Padel shoes: sole, cushioning, fit – which shoes you need for padel

Running shoes are built for one direction: forward. Their sole is soft and high, the sides are open – on a sideways lunge to the glass the foot rolls over the edge of the sole. And a running sole has no profile for sand: it either doesn't grip at all or stops abruptly.

A padel shoe is the opposite: flat, reinforced at the sides, with a tread that grips and slides in a controlled way on sandy turf. You feel the difference after the first defence off the back wall – and it's the reason club owners don't like running shoes on court.

• Herringbone (clay): The zigzag tread from the clay-court tennis shoe. It grips very well on sand-dressed turf and lets you slide in a controlled way – the choice of most tournament players and for outdoor courts with lots of sand.
• Omni (pimples): Many small pimples, built for turf with little sand. More grip, less sliding – good for indoor courts with a compacted surface and for players who prefer to plant rather than glide.
• Hybrid: Herringbone in the middle, pimples at the edges. The compromise if you play on varying courts.

The rule of thumb: lots of sand on court, herringbone. Little sand or a hard indoor surface, omni. If you don't know how your home court is dressed, ask at the desk – or run your hand over the surface: if sand sticks, it's herringbone territory. How the surface is built is explained in the padel court questions.

• Cushioning: Padel has many short sprints and hard stops but few jumps. Medium cushioning is enough; soles that are too soft make the shoe wobbly on sideways steps.
• Lateral stability: The most important point after the sole. A reinforced rim (outsole wrapped up the side) prevents rolling over on the lunge.
• Weight: 300 to 380 grams per shoe is normal. Lighter means faster but less stable – tournament players tend to take the stable option.
• Fit: A thumb's width of room at the front, otherwise the toes hit on every stop. Padel shoes usually run true to size; between two sizes, take the larger. Try them on in the afternoon when feet are bigger.
• Upper: Mesh is light and airy, synthetic keeps sand out better and lasts longer. Indoors mesh, outdoors synthetic.

Almost every tennis and padel brand now makes padel shoes – often a clay-court tennis shoe with an adapted sole, and there's nothing wrong with that:

• Asics Gel-Padel Pro, Gel-Resolution, Gel-Game: The reference for cushioning and stability; herringbone sole, usually the tournament player's shoe.
• Babolat Jet Premura, Movea, Sensa: Light and fast, with a Michelin sole; the Premura is the shoe of many pros.
• Bullpadel Vertex, Hack Hybrid Fly, Performance: Designed from padel, with hybrid or herringbone soles.
• Adidas Adipower, Barricade, Solematch: Stable and rather heavy, good for wider feet.
• HEAD Sprint Pro, Motion Pro: Medium cushioning, balanced fit.
• K-Swiss Express, Hypercourt; Wilson Rush Pro: Affordable alternatives with a solid sole.

Prices: 70 to 100 euros for good entry models, 100 to 160 euros for the top models. The premium buys stability and durability, not grip – grip comes from the right sole.

At two sessions a week a padel shoe lasts six to twelve months. The first thing to go is the tread on the inside of the forefoot – where you push off on sideways steps. Once it's smooth you slide uncontrollably, and it's time for new ones.

Three rules extend their life: knock the sand out of the tread after playing (otherwise it works like sandpaper), don't leave the shoes in the sports bag (moisture dissolves the glue), and never put them in the washing machine – the cushioning won't forgive it. And: a second pair for outdoors if you regularly play outside; the sole wears twice as fast there.

Once the shoe fits, all that's missing is the match: the tournament calendar lists tournaments by level, the court finder free courts near you. And for the racket question there's the racket finder.