I have tried various badminton shoes with orthodicts and usually the outside sole, uppers, or the inside sole (where the toes are) wear out first. The only time I had the heel support fail with the orthodicts was when the shoe was trying to be ultra-light and the honey-comb design under the heel was poorly designed (I had an identical pair without the orthodicts and the heel support failed also).
Addidtional Criteria? I'm not too sure if this question would enhance your survey, Kwun? Of the players who responded they were "flat-footed"... How many of you wear orthodicts? If yes, is the orthodicts custom-made or off-the-shelf? For myself, I am flat-footed & wear custom made orthodicts.
I am flat-footed, and its true you tire more easily. You also wear out badminton shoes faster and you have frequent foot callluses. I got over this problem by fitting a pair of customized foot orthoses. Now I don't have to use knee braces and I don't have anymore pains on my knee. The orthoses are quite expensive at HK$1380. They make a cast of both your feet and use a computer to map your feet. They have this service in the US but I believe it is even more expensive over there.
Re: Addidtional Criteria? I'm flat-footed and wear off-the-shelf "Superfeet" brand insoles from SportChek. Having SOME form of arch-support greatly increases mobility on the court. -dave
I'd been playing for about a year with stock insoles before I discovered the "Superfeet" recommendation on this forum. After hard games of badminton, I do experience knee and feet soreness. Climing stairs was PAINFUL later in the day, and the next day. On court, it would be painful to lunge to the front for a drop, and I would hesitate to reach, if I had to bound more than two steps. The Superfeet insoles have a hard molded "cup" at the heel area with arch-support, underneath a foam (?) sole. The foam sole is your-foot-length, but the mold is goes from your arch to your heel, so maybe half-a-foot to a third-of-a-foot. Not 12 inches, but your foot-length. The improvement is remarkable. Pain-free. No knee pain/soreness nor foot soreness after/during the game. Lunging for drops is "trouble-free" i.e. I don't sub-consciously hesitate to go for them. At around CAD 30 a pair, they work well for me. I even bought a pair for my leather casual shoes that I've never worn for a year, because the inside sole is extremely flat, and I'd get foot soreness after an hour of use/shopping. Overall, I think if you're flat-footed, you do need RIGID support at the arch area, not the soft cushiony types that shoe salesperson would try to sell you. I was quite surprise, as it was counter-intuitive to me at the time. If I do get knee/foot discomfort again, I'd look into custom orthotics ... but for now, I'm extremely happy with my CAD 30 insoles. Oh, I forgot to mention, when inspecting the entire insole, I noticed the soft foam insole is made in Canada, but the hard cup arch support is made in the US, and patented, so I'm sure you can get them there. Hope this helps. -dave
Superfeet actually are pretty good I use them at the snow since it's a complete, utter *#%$ing pain in the arse to put your orthotics into boots and I just leave my superfeet in the boots permanantly. Are they as good as custom orthotics, nope definately not. Is it worth a try since they are only 10-20% of the cost of custom orthotics, absolutely. If you can, get them made up at a shoe store that actually has a certified boot fitter (forgotten the proper US name for it), or funnily enough, go a snow store that has a boot fitter on site (which a lot of owners are) and get them made up there. What's the difference simply put? Superfeet provide support in the shape of your foot, basically they take a computerised mold of your foot and make a set of insoles to match. Custom orthotics provide correction, taking a mold and making changes to improve your foot position.
Foot orthotics are not arch supports. They are used to correct wrong striking angles of your feet, which can cause foot fatique, pain in the knees or back. Foot orthotics correct slightly the angles your foot strikes a walking or running surface. They make standing, walking and running more efficient and comfortable. They come in full length as well as 2/3 length. It is true that you might have to discard all your existing shoes, because the orthotics require more space in your shoes to accommodate it, or that your shoes are not rigid enough for the orthotics to work as intended. Air cushioning shoes and shoes with too soft heel and shoe bottom are no no. Yes, you will require another foot orthotics for home use, but this can come in the form of slip-ons. You can buy custom made shoes to fit your foot orthotics. I don't do that. Instead I take my foot orthotics to shop for new shoes. For badminton shoes, try the anti-twist shoes from Mizuno or Yonex. The shoes must not twist, must not bend in the middle, must have stiff heels and the insole of your shoes must be flat to ensure it does not alter the correction angles of your foot orthotics. You have to discard the insoles of all shoes to accommodate your foot orthotics. You also need to allow your body some time to gradually adapt to it. Despite all these bother, I am a great believer in foot orthotics My wife and son are converts (they both have abnormally high archs), and the foot orthotics have got rid of their knee pains.
Do you have any pictures of the superfeet? I myself is flat footed.. but i don't wear any insoles.. so far its good for me. I was told that if you were to wear orthodontics or insoles , you have to wear both sides. Better still don't wear any because it will affect the positions of your spinal joints due to uneven leg lengths.
Which one? Pecheur is referring to ones that is molded to your sole. I used one out of the box, readily available at local "sportmarts" here in Canada. -dave p.s. I wonder if Kwun tried em out. Any reviews?
i tried out the superfeet. both the blue and green versions. i used the blue ones for badminton a couple of times. the problem i found with them is that the insole folds quite easily, especially on a hard lunge. there seems to be a lack of adhesion between the insole and the sole and i was not prepared to glue it on without much experimentation. i use the green one for daily use, it was originally not very comfortable. but it has done little more than that to me so far. so i don't have very conclusive reviews. perhaps i should try it on badminton again.
I'll take a picture of them when I get home. Don't have the box though. Fold quite easily? Hmmm, I trimmed the length but left a bit extra at the tip, so it's REALLY snug against all sides of the shoe. I think it even curls up slightly at the front. So I don't experience folding, although I feel that it "lifts" or separates from the shoe insole on sideways lunges. -dave
superfeet picture Okay, here you go. One very used Superfeet insole pic. Wonder if this'll now show up on the streets of KL's night markets -dave
I'm just talking about fits. Eggroll told me that one of the feature of yonex's lady shoes is that they are made for foot with less arching.
didnt someone here said flat footed mean a foot with less than average arches? Beside less arches, ladies yy shoes is narrower and a bit more toe-in.
It is true that foot orthosis, which are used to correct foot over-pronation or over-supination, come in pairs. These devices are not off-the-shelve insoles; they are customized for each individual. People with flat feet usually suffer from over-pronation by as much as 10 to 12 degrees vs the normal 6 to 8 degrees that is when walking. For high impact sports like badminton, flat feet over-pronation could be even worse, with increased stress on your feet and achilles tendon. Aside from orthotics, you can buy antipronation shoes, but I doubt if they make such shoes for badminton. Or you can try arch support, often with wedge under inside of heel and big toe joint. Both are not true orthotics and are more like band-aid. Orthotics, if correctly prescribed and made, will allow your feet to be more energy-efficient, i.e. you can walk the whole day without tired feet. They also save on wear and tear of the shoes. I used to wear off my badminton shoes every 6 months before orthotics. My year-old badminton shoes, bought a month after I had orthotics fitted, are now almost as good as new. Despite its initial high costs, using orthotics will pay in the long run (except for growing children).
