THE IMPORTANCE OF PADEL SHOES

Learn more about the importance of good shoes for playing padel.

Interview with Gustavo Oliva, Head of Marketing at ASICS, and player on the Catalan Team of Padel Veterans.

ARE SHOES REALLY IMPORTANT FOR PLAYING PADEL?

Good shoes are equally if not more important than the racquet for two reasons: firstly, padel shoes are harder to develop and manufacture than a good racquet, and secondly, they prevent the injuries that often occur due to not wearing the right footwear.

SO, WHAT MAKES A GOOD PAIR OF PADEL SHOES?

Well above all they have to be comfortable, and allow you to make all the moves you need to play padel. Therefore, the outsoles have to grip the court when you start, slide when you need to stretch to reach the ball, and allow you to turn easily, too. The shoes also have to support your feet properly in every move. It is also important that they prevent injuries, that they are durable, and last but not least, that they look great.

AND HOW DOES ASICS ACHIEVE ALL THIS IN ITS SHOES?

ASICS is a company that dedicates a lot of resources and continuously strives to offer the best shoes on the market for all players. And to ensure that our padel shoes are as comfortable as possible, we added GEL to the outsole to achieve maximum cushioning and protect the knees from injury; the midsole and insole are made from materials that also have cushioning properties, and are as light as possible.

We also added memory foam (PHF) to the ankle area, which fits to the shape of each player's feet. And we added dual density rubber to the outsoles of our shoes which makes them more durable, as well as various pivots which allow players to turn quicker and more comfortably. High-end ASICS shoes also come with forefoot protection for increased durability.

PADEL SHOES ARE USUALLY RECOGNISED BY THE "DOTS" ON THEIR OUTSOLE…

Indeed, the pattern on the outsole has to be deep enough to ensure that players don't slip when they start playing on a padel court with artificial turf. So it is important that the pattern on the outsoles has this minimum depth, and that is why the most suitable shoes have Omni or dotted outsoles. However, our herringbone outsoles, which are also used on clay tennis courts, are very effective and durable for padel, as some of the world's best players who use our shoes will attest to.

HOW DID ASICS ENTER THE WORLD OF PADEL?

Several factors were involved. As with all sports in which ASICS works, our number one priority has always been to make the best shoes for athletes. Our Institute of Sport Science conduct ongoing research at our headquarters in Japan, in order to find the best and most suitable technologies for each of our shoe models for all sports.

In addition, several staff members at ASICS Spain are padel enthusiasts, and got to meet some of the best padel players in the world, who began testing ASICS tennis shoes and loved them. Many of these went on to play with ASICS, and advised us to adapt them to the characteristics of padel.