Wearing the right footwear for playing tennis
Unfortunately one of our members suffered a very serious ankle injury playing for one of our teams on another club’s court. He believes a significant contribution to this accident was that his tennis shoes had insufficient grip causing him to fall while playing. He and the Tennis Committee are anxious to reduce the risk of such an accident happening again.
The wrong footwear can lead to all kinds of injuries including blisters, foot, ankle, knee, leg and back injuries. The following information has been assembled to help members to consider appropriate footwear for playing tennis.
Tennis shoes vs trainers
Trainers, running shoes or similar are not designed for the sideways and multi directional movements of tennis and are not suitable. Tennis shoes provide stability for side-to-side movement, are built of heavier and stiffer materials than other athletic shoes and have flat, durable soles designed to prevent stumbling or sliding and the toes are reinforced for stop and go action. They tend to have a herringbone pattern (or majority herringbone) on the sole to provide a good grip.
The Tennis Committee strongly recommends that you should play in tennis shoes.
The LTA provide this advice on Tennis Clothing and Equipment Guide
Shoes for different courts surfaces
Although there are some shoes that claim to be suitable for all surfaces others are better suited to specific court surfaces and style of play.
Members are urged to understand the features required of different surfaces. These articles provide information:
Changing your tennis shoes
More wear equals less traction, less stability and inevitably an increased risk of injury.
Playing with worn-out shoes can compromise your game, movement and increase the risk of injury. As a general rule, a court shoe usually lasts about 45-60 hours of use before wearing out. So, if you play once a week for an hour, you should be replacing your shoes at least once a year. The duration of use, style of play, type of court, shoe construction, and player type can all significantly influence the lifespan of a court shoe. The type of court you play on will affect the lifespan of your court shoe. Hard courts, like New Mills, tend to wear the outsole of a shoe more quickly because of the lower energy absorption and high abrasion. For more information on when to replace your shoes is provided in 4 Signs it's Time to Replace Your Tennis Shoes
it is the responsibility of all players to decide whether to play should courts start to become wet or slippery.