It is essential to have the proper footwear when playing a fast paced sport like table tennis. Generally, when a person thinks of table tennis equipment the first few items that come into their head is a table tennis bat, a table tennis ball and a table tennis table. However, there is one piece of equipment often overlooked but a definite essential and that is table tennis shoes.
The 4 main aspects you should look for in a table tennis shoe
1. Brand and Size
Firstly, you need to find a brand of sport shoe that you like. These days, there are a number of prominent table tennis equipment brands available such as Yasaka, Butterfly, Donic, Sportcraft and Nittaku to name a few, who each produce their own shoes. If you’re unsure which would be the best brand shoe you like then it is suggested you try on a pair from each brand and see how they feel before buying.
2. Weight and Flexibility
Generally table tennis shoes are designed to be lightweight as this enables players to move quickly
to return the ball. Being quick on your feet is essential in table tennis so it is important that the table tennis shoes you choose are of a lightweight design.
3. Non Marking
This heading is self explanatory because it is important to buy shoes which are non marking. For example, if you play on wooden surface then the last thing you want to do is leave a long black mark on nicely polished wooden floor. I have seen it happen before and it is not a pretty sight!
4. Price
The overall price will depend on the brand and type of shoe that you are buying so look for a reasonably priced shoe. If you find a shoe that you like but find it is too expensive (often owing to heavy mark-ups placed on items) then I suggest you have a look what is available online.
In the past I have sourced a number of table tennis related items online and have bought them at a much lower price compared with buying them from my local table tennis club. Buying online also makes it easy to compare prices between online table tennis equipment stores so you can get the lowest price. An added bonus when buying online is that many stores offer worldwide shipping allowing you to source table tennis products from anywhere in the world.
From my own personal experience I have found that quality shoes are one of the most important items of table tennis equipment a player can have – especially if you’re playing at a high level in the sport.
But remember, everyone has different preferences towards the types of shoe they prefer. If you have had good wear and performance from a particular brand of shoe then it may pay to stay with them and just buy the next size up when they need replacing.
A new pair of table tennis shoes may feel uncomfortable at first, but over time as you play more I have found they will gradually mould to the shape of your feet and feel a lot more comfortable to play in.