Serious: What do you want more? One pair in 3 years is really many many play you got out of a shoe. I can understand complainments after a few months, but 3 years is really long. I change my shoes on a 9-11 months rate. Within a few years the sole harden out. I go through 3-4 pairs within your 3 years. My body is my temple, saving a few hundred Euro and get stress with joints is a bad trade-off. So what do you mean with durable? IMO any serious player will go through a pair in a year or less. If you need stability in this time the shoe becomes soft, the material gets soft, the cushion worn out. 3 years is not a realistic lifetime for a badminton shoe. If you get this time, you wear a shoe which is cushion-wise done and harm your body or just don't play/run enough. I don't get why many people are cheap on shoes?
Well to give you one simple answer... $$$ I make sure not to make forced unnatural movements so you could say I am 'careful' in that way, but you can bet your ass I run just like the best of 'em(people often surprised I could still get to the shuttle)! Also not the lightest player(currently around ~93kg). I do make sure to replace the insoles whenever I get a hole in them. Same for socks. I don't notice any more joint pain than usual using the 3 year-old 9200s. Maybe it's a dietary thing. I've read that with a good anti-inflammatory diet you can pretty much say goodbye to any joint pains. It also maximises recovery times. You could do some research on inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods if you ever suffer from joint issues. Of course ideally I'd love to get a good pair of shoes every 6 months but financially it's just not possible at this time. Oh yeah not sure if I already posted it or edited a post somewhere about it but I ended up buying the A920s from victor. Just wasn't feeling completely assured about the Mizuno Wave Thunder X2 MIDs. Wasn't entirely sure about the lateral support which could compromise my ankle's safety(outer sole didn't have that sharp angle to it like the 9200s do). Also heard talk of people rolling their ankle more compared to their older shoes. Went for the top of the line A920s. Hopefully they will serve me well, and safely!
93kg, for 3 years in a badminton shoe... That's too long. Regardless if you have issues or not, they will come quite and slowly. Compare one of your 3 year shoe beside a new one of the same model. You will notice that even Birkenstock will have more cushion and support. Gum and plastic age and got weaken alot when you jump. Thanks for the anti-inflammatory food hint. If you don't mind you can PM me some links about it. I don't have any joint issues, but everyone in old shoes at my club have them.
Well 3 years with 9200s... 6 months with FZ Forza pair. 9200s really are built like a tank, or well, compared to other badminton shoes at least. Yeah I wondered a few posts ago if buying an older model was a good idea. They're more durable because of the hardened rubber but less good for your body. Don't know how big the difference really is though. All I know is my shoes ripped, hence my wondering if buying older shoes would last longer. Also don't know if you were to buy a pair that got manufactured yesterday how long it would take until they become harmful to wear(or until the rubber rips). I think it depends on the storage conditions and insole replacement frequency too. I always made sure to put them by the front door, away from direct sunlight or heaters. I think dry, warm air can accelerate the hardening process. As for dietary changes... there's nothing specific I could link you. It's all very easy to find. You can just search around for 'anti-inflammatory foods' or 'inflammatory foods' and you'll find a lot of information. I think you'll be shocked though what foods are inflammatory. On the bright side, if a person normally consumes a lot of them then things can only get much better when they stop. Here is one random link I came across though there's a LOT more information: Something I know from my own research, which is also one of the lead causes of disease/pain in modern society is unbalanced omegas. If you consume too much Omega 6(think types of nuts) and too little Omega 3(salmon and other fatty fish) then it will cause a lot of inflammation. It's preferable to consume fatty fish regularly(best to eat wild-caught salmon) or you can go for a fish oil tablet every day.
I know of 3 players in the club I play in that actually play with basketball shoes and they swear by them. Both players are 6ft+,heavy build and solid players. They had same issue as you with ankles rolling. I don't think there would be any harm in giving them a shot and see. Yes, probably some features might be missing but from what I gather, ankle support is a primary objective for u
Thanks for the reply man. Yeah I bought the SH-A920s from Victor but I will try basketball shoes next I think(right now where I live there's no decent ones I wanted). It's good to know there's solid players using them. I was also looking at volleyball shoes, which might also be a good idea. I am around 186cm, 95kg and did a lot of sprinting back when I did athletics. You could say I am a very physical 'power player' in badminton. To give an idea, I get holes in my socks and soles after just a few months. Not as light-footed as most players would be(or light for that matter) so I need adequate support. After these A920s run out(hopefully at least a year) I will go for sturdier shoes.
Holes in socks and soles is a sign of swimming inside the shoe. Depending on your footshape a different lacing technique and prevent you from sliding inside the shoe.
Since my shoes and socks fit to perfection my theory is that I just weigh too much, and sudden 'braking' causes a lot of stress on my insoles and socks. If my shoes were any tighter the blood would stop flowing to my feet. I also took special care prior to buying the A920s to make sure the nose and shoe width was suitable for my foot, and like I said it ended up fitting perfectly. If I get played out of position I often sprint(back and forth, if necessary) at full acceleration so that definitely puts a lot of strain on my shoes/socks(think Vittinghus). I used to do a lot of sprinting at an athletics club so for me it's a real effective way to retrieve impossible shots(speed/power, instead of light-footed and optimal technique). Yeah, I know it's not always ideal
