When it comes to badminton shoes vs tennis shoes, they actually have quite a few differences. This is because badminton and tennis have very different playstyles and speed to them. I have done a lot of research on both badminton shoes and tennis shoes. Here’s what I have found…
The main difference when it comes to badminton shoes vs tennis shoes is the weight, flexibility, and the height of the soles. Other than the play styles, badminton and tennis usually play on different types of courts which explains the differences in shoe design.
In this article, I will go in-depth into the differences between the designs of badminton shoes and tennis shoes. Moreover, I will also touch on the play styles of each sport so you understand why these shoes are made differently.
Badminton Shoes Vs Tennis Shoes: Their Differences
Here are some of the differences you will notice when comparing badminton shoes with tennis shoes. Most of these differences are due to the differences in play style. They need to be made differently to maximize the safety of the players in each sport.
Sole Materials
In tennis, there are multiple types of courts you could be playing on. These courts include clay, grass, and hard courts. Hard courts on tennis are either made of asphalt, concrete painted with acrylic or synthetic PU, like those in badminton. Tennis shoes can have hard or soft soles depending on the type of court you are playing tennis on.
These soles are usually made of carbon or blown rubber and sometimes a combination of those 2. Carbon rubber is a tough material that is stiffer than blown rubber. The soles of tennis shoes need to be thicker and harder than badminton’s to prevent it from wearing out too quickly due to the rough surfaces tennis play on.
When it comes to badminton shoes, there are not as many varieties in terms of sole materials and patterns. This is because badminton only really plays on one type of proper court, which is made of synthetic PU. That being said, there are wooden and outdoor concrete courts to play badminton on but those are not as popular. If you want to get the best experience playing badminton, synthetic PU courts are the way to go.
Badminton shoes all use the gum rubber as the material for their soles. Gum rubber is a soft and light material that is usually yellowish in color yet. They provide am amazing grip for you on dry indoor synthetic PU courts.
Pattern of Soles
The pattern of the soles can also be different in tennis shoes. For instance, tennis shoes used on clay will have a herringbone tread (zig-zag) pattern to avoid clay from getting stuck between your soles. This will prevent you from losing grip on clay surfaces. Tennis shoes made for grass courts have a pimple pattern that provides an awesome grip on dew. Shoes with these patterns can only be used in grass courts.
But for badminton, the patterns of the soles are pretty much the same, since they only really design these shoes for 1 type of court in mind.
The Design
Weight and flexibility is something badminton shoes really focus on. When playing badminton, you need to move around the court swiftly with various types of movements and in all directions. Flexibility is very important for this because the shoes will need to shape into your feet quickly when you move around. Badminton shoes make it easy for you to do shorts like overhead clears or jumping smash.
On the other hand, tennis shoes are stiffer, heavier, and have more padding around the heels. This is made to protect your joins from the impact of running across the court. Tennis shoes are made more like running shoes in terms of design. As you may or may not know, tennis is a sport that requires a lot of running across the court side by side.
Weight
Like I’ve mentioned above, badminton shoes are designed with weight in mind. They need to be as lightweight as possible so it does not hold you back from the speed you can move in. If you want to have speedy footwork in badminton, the weight of your shoes will be a huge determining factor.
Tennis shoes are heavier because of the thicker padding with a raised heel to cushion you from the impact of running across court. Running with shoes with thin soles such as those on badminton shoes is a bad idea. With a thin sole, your feet will be able to feel the ground a lot more. You will start to feel it after running a few laps with some decent intensity. Tennis shoes are made to prevent that.
Price
When it comes to price, badminton shoes are definitely cheaper than tennis shoes, especially on the high end. There are cheap shoes for both sports but if you want to get the best of the best shoes, tennis will be a lot more expensive. High-end badminton shoes are actually pretty affordable when you compare them with high-end tennis shoes.
Badminton Gameplay
Badminton is one of, if not, the fastest racket game in the world. It is played with a lightweight racket combined and a shuttlecock. This is a very popular indoor court game, especially around Asia. With a maximum of 2 people on each side of the court, the goal is to hit the shuttle to your opponents across the net. Once the shuttle hits the ground, the point is over. It can get very intense very quickly especially if you are playing at a high level.
There is a variety of fast movements and footwork involved in badminton. Therefore, it is important for badminton shoes to be lightweight. The movements in badminton are more like chasses (small quick explosive moments) instead of running. A pair of shoes with thin soles are perfect. This will allow you really feel the ground and make those explosive movements.
Badminton shoes are important no matter the type of player you are. However, it is more important if you like to play quick attacking badminton, you will really need those shoes to be light and flexible. This will enable you to make those movements needed to fire those dangerous shots across to our opponents.
When you are an offensive player, you will also need your shoes that allow your ankles to move freely and have a low center of gravity. This is exactly what badminton shoes offer you. When you are moving around fast attacking the shuttle, the last thing you want is to get your ankles sprained. This can happen if you are not wearing proper shoes.
Tennis Gameplay
Tennis, similar to badminton, is also a racket game with a maximum of 2 players on each side of the court. However, the court sizes and where the courts are located are different from badminton. Tennis courts are usually larger and outdoors.
In badminton, it is very normal to move in all sorts of directions but not in tennis. Most of the time, tennis relies on lateral movements on the baseline. It can still be very intensive because the court is much larger than badminton’s. In rare cases, you’ll see tennis players move vertically across the tennis court to volley the shot because it is very risky. It is a double-edged sword that can cause you to easily win or lose a point. Hence, tennis shoes are made mostly for lateral movements in mind.
As you already know, a lot of running is involved in tennis. So, it makes sense for tennis shoes to have designs similar to running shoes (higher heels). The soles need to be made out of harder, thicker materials to prevent it from wearing out so quickly. Other than that, it must also be able to provide your feet with the cushion they need.
That being said, there are a lot of different types of tennis shoes. Which shoes are suitable for you will depend on your play style. If you are a baseline player that does not like taking too much risk, shoes with thicker soles are more suitable.
On the other hand, if you are an aggressive player that likes to take risk charging towards the net, you’ll need something different. You should choose lightweight tennis shoes with toecaps that are durable. Also, it must be flexible in the area where the balls of your feet sit.
Conclusion
There are many differences when it comes to badminton shoes vs tennis shoes. Badminton shoes are generally made for 1 type of court while tennis has different shoes for different types of court.
Tennis shoes are heavier and designed more like running shoes since there is a lot of running involved in tennis. This means that tennis shoes will give you a higher center of gravity and provide you with more cushion that is needed for your feet. Badminton shoes are basically the opposite of the characteristics of tennis shoes. They are lightweight, have thinner soles and low center of gravity.
It is no surprise that there is so much difference when it comes to badminton shoes vs tennis shoes since both gameplay are different. These differences in design are essential to the safety of the players of each sport.
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