If you want to maintain lightness on your feet during a match, lightweight shoes are essential – however, that doesn’t have to mean sacrificing stability or cushioning for this goal.
If you overpronate or supinate, look for neutral shoes with supportive structures without overcorrecting how you walk. Also consider investing in one with heel stabilizing features.
Lightweight
Light shoes will help to reduce leg fatigue during a squash match. Specialized squash shoes offer stability, comfort, and grip for the sport’s lateral movements; plus they usually don’t leave marks on the court! Running shoes on the other hand are intended for forward movement rather than squash – investing in specialist pair of squash shoes would help minimize injury risk if you play regularly!
Stability
Supination control shoes must be both stable and comfortable to allow you to keep pace without jeopardizing foot or lower leg health. A wide base is often utilized to encourage neutral stride patterns while raised sidewalls offer added support. Many even contain TPU anti-reverse bend inserts to minimize excessive pronation.
Dr. Enad recommends selecting shoes with flexible soles that flex with your foot without overly soft material that promotes any inward foot roll, rather than shoes that overcorrect its natural movements and increase injury risk. A neutral support shoe may offer better outcomes.
As running shoes are designed to facilitate forward motion, while squash involves quick lateral movements with frequent stops and starts, you may require different shoes than what are typically used for running. Squash shoes tend to feature non-marking outsoles to protect court surfaces.
Cushioning
If you regularly play squash, shoes specifically tailored for this sport are necessary in order to minimize injury risks and protect your feet. Squash shoes typically feature non-marking soles to avoid leaving impressions on the court and are constructed to support quick lateral movements while being cushioned enough for comfort – unlike running shoes which tend to offer limited support in terms of underfoot cushioning.
Most popular squash shoes feature high top designs that offer greater ankle protection, offering players increased mobility on court. You will often find lightweight models with built-in stability and grip that make the shoes ideal.
Wearing appropriate squash shoes is crucial, particularly if you are an under-pronator. Wearing shoes designed for pronators while playing squash could result in ankle pain or stress fractures in your foot. By selecting shoes tailored to meet your specific needs and playing habits, injuries such as these could be reduced significantly; so take time when selecting your pair!
Karakal Prince NFS II squash shoes provide an outstanding example of footwear designed specifically for under-pronators, and have been endorsed by Raphael Kanrda himself, making this smaller brand an exceptional value at an accessible price point. Their uppers are constructed from flexible materials for freedom of movement while they feature TRUSSTIC applications in their midsole that improve stability during transitions thereby helping reduce foot and ankle injuries.
Ankle protection
Due to its lateral nature, playing squash requires strong ankles in order to reduce risk of injury. Therefore, shoes designed specifically for this sport typically incorporate a high top design which protects not only feet but ankles too – Salming Hawk 2s are an excellent example of such shoes with their TPU anti-reverse bend insert that offers stability while potentially helping reduce foot/ankle injuries during game play.
As players become fatigued during a match, lightweight shoes such as the Nike Air Zoom Elite 4s may help reduce fatigue. Although lightweight materials might reduce this fatigue factor, some drawbacks of such lightweight models include being less durable than their heavier counterparts.
Do I require special shoes for squash as opposed to running shoes? Yes. Squash shoes are specifically tailored to provide support and stability necessary for quick lateral movements used in the game while remaining non-marking on court surfaces – using running shoes in squash may increase injury risks while shortening their lifespan significantly before wear-and-tear sets in.