Well I agree that there wasn't many equations or diagrams, but the physics lies in the descriptions of the movements and stresses placed upon the shoes.

I've never seen the Sensei described as volleyball shoes. Mine don't say anything about that. It does have them listed as Volleyball shoes on the US site, but the UK site calls them "court shoes".

I guess it comes down to how each company label their sports. Squash isn't that big in the US compared to other countries and that might explain why they don't label them as indoor or court shoes.

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Non-marking means that the shoes won't leave permanent marks behind on the court floor. It does NOT mean that the shoes leave no marks at all. Think permanent and non-permanent marker pens. If the courts are swept correctly, and non-marking shoe will be fine to use on the surface, and if you look at many of the top brands out there, they all have different coloured soles on the shoes (e.g. Asics Sensei has a blue sole and Hi-Tec Vortec has black in the soles!).

The most important factor is stability and performance in the footwear. Does it provide the correct flexibility, support, stability and weight for the intended use. I've spoken to many people about the choice of shoes for squash and so far have managed to convert anyone that I've got into a complex discussion with (probably just to shut me up ;) ).

As people will know from my other posts, I tend to fall back on physics when making my points (not being able to break the laws of physics on a squash court tends to be a good basis for argument!). Those of you who have some of the better models and brands of SQUASH shoes need to turn them upside down and compare the soles of the shoes with other types of shoes. In most cases the better squash shoes have a patterned sole consisting of a turning circle on the ball of the foot, along with rounded edges to the soles to allow for turning at speed. You will not find these features on a top of the range running shoe. Why? Becuase the physics of the moments are completely different. In squash (when played at a medium to high level), a more fluid like motion is seen from the players when turning and moving to the ball. In many cases a player will lunge forward (often dragging the following foot on the floor), or they will pivot on the ball or heel in order to move sideways or backwards. This mechanic is mainly present in multi-directional, fast paced sports. I would class the following sports are being most similar in movement to squash:

Basketball (already mentioned) - Players are continually jumping, turning, stopping, sidestepping etc. The difference here is that where squash requires flexibility of the ankles in the lunge positions, basketball does not. This makes high ankle supports a hinderance in squash, and rules high-support shoes out for effective squash movement.

5-Aside Football - The movements are similar when you aren't on the ball, but the moment you reach the ball, you need a different support structure in the front of the shoe to avoid twisting your foot. These shoes mainly have a more rigid front end, unlike many squash shoes which now have flexibility points built into the front of the shoes (once again, look at the herring-bone style fronts on the Asics Sensei - look at how this allows the foot to pivot and flex).

Handball - Now this really is the closest sport to squash. So much so that the shoes sold by specialist handball outlets ARE squash shoes! The foot isn't used to kick anything, but the shoe still needs to flex and pivot in a similar fashion to that of a squash shoe.

Sports that you'd think are close BUT AREN'T!:

Tennis - Many people think that a tennis shoe should provide all the same attributes that a squash shoe does - But this isn't the case. Look at the main movements in tennis. Side to side. Forward to the net. Back pedalling to the base line. There is actually very little pivoting and lunging into low positions. Once again this can be seen in the design of the soles on many tennis shoes. The soles are often flatter than squash shoes, as you do not have to roll your feet to change direction as you would during a fast rally on a squash court.

Badminton - This is closer to a squash shoe, but when you look at specialist squash shoes (hi-tec / prince) and specialist badminton shoes (carlton / yonnex), there are fundamental differences. Badminton shoes are almost a hybrid of squash and tennis shoes (as both movement types are observed in badminton).

This only thing I can suggest for people wondering about shoes, is to get a good look at how the shoe flexes and moves under pressure. Lunge in them, turn in them, roll your feet. Only then can you know for certain if the shoe is going to provide you enough support and flexibility for the movements that you make whilst playing squash or any other sport. You don't see sprinters wearing normal trainers, you don't see cross-country runners wearing hiking boots, and you don't see good squash players wearing flat, unflexing and unsupportive indoor shoes.

I believe someone asked the question of whether this is technology or psychology. This is another example of technology providing better solutions to older problems. Why do you think that billions are spent of developing the best running shoes and footwear. It isn't just done for the fun of it!

So why choose a squash shoe?

1) Foot support - During a squash match the foot contorts and twists into many different directions (often the front of the foot is sideways, or the ankles stretch out fully whilst lunging etc). The wrong support in a shoe will lead to damage of the tendons and ligaments in the foot, as well as not supporting the tremendous demand placed upon the shoe during turning and lunging.

2) Durability - Squash is very high impact on the feet. Turning. Lunging. Pivoting. Stretching. Impacting. Dragging. Stopping. Starting. Your feet go through all of this in one long ralley. A running shoe is generally designed to move forwards. No turning pivots built into the soles. No heel rounding to allow reverse pivoting. Without these strengthened and specially designed areas, certain parts of the shoes are subject to forces which they are not designed to cope with. The shoe either wears through quickly, or you begin to get failings in the supports and/or structure of the shoe. The shoes must be suited to endure the forces they are subjected to.

3) Flexibility - I mentioned this above, but squash shoes bend the correct way to support squash movement. Running shoes bend to support a running motion. These are different flexes which need to be present in different places.

Well that's all from me in yet another super-size post! Perhaps I should copy all these down into a squash player's handbook and publish them! I admit I know an awful load of rubbish, but if just 1 person reads this and gets what I'm talking about then I'd be a happy bunny!!

Adz

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whether basketball shoes mark or not is irrelevant! just buy SQUASH shoes! that's what you're playing after all! With the internet and the global market of today you get them in any country so I don't see why people are using tennis/basketball/football/or anything else to play squash! I could understand if squash was a really popular sport and decent shoes were expensive but it's the opposite!

you wouldn't use your squash racket to play tennis now would you?

I have to say I really don't understand the problem!

sparty

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bosartek, there are two things to look for in squash shoes. you mentioned one, which is the whether or not they are non-marking or not. tennis shoes labelled non-marking will indeed NOT leave a mark on the squash or tennis court. So if marking or non-marking is the only concern, both will do.

However, another factor aside from marking or non-marking is how well the shoes grip on a squash court. Because squash shoes use a softer compound (referred in this thread as 'gummy' or 'gum rubber'), they grip much better in squash. With tennis shoes, although they are non-marking, you will slip and fall with tennis shoes in a squash court because tennis shoes use a harder compound made for tennis courts and not squash courts.

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Only get gum rubber, they have the best grip and are the best suited to the job in hand - i.e not slipping on court!!

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