Have you ever thought about your pickleball shoe or wondered why it isn’t the same as the typical running or tennis shoe? A good pair of sports shoes is the best equipment you need to play comfortably on the court. A bad shoe will create an obstacle in your movement and cause pain, thus ruining enjoyment and playability.
You need to understand how to pick the right shoes to avoid making a wrong purchase. And most importantly, you have to know your pickleball shoes anatomy well. This guide will go into detail about the parts pickleball is designed with. Let’s dive into the amazing details of a pickleball shoe.
Parts of a Pickleball Shoe
The two main areas that form the anatomy of a pickleball court shoe are the quarter and the vamp, while the main visible parts are the upper and the sole.
All other shoe parts are distributed in these two areas, fixed to each other based on their functionality.
The below list will give you an idea of how many different parts are put together in a court shoe.
- Upper
- Tongue
- Lacing System
- Shoelace
- Eyelets
- Eyestay
- Sole
- Sole or Outsole
- Midsole
- Insole
- Feather Edge
- Shank
- Flexpoint
- Flex Grooves
- Toe area
- Toe Box
- Toe Cap
- Toe Guard
- Toe Puff
- Toe Spring
- Toe Tip
- Heel
- Heal Seat
- Heel Collar
- Heel Counter
- Heel Tab
- Collar/ Heel Collar
- Back Stay
Quarter
The quarter is the back part of the shoe that covers the sides too. It usually consists of the heel sections and gives the perfect shape, which provides adequate support to your ankles. As it has to bear the weight of your body and the abrasion produced by running high-quality, special materials are used for the quarter. Besides, it consists of several materials that are required based on the functionality of various heel sections.
Vamp
The vamp is the front part of the shoe upper, measured from the toe roll to the start of the heel. It covers the front foot and midfoot and is joined with the quarter. The vamp of your shoe is pretty much essential to keep your feet in place while you make various movements while playing pickleball, and it also helps you run in comfort. Two types of shoe vamps are found in regular shoes: the high and low vamps. Usually, high-vamp sneakers, which have a vamp higher than your ankle, are used for indoor and outdoor court sneakers, running shoes, and athletic shoes. Moreover, a high-vamp is much more helpful for an extended range of movements for sports like pickleball, racquetball, etc. On the other hand, low-vamp shoes, which only cover the toe area, are great for running, the gym, and other sports with easy movements.
Upper
The upper is the one that covers your feet, keeps them in place, and protects them from all types of abrasions. It typically consists of all the parts over the soles that work as a single unit. All the elements are secured to each other by sewing and glue. Sometimes, the upper comes in molded form.
The upper has two main sections: the vamp and the quarter. The siren is the front part of the upper, which consists of
It is mainly made of synthetic materials, like synthetic leather, to protect the feet well. Besides, nylon mesh is also added to the leather to reduce the weight.
Toe Box
A toe box is a part that envelopes your toes and protects them along with the forefoot and the front part of your shoes. It is made of either leather or synthetic leather, and some shoes have ventilated mesh holes or cuts. During play, the toe area faces the most thrusts and exhausts, and the toe cap absorbs most of them.
Toe Cap
There is a misconception about the toe cap, which is sometimes mistakenly taken as the toe cover or the toe box. This is usually the horizontal stitching over the toe box of the shoe, which can be one to three threads. This side-to-side seam is referred to as a “toe cap,” as it forms a cap-like shape.
The primary function is basically to increase the aesthetics, which are sometimes made of different materials like leather. However, it also works as a reinforcement shield during toe and foot drag, especially for fast-paced court sports like pickleball, racquetball, tennis, etc.
Toe Guard
A toe guard is an extra piece of rubber at the front of the shoe that fits over the toes. This guard covers the front part of the toe box from the outside to the top. And it adds additional protection to the toes from crashes and squeezes.
Not all court shoes have this toe guard. However, it is beneficial for your feet and shoes, so check your models to see if they have this one.
Toe Puff
The toe puff is a piece of material inserted between the upper and the lining of the toecap. Usually, it’s like a reinforcement layer made of leather or synthetic fabric. And it can be soft or hard based on the sport’s requirements. The function of the toe puff is to create a spacious room inside the toe box.
Toe Spring
The toe spring is the elevation of the toe tip from the ground level. The curve of the toe spring helps the toes sit in place and to keep balance. Toe springs also help a pickleball player continue playing without having extra pressure on the toe areas. A rigid or low-toe spring might cause pain and plantar fasciitis.
Flat shoes have low, like 5 mm, or almost zero toe springs. Still, a good pair of court shoes should have adequate toe springs, like 15 mm or above, to allow various movements smoothly on the court. However, the type of sole also determines the toe spring. For example, stiff outsoles need more toe springs.
Toe Tip
The toe tip is the design part on the front of the shoe around the toe box.
Heal Seat
It is a solid piece of rubber that goes under your heel when you wear the shoes. It takes your body loads and raises the heel to adjust with the hind, mid, and forefoot. And it gives support to the back of the foot.
Collar or Heel Collar or Achilles Notch
The collar is a hole-like section on the quarter’s top, where you can slide your feet. It has a cushion or pad on its inner wall to make the shoe comfortable. Besides, it supports the Achilles tendon.
Heel Counter
The heel counter is just on the heel and forms the back of the shoe. Your heel sits on this part, and it helps you stand, walk, and run steadily. It takes almost all the pressure off your heel. That’s why it’s made of thermoplastic, which is stiffer than the collar material.
An uncomfortable and misfit heel counter causes plantar fasciitis. A well-fitted heel counter gives your feet the necessary support and stability and decreases the risk of pronation. It provides constancy to your rear foot and controls for the right balance and maneuverability on the court. The sudden stop or break in pickleball games needs a well-designed shoe.
Tongue
The tongue is a long padded part that stays on the top center of the shoe. It is joined to the vamp, starting from the end of the toe cap and ending at the collar, covering the entire bridge of your feet. It is made of a soft cushion so that it can release and spread the pressure from fastened laces equally over the top of the feet. Thus, it helps to protect the foot from getting rubbed or pinched by shoelaces while walking or running. It also prevents rainwater or snow from entering the shoes.
Sole or Outsole
The outsole is simply the hard, stiff material at the bottom of the shoe. It’s responsible for the grip and traction on the court and protects the midsole and your feet from the ground’s abrasions.
It is made especially of high-quality rubber-like carbon rubber. Rubber soles are of anti-slippery quality while they are water resistant too. Thus, the outsole allows you to safely play on muddy or slippery surfaces. Carbon rubber is rigid and long-lasting. Some soles have blown rubber, which is usually an air-injected rubber. It is softer and lighter than carbon rubber but more flexible and provides a good cushion for your feet. However, it does not last as long as carbon rubber. Manufacturers now collectively use carbon rubber and blown rubber, where the former is used for the more vulnerable areas and the latter for other supportive areas.
Midsole
The midsole is one of the most crucial and fundamental parts of your shoes that lies between the insole and outsole. It provides the primary support for the shoes as your feet lie over them, including the outsoles. It comprises cushioned materials like ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam.
EVA is light, durable, and very comfortable for your feet. However, PU, or polyurethane, is also widely used for the midsole. PU is denser, heavier, and lasts longer than EVA.
The midsole provides shock absorption and protects you from feeling the hardness of the outsole and ground surface. Plus, it saves you from any injuries from sharp objects.
Insole
The insole stays inside the shoe and lies between your feet and the midsole. They are often called footbeds or sock liners. They can be either loose or fixed to the midsole, and their purpose is to provide more comfort and shock absorption for your feet.
Insoles are widely made of microcellular urethane like Poron foam and cellulose paperboards are also used. However, the most common form for mid-priced shoes is EVA foam, which is used for midsoles too.
Some shoes have loose and removable insoles. If you find the insoles uncomfortable, you can remove and replace them.
Feather Edge
A shoe feather edge is a corner on the midsole where the upper body is attached to the sole. This can be either a straight 90-degree corner or a round finish.
Heavy shoes like boots or hiking boots have a straight feather edge. On the contrary, rounded feather edges are given for safe landing on the ground in any court shoes or running shoes where players need to jump.
Shank
Shoe shanks are an additional slim piece of material placed between the insole and midsole to provide a supportive structure. This thin part is crucial for supporting your arch, and that’s why court shoes have the shank integrated into the shoe’s arch.
It provides firmness and strength to the shoe’s overall construction, especially the outsole, and increases comfort for your foot.
Shanks are commonly made of fiberglass, plastic, and metal and can be synthetic fibers like Kevlar.
The shanks help to bend your feet at the toes or flex point, rather than the midfoot or middle of the arch area. Besides, a good shank gives more flexibility to the court shoes.
Flexpoint
Flexpoint is an essential factor you must check when you decide on a new pickleball shoe. The outsole bends naturally and should be at the exact spot of the flex point of your forefoot. If you want to check if the shoe has the right flex point, check whether it bends close to the toe box.
Do not choose a shoe that bends at the mid-area of the soles. Besides, do not buy any mismatched-sized shoes. It might have the proper flex point at its toe box, but it will be too far forward or backward for your natural flex point. Moreover, a wrong flex point will cause pain and increase plantar fasciitis.
Flex Grooves
Another critical factor is that a good pair of shoes has flex grooves on the flex point of the outsole. These are the horizontal cuts in the forefoot and midfoot of the outsoles. The flex grooves play multiple roles—they help the sole bend as well as give support for better grip and friction with the ground.
The essential parts that compose the shoes are the outsole, insole, upper, toecap, and heel. In comparison, some other secondary parts of shoe anatomy are crucial for shoe construction and structure: the tongue, upper, eyelets, shoelaces, etc. They also give more particularity to the shoes and influence their performance.
Lacing System
You can tie the shoelace in several ways, but straight lacing is the most popular among pickleball players. However, the shoes become too tight in this system, and there are limited opportunities to customize the fit. Another method, like hidden or bar lacing, also behaves like straight lacing.
Loop lacing keeps your feet in place and prevents them from shifting inside the shoes. Diagonal lacing helps to free your toes. By loosening the laces in their mid-areas, cross-over lacing helps pickleball players have more room for their high arches.
Skip lacing can help those with a broader and higher midfoot by releasing space between the holes. If you want a more straightforward and faster tie, go for speed lacing. However, this system works great with elastic laces.
If you want a variable fit, try different lacing systems and see if that helps you better maneuver.
Shoelaces
Shoelaces, referred to as shoestrings, are used to secure your shoes, and they fix your feet with the shoes. Shoelaces are a pair of braided ropes or cords made of cotton or polyester and have aglets at their ends. Each shoe has a piece of shoestring that passes through the lace holes.
The aglets are stiff enough to get through the holes and are commonly made of plastic or metal. The lacing system allows you to open the heel collar wide enough to insert your feet into the shoes and then fasten and fix them with the shoes. And then again, it allows you to remove your feet through untying and loosening.
Eyelets
Often, pickleball shoes will have 5 to 6 pairs of holes or circles that can be punched or have eyelets. The eyelets are usually made of plastic or metal. Besides, some shoes have loops or hooks instead of eyelets.
Most court shoes have an extra pair of holes at the very top of the tongue, mainly kept empty. However, those whose feet easily slip out of the shoes should use these extra holes. Besides, you can tie them with lace to get a more tight fit, called the heel lock or lace lock method.
Eyestay
Eyestay is the supportive area around the eyelets and lace holes. If the shoe has plastic or metal eyelets, it needs additional layers of stiff material to hold the eyelets firmly. The two parts of the eyestay go along the length on both sides at the top of the upper.
Final Verdicts
Shoe manufacturers have been working hard for a long time to improve all the elements to provide the best grip and comfort. That is why significant improvements have been achieved in modern court shoes’ design, materials, and appearance, including pickleball, racquetball, volleyball, etc.
I hope you understand the shoe anatomy and can pick the right shoe now.
