How to Choose Your Next Pickleball Shoes

If you're a new pickleball player, you might wonder why you need specific shoes. Running shoes might seem like a good choice, but pickleball shoes and running shoes are created for different movements. In pickleball, we move in all directions, but when running, we mostly move forward. Pickleball shoes are built with multi-directional movement in mind and are designed to be more laterally stable and supportive. Pickleball shoes will also be more durable, especially if you're playing on outdoor courts.

It's important to choose a pickleball shoe that has an outsole designed specifically for the type of surface you’re playing on. Since outdoor and indoor courts play differently, your game and footwork will also change slightly. For optimal performance on each court surface, it’s important to wear a pickleball shoe that is designed to handle the build of the court.

Outdoor Court Outsoles

The most common surface is an outdoor hard court. This court is also the most demanding when it comes to outsole durability, which is why outdoor pickleball shoes are heavier than running shoes and thicker in the outsole. Usually, the outsoles feature a modified herringbone pattern to give you the perfect blend of grip and give on the court. You'll find all kinds of outdoor pickleball shoes — from lightweight and swift, to more durable and stable selections. Most of our shoes at Total Pickleball will work on outdoor courts.

What happens if I use an outdoor pickleball shoe on an indoor court?

We only recommend the correct shoe for the correct court, but using an outdoor shoe on an indoor gym or hardwood surface will result in very little traction, potentially causing improper footing, slips and falls.

Indoor Court Outsoles

If your time spent on pickleball is on a slick indoor surface, such as hard wood, you'll want to grab a pair of indoor shoes for maximum traction and confidence on court. An indoor court shoe will usually feature a softer, thinner outsole in a variety of tread patterns optimised for ultimate grip. Additionally, indoor shoes are often lighter than outdoor shoes as they have a thinner outsole.

What happens if I use an indoor pickleball shoe on an outdoor court?

We only recommend the correct shoe for the correct court, but using an indoor shoe on an outdoor court may result in the outsole wearing very quickly, and depending on tread, may have too little, or too much traction.

Step 1: Find a hard, flat surface and place a piece of paper on the floor.

Step 2: Wear socks that are similar to what you plan to wear when playing pickleball. Stand with one foot on the paper.

Step 3: Keeping your body weight over your foot, trace a thin line around the outside of your entire foot. When drawing the line, hold the pen perpendicular to the ground.

Step 4: Measure vertically down the length of your foot tracing. This is your foot length.

Step 5: Measure horizontally across the widest part of your foot tracing. This is your foot width.

Find your shoe size & width

Make sure you are looking in the proper column, either men's or women's, when determining your size. The standard width for women is B. The standard width for men is D.

*Note: This chart is here to give you a general idea on sizing and widths. Total Pickleball is not responsible for mismeasurements or ordering the wrong size. We recommend that you order the size that you normally wear in other shoes.

Men's Shoe Sizing Chart

Women's Shoe Sizing Chart

Now that you understand and know your width and length, look out for the fit details in our product descriptions to determine if the pickleball shoes you are interested in are a good fit for your feet. We try on all the shoes we sell to provide you guidance on how they fit for length, width and arch support.

What kind of pickleball player are you?

Are you a light-footed, sprinting singles player? Is cushion the top priority? Are you constantly moving side-to-side at the kitchen and more concerned about ankle support? Are you quickly wearing through the outsoles?

You'll want to look for these buzz-words when shopping for pickleball shoes and reading reviews.

Support and stability: When it comes to support, we are talking about how well shoes are securing your feet in place. For stability, we're describing how rigid the shoes are and not allowing you to turn an ankle or fall. With all the lateral movements in pickleball, support and stability are primary concerns for many players. Also, supportive and stable shoes come in a variety of weights, depending on preference.

Lightweight and speed: Many factors can make shoes feel light and fast on the court. We've learned from testing over the years that the weight on the scale doesn't tell the entire story of how light or heavy shoes feel on the court. A light, fast feel could be due to fit, design or even traction levels. One caveat about light shoes is they are often not as durable. An easy way to make pickleball shoes lighter is to use less rubber on the outsole. This won't make as big a difference if you're playing on indoor courts, but frequent outdoor court players may notice that light shoes tend to wear out faster. That doesn't mean hard court players have to skip lightweight performance. Some players choose to rotate shoes, keeping lighter shoes for matches and more durable ones for practice days.

Durability: For those who play a lot on outdoor courts, how long the shoes last can be a big factor. Durability comes from the rubber compound used for an outsole as well as just how much of that rubber is used. Because of that, some (but not all) durable shoes may be on the heavier side.

LEARN MORE: Read our Gear Guide for Best Outdoor Pickleball Shoes