas Barricade will appreciate the stability and comfort of the shoes.

The shoes are known for their durability and formidable stability, making the shoes perfect for pickleball. Also, the shoes naturally conform to your foot to provide optimum comfort. What else? It boasts a forged mesh upper to maximize the comfort level.

The mesh upper will make sure that you can conveniently change direction, flex, or lunge easily. Further, the toe and formidable sole will give you enough support to provide the desired grip on-court.

The strong and durable soles can take the beating of hard and tough outdoor surfaces as well as indoor courts. Thus, the shoes will minimize the risk of twisting ankle and slippage and provide exceptional traction on the outdoor courts.

In addition to that, the upper-mesh develops a breathable shoe, making it comfortable to wear and lightweight.

The shoe boasts full-length AdiPRENE and cushioning along with supportive barricade chassis. However, the seamless bootie construction that comes with Geofit offers a stable and comfortable fit.

The ADITUFF toe protection will protect your fragile toes. Along with toe protection, the shoe has a wrap-around medial forefoot that helps to protect from abrasion that can occur due to extreme lateral movements.

New Balance Men’s 786v2 Cushioning Tennis Shoe

With the New Balance 786v2 Cushioning Tennis Shoe, you can consider playing with ease and convenience to improve your game.

The shoe is made with durable leather aerated with mesh strips to provide good ventilation to your feet. This way, your feet won’t get too sweaty and hot, and you can play with utmost comfort.

The rubber outsole does not wear down with frequent use, making it highly durable. Also, it will provide enough traction so that you won’t slip or fall on the court as you hustle for the ball.

Further, the shoe has a long-wear drag tip which limits the drag to make you most as quickly as you can.

The shoe is equipped with Abzorb technology. What does it do? It offers exceptional cushioning to make you feel lightweight and it also absorbs the shock. By doing so, it transfers the energy as you land and offer excellent takeoff power.

Besides, the shoe can provide decent heel and arch support to keep your heels and arch stable on the ground. Besides, the C-Cap midsole is great when it comes to providing a combination of support and cushioning.

K-Swiss Women’s Hypercourt Express Tennis Shoe

If you want to take your pickleball game to the next level, you might be able to do that with K-Swiss Women’s Hypercourt Express tennis shoes. This beautiful-looking shoe comes with a hefty price tag, but that’s all worth the money.

Once you purchase it, you will not have to replace the shoe in the long run. The shoe comes with a drag guard rubber outsole, which makes it perfect for outdoor pickleball courts. Also, the shoe is well suited and designed to handle scratches and tear on the concrete court.

The shoe is known to provide excellent traction, comfort, durability and breathability. Moreover, it is built from synthetic upper, high-quality textiles and molded polyurethane.

For exceptional stability and support throughout the game, the shoe comes with mid-foot support chassis. Additionally, the midsole functions well when it comes to shock absorption.

If you talk about comfort, it offers more cushioning than any of the other shoes. Therefore, you can use the shoe properly as it doesn’t take time to break in due to enough cushioning.

Though the shoe comes with low arch support, the cushion and shape support the arches. Also, the Durawrap on the uppers provides exceptional stability to the players.

ASICS Men’s Gel-Resolution 7 Tennis Shoe

If anyone has ever tried Asics Men’s Gel-Resolution 7 Tennis Shoe will appreciate its durability, support and stability. With efficient performance, it does not compromise on providing the ultimate comfort.

Asics Gel-Resolution is made with highly durable polyurethane upper material. It offers a seamless fit while provides excellent stability and support.

With the AHAR+ rubber outsole, it provides a strong grip with the modified herringbone tread.

The shoe comes with a GEL cushioning system. The Asics Signature system offers the explosive snug right from where you stand and starts to run. Moreover, the midfoot is wrapped with Trusstic System to prevent twisting of the ankle.

The upper material has FlexionFit Tru wrap to protect the foot. It also enhances breathability for optimum comfort. Besides, a PGuard toe protector will protect the toe and ensure that the shoe will remain in good condition in the long run.

For comfortable and custom fit, the Personal Heel fit collar molds around the back of the foot. So, it will provide the ultimate stability and comfort if you are playing on hard court surfaces.

The comfort and shock absorption technology makes the unique selling points of the shoe. Also, it can take extreme impacts on the aggressive game, and it provides excellent traction to play on different courts.

K-Swiss Men’s Express Light Shoe

The last pick for the best pickleball shoes is none other than K-Swiss Men’s Express Light Shoes. K-Swiss is the first brand to develop shoes dedicated to playing pickleball.

The shoe is for anyone who likes to play the game regularly and spend ample time on such courts. Therefore, it is suitable for anyone from beginner to intermediate player. Also, the affordability of the shoe makes it worth buying in the market.

It comes with a unique EVA formula to maximize the cushioning and make it last longer than expected. So in comparison to regular sneakers, the shoe will function effectively for a few extra months.

The Ortholite technology will improve breathability to keep your foot dry, cool and sweat-free. Also, the antimicrobial properties allow proper air circulation to make you and your feet feel comfortable and relaxed as you play.

Apart from that, the outsole will provide sufficient traction in both outdoor and indoor courts.

The shoe is equipped with heel grip lining that is made from interlocking fibers. That grips the sock and reduces the heel slippage, and maximizes protection. Besides, its 180 degrees thermal plastic Plantar Support Chassis promotes mid-foot stability.

Things to Consider Before Purchasing the Best Pickleball Shoes

Shoes include multiple parts, and each part is essential to provide ultimate fit and comfort. So, you must look into the fundamental components of the shoes, such as toe area, materials, laces and soles, to find your suitable pickleball shoe.

To find the best pickleball shoes, you should consider the following crucial points:

• 360- degree movements and stability
• Rubber sole should be the priority
• Flexibility in toe areas
• Prefer lightweight shoes
• Use indoor-shoes

Let’s discuss in detail the characteristics you need to consider before purchasing the pickleball shoes.

Right Sole

 

The best soles for pickleball shoes are thick and stiff soles. As you need to jump around and run constantly, you do not want shoes that directly impact your foot.

The thick and stiff soles are made from rubber. The shoes using elastic soles can hurt your feet with sudden movements.

You should look for shoes that provide you with sufficient ankle support. Most pickleball and tennis players face injuries due to twisted ankles. Also, low ankle support can result in long-term bed rest.

Weight – Light or Heavy?

 

You should consider the weight of your shoes as you cannot run in shoes which aren’t comfortable to wear. However, the weight varies from brand to brand and size, so you should carefully pick the brand where you find the suitable match.

For some, lightweight shoes let you run and move at a fast speed. On the other hand, heavy-weight shoes can provide more support. The pickleball players might have different preferences and wear shoes for different purposes.

But, you should choose the shoes which provide you stability regardless of the weight. Also, a lightweight option is great to offer lateral movements.

Breathability

 

No matter what features your shoes have, they should not compromise on breathability. The feature is crucial for those who would spend long hours on outdoor and indoor courts.

Having a breathable pair promotes foot ventilation. As a result, it will improve the game quality by boosting confidence.

On the other hand, sweaty feet can cause injuries. So that’s another reason to purchase shoes that maintain your foot health which exceptional airflow. Also, if the shoes have no airflow, it can increase odor-causing microorganisms.

Solid Grip

 

What do you want the most out of your pickleball shoes? It is a solid and robust grip. The shoes having a rubber outsole provide sufficient grip along with ease of use and durability.

Also, you should look for soles that work on different surfaces. However, not all soles can work on both surfaces. Outdoor court surfaces are tough and rough, easily making rubber wear out. Here, you should look for a reinforced rubber sole for a perfect grip.

It is slippery and smooth for indoor surfaces, and you can use natural gum rubber sole for an exceptional grip.

Good Cushioning and Traction

 

The pickleball shoes with proper cushioning can help improve the game and also won’t hurt your feet due to sudden impacts. As a pickleball player, you will have to tackle the unexpected paddle shots, and you never know when you will have to land your foot suddenly.

Moreover, cushioning prevents tears and sprains while providing the required comfort.

For slippery grounds and indoor surfaces, you will need pickleball shoes offering excellent traction. The shoe friction will prevent any unwanted accidents and slippage. Also, shoes with rubber material are known for providing enough traction.

The shoes with TRUSSTIC system technology, torsion systems, and forefoot gel cushioning systems improve traction. So, you should understand different traction systems before purchasing the best pickleball shoes.

Playing Style

 

It is important to keep your style in mind while buying pickleball shoes. In addition to fashion style, your playing style also matters. If you are not familiar, pickleball includes different playing styles.

There is a serve-and-volley style, and another is driving shots from the baseline.

In the former, you have to keep your toes in control as the style requires toe movements. Thus, you can choose reinforced toe caps shoes for this style. In contrast, the second style involves side-to-side movements. For this style, you can look for shoes with high lateral support.

Shock Absorption

 

Shock Absorption is similar to cars which reduce and absorb the excess force transferred to other parts during impact. Also, the quick movements you make while playing pickleball can result in such impacts.

You can look for shoes that include varying technology like pads, waves and gel. Everything reduces the damage which can be caused due to the impacts on foot.

Apart from that, look for stability and comfort as not all shoes come with adequate shock absorption technology. For example, you should avoid those shoes that have good shock absorption technology but lacks support.

Brand

 

Pickleball shoes are available at various famous brands. Each brand has its own features and specifications for shoes for different playing styles and levels.

Not all brands can provide you with the same quality, so you should check the worth and consistency of the brand’s quality. However, brands such as Prince, Adidas, K-Swiss, Nike, and Asics are well-known and reputable brands.

But why purchasing good-quality shoes are important from trusted brands? A poor-quality shoe can cause discomfort and pain in your joints, lower back, hips, heels, ankles and knees. So, you should buy a high-quality product considering your health.

Final Thoughts

 

No matter which pair of pickleball shoes you choose, make sure they offer the best stability and traction on your preferred court style. Also, the durability and longevity will depend on the quality and how you would use the shoes.

If you are using and wearing pickleball shoes on the right surface, it will last longer to provide the required comfort and performance.

You can share some of your experiences with the best pickleball shoes with us or comment down any valuable information to guide everyone.