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Volleyball shoes mainly feature performance for volleyball games. You rarely see volleyball shoes used in other types of sports. If you ever do see someone wear them, it’s probably for a specific reason. If you are playing badminton, you might want to know if can I use volleyball shoes for badminton?
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Can I Use Volleyball Shoes for Badminton?
Using volleyball shoes for badminton depends on what court you are playing at and what type of volleyball shoes you have. For example, if your volleyball shoes are for indoor use, you can’t use them for outdoor badminton. If you can help it, avoid wearing volleyball shoes for badminton as a safety precaution.
Indoor volleyball shoes usually use gum rubber outsoles. These outsoles get easily damaged in rough outdoor surfaces so you can’t use them for outdoor badminton. While you can use indoor volleyball shoes for indoor badminton, you are not really getting something from it.
Volleyball and badminton have a different focus on movements. That’s why I usually don’t recommend wearing volleyball shoes for badminton. You would only wear them if you have no other shoes to use for badminton.
What’s the Difference Between Volleyball Shoes and Badminton Shoes?
The differences between volleyball shoes and badminton shoes make them function differently on the court. The 4 most important difference between volleyball shoes and badminton shoes are:
- Soles
- Weight
- Ankle support
- Shock absorption
Some of the differences make badminton shoes not great for volleyball and volleyball shoes not great for badminton.
Soles
Both volleyball and badminton usually use gum rubber outsoles for indoor play. Gum rubber provides better traction in indoor courts. However, they get damaged easily if used on rough court surfaces like outdoor cement courts.
Volleyball Shoes tend to use an outsole traction pattern specialized in side to side movement. It also prevents you from slipping. You rarely use forward motion in volleyball and it’s usually when you are attacking.
While badminton shoes use gum rubber outsole, they’re thinner than the volleyball shoes’ outsole. This design allows for better stability by lowering your center of gravity as much as possible. The thin layer makes it not great for volleyball because you want your feet protected from jumping.
Weight
Both badminton and volleyball shoes prefer lightweight build quality. However, volleyball shoes tend to be heavier than badminton shoes. Volleyball shoes also need to employ some protection from jumping which makes them a bit heavier.
You should expect volleyball and badminton shoes to consist of synthetic leather or nylon. Leather makes shoes heavier so you rarely see them in badminton or volleyball shoes.
Ankle Support
Both volleyball shoes and badminton shoes both use low ankle support. Badminton shoe design doesn’t give you lateral support but focuses on strengthening shock absorption and reducing the risk of getting an injury.
Volleyball shoes use low ankle support and make room inside the shoe for inserting an ankle brace. Ankle brace provides additional support for your ankles from absorbing the shock from jumping.
Shock Absorption
Volleyball shoes offer better shock absorption features than badminton shoes. Volleyball shoes have more padding in front of the shoe compared to badminton shoes. This helps with adding protection from the shock from jumping and landing on your feet.
Badminton shoes have minimal shock absorption features because while you sometimes jump in badminton, you don’t do it at a great height. Adding supporting features would only make the shoes heavier.
What Kind of Shoes Should I Wear for Badminton?
If you can, wear badminton shoes when you play badminton. They are lightweight as possible making you more agile and quicker on the court. The main focus you want for your shoes is if it makes you as quick as possible.
Lightweight shoes help you with that and so does the traction on it. Make sure the shoes have excellent traction on the badminton court. The last thing you want is for your shoes to get slippery on the court.
Make sure you have shoes suitable for both indoor and outdoor badminton. You never know where you will play in the future. Using your indoor shoes on an outdoor rough surface will only damage the gum rubber outsole and thinning out the traction.
What Should I Wear to Play Badminton?
| Wear | Don’t Wear |
|---|---|
| Non-marking shoes | Street shoes |
| Lightweight sport t-shirt | Marking shoes |
| Soft shorts and socks | Tough socks |
Other than the essentials to play badminton, you need proper sports clothing to play badminton properly. In badminton, you want your arms and legs with as much freedom as possible. Badminton involves a lot of arm action and footwork. That’s why wearing something that maximizes these actions are great for badminton.
You can wear the following clothes to play badminton:
- Light synthetic shirt: avoid wearing long-sleeved shirts. The sleeve should not make your arm movement restricted or uncomfortable. You also avoid wearing a cotton shirt. When you sweat the cotton material sticks to your body and make you uncomfortable.
- Sports shorts or skirts: short and skirt gives free mobility on your legs.
- Cool and comfortable socks: cotton socks provide comfort wear even when you are going hard on the court.
- Badminton shoes: you can use other types of shoes if you don’t want to buy a new pair of badminton shoes. However, badminton shoes would always be best for badminton.
Related Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about volleyball shoes for badminton.
What Shoes Are Not Allowed in Badminton Court?
Street shoes and marking shoes are not allowed on the badminton court. This is because they might cause damage to the court, especially the marking shoes. These could leave black marks all over the floor.
Can You Play Badminton Without Badminton Shoes?
Yes. However, while it is possible to play without some specific badminton shoes, you cannot play without non-marking shoes. Therefore, you can use anything that makes you feel comfortable, such as running shoes, volleyball shoes, or any other.
Can I Wear Vans for Badminton?
No, according to the rules of badminton, no streets are allowed. Vans fall into the category of street shoes, therefore, they cannot be worn inside the court.
On top of that, these shoes provide no benefit to your game; if you wore them, you wouldn’t be able to move correctly.
Conclusion
Volleyball shoes only offer better support and impact protection for badminton. You rarely see badminton players jumping at a high length that you wouldn’t even consider wearing volleyball shoes for badminton. While you can use volleyball shoes for badminton, they won’t help you that much.
