What Are the Features of Best Table Tennis Shoes?
Table tennis shoes are the equipment most easily overlooked by players, but in fact their importance in affecting performance is second only to the racket. With the three purchasing principles below, you can choose the most suitable pair for yourself easily.
Table tennis has the fastest ball speed and the smallest court area among all the ball sports in the world. You can imagine the explosive power required to start, turn, move quickly, and stop suddenly in such a small area. The following requirements for excellent sneakers all come from this.
Three Features of Best Table Tennis Shoes
1. Light in Weight. Only in this way you can be nimble and agile, and greatly increase the range of movement and speed. If you change into other types of sports shoes, such as running shoes, tennis shoes, or even volleyball shoes which are also for indoor sports, you will immediately find that your feet are as heavy and slow as if they were tied with shackles and chains, making it difficult to move.
2. Thin Soles. Close contact with ground makes all the stepping and moving touches, as well as force feedback clear and thorough. The step control and adjustment are more detailed and accurate. Shock proofing and cushioning are secondary, only moderate degree enough. They’re not the key points. However, it’s a trade-off. Wear them for wandering isn’t very comfortable.
3. Grip on the Road. Anti-slip performance is very important. You can move fast only when the feelings of moving and stepping are sensitive and clear. The material of the outsoles should be crepe rubber, and the texture will also have an impact. Indoor sports shoes all pay more attention to this aspect, especially table tennis.
(Photo: "Shoe storage" by Arlo Bates, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Different Levels of Need
Wearing suitable table tennis shoes not only affects performance, but is also very important for protecting ankles and avoiding injuries. In terms of skill level, beginners may temporarily use ordinary indoor sports shoes instead because they’re not familiar with footwork. Badminton shoes are the closest and they wouldn’t feel much difference. However, don’t replace them with those heavy running shoes, basketball shoes, etc., as they could easily cause injury.
After you’ve passed the beginner stage, especially when you begin learning footwork, you better buy a pair of special table tennis shoes. At the middle and advanced stages, you will find that without suitable shoes, your performance will be greatly affected and you will be unable to return many balls.
If you walk into a large chain sports shoe store today, you’ll see many categories on display, including running, tennis, basketball, badminton, etc., but there’s no table tennis. Sometimes you can find some in the indoor category.
Many internationally renowned sports brands have also launched table tennis shoes in recent years, which are suitable for beginners. Among them, the most familiar, with the most selections, the widest distribution, the easiest to buy, and the good quality and price is MIZUNO.
When you reach the intermediate level or above, it’s better to go back to the specialized brands of table tennis, such as BUTTERFLY, STIGA and many others, which have good qualities, prices and many choices. MIZUNO is a rare exception. However, you’ve to go to a table tennis specialty shop. They’re not available in general shopping malls.
“BUTTERFLY, DHS, STIGA, DONIC──Brief Introduction of Common Table Tennis Equipment Brands”
Every time I talk about footwork, I can't help but think of this superstar (It’s said that he wore MIZUNO back then). Let me finish with one of his top points attached below.
