Are Badminton Shoes Necessary? 3 Reasons Why You Need Them

When it comes to different sports, nearly all have special shoes designed specifically for them. Every sport works a little differently, meaning that the shoes need additional features and attributes.

This makes us think, are badminton shoes necessary, and if so, why? In this article, you will learn that in addition to why badminton shoes might not be required, can you use other shoes for badminton and more! But before I go ahead of myself, do you need badminton shoes?

Badminton shoes aren’t necessary, but they are recommended, especially when playing on a wooden or synthetic indoor court. This is because badminton shoes are designed to have a good grip on the court without leaving any markings on them. In addition, you will get better support and comfort.

Badminton shoes do have really great benefits, which are enough of a reason that you should use them. Let’s learn about them next.

Related: 13 Best Badminton Brands: The Giants Of Badminton

Why You Should Have Badminton Shoes?

There are three main reasons why badminton shoes are a must if you play badminton regularly. I recommend getting badminton shoes if you play two or more times per week because that would just make them worth the investment. However, if you play once every two weeks or so, then it really doesn’t justify investing in badminton shoes.

Increased Support

If you have running shoes or other sports shoes that aren’t made for sports with a lot of lateral movement, then you need to get badminton shoes.

Badminton shoes are equipped with lateral support, meaning extra material that supports the sides of your feet so that you don’t sprain them nearly as easily. Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries in badminton and similar sports such as tennis, table tennis, and basketball.

Sports shoes meant for running, football, or golf shoes don’t have lateral support because lateral movement isn’t such a big part of the game. That’s why playing with those shoes isn’t a good idea, especially if you take badminton seriously and move with purpose on the court.

More Comfort

Comfort is a big word when talking about any kind of shoes, especially sports shoes. This is because when you need to spend at least an hour, usually more in a pair of shoes, you want them to be comfortable.

This is true especially in badminton because there is a lot of jumping, dashing, and stopping, which can make your feet hurt during and after badminton if you wouldn’t have proper comfort.

So what is comfort in shoes? Well, comfort is made in a couple of ways, and one of the most known is cushioning. Extra cushioning in the key areas such as toes and heel makes the shoes comfortable, and the soreness will be kept away.

Another highly important comfort aspect in badminton is shock absorption. Your feet, knees, and whole body is exposed to shock energy when you land from a jump in badminton. That’s why all the best badminton shoes are equipped with a shock-absorption midsole that will absorb most of the shock energy, giving your body a break.

Better Performance

The third reason is performance, and it goes without saying that it is a vital part of your game. This is true, more or less depending on whether you are a competitive badminton player or a recreational one.

Anyways, indoor badminton courts are often made from wood or synthetic materials. These materials require a specific outsole from the shoes that will have good traction against them, yet without leaving those black marks on them. It would be embarrassing if your shoes would leave markings hard to get off on the court.

Traction certainly is essential in badminton, and when we add that to shoes that already have good support that you can trust and feel comfortable in, better performance with your skills is guaranteed.

When You Might Not Need Badminton Shoes?

Now that you know why you should get badminton shoes, some instances don’t make purchasing them the most brilliant thing. Not all things apply to all people, so situations are different. Next, let’s take a look at cases why you might not need them.

You Don’t Play Badminton Seriously

If badminton isn’t something that you take seriously, then you might not need badminton shoes. If you like to play casual badminton instead of serious where you give all your energy, then your risk of injury is significantly reduced.

Although, if you play badminton often, it could be wise to invest in a pair but definitely not necessary.

Badminton Is Only a Rare Occurrence

If you don’t play badminton often but more once per week or less than that, investing in a pair of shoes is not necessary. Depending on the price range, it isn’t wise to invest in badminton shoes, especially if they are expensive if you play twice a month or something along those lines.

However, every person is free to make their own decision, so if you feel that you still need badminton shoes, even you play only occasionally, get a pair without feeling bad about it. I’m only saying that it’s important to weigh the benefits by looking at the playing frequency and the investment cost it would require to get a new pair of badminton shoes.

You Have Equally Good Alternative Shoes

Last but not least, there are shoes that are so similar to badminton shoes that you can use them in their place without getting a pair specifically for badminton.

To spot these sports, think about what kind of movement they use the most, what surface they are played on, and what kind of a sport it is in general. Below are some rules of thumb you can follow:

• Movement – How do you move in the other sport? Are there more rhytmic back to front movement like in running, or are there a lot of side to side movement with sudden stops. If you find more of the latter, then you probably can use them for badminton.

• Playing surface – Playing surface is equally important to think as well. Generally, you can often use outdoor sports shoes indoors, but not vise verca. This is because outdoor surfaces are often far more rough, which would make the indoor shoes wear out way faster. Think about where your sport is played before you take the shoes to a badminton court.

That being said, if you have shoes that are made for lateral movement, and are meant to be used indoors, then you can generally use them for badminton. However i wouldn’t recommend using running shoes for badminton especially if you want to play seriously.

Can You Use Other Shoes for Badminton?

In most cases, you can use other shoes for badminton if they are meant to be used indoors. However, if the other shoes have lateral support and shock-absorbing midsole then they are very likely a good match for badminton. However, dirty outdoor shoes with no lateral support aren’t best for badminton.

Yet, you can even use outdoor shoes for badminton if they don’t leave markings on the clean badminton courts. In these cases, you need to be extra careful not to twist your ankle, and if you intend to play serious badminton, I wouldn’t recommend using other shoes than badminton shoes or ones similar to them.

If you want to learn the story about why you can and can’t use badminton shoes for other sports, and many examples of them, I highly encourage you to read my article about it.

Can You Wear Badminton Shoes Outside?

Badminton shoes are designed for indoor use and indoor use only. Wearing badminton shoes outdoors regardless of whether the surface is asphalt, concrete, gravel, or dirt is a bad idea because they will wear the outsole of your shoe very quickly. That’s why you shouldn’t wear badminton shoes outdoors.

However, if you want to wear your badminton shoes to the mall and go there in a car, I see no harm in using badminton shoes for that purpose. Yet excessive running or walking on rough surfaces in badminton shoes will damage them quite a bit.