Shoes for basketball?

Larry

Barefooters
Sep 13, 2012
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I'm not sure if this goes in the Pub - feel free to move if necessary.

I'm getting back on the basketball horse again, and I realised that I don't have much in the way of options for my feet. I've got really old ruined sneakers with a high heel, expensive running flats that would shred quickly, fivefingers that would get me laughed at and pop off my toes every time somebody stood on my feet, and that's it.

I think I'm going to have to buy something. My original thought was Dunlop Volleys, the good old Aussie icon, but these days they are really narrow in the toe box and they don't seem to make them to be durable anymore.

I don't want big bulky basketball boots with a big sole, so I started thinking about just playing in a pair of minimal runners, or maybe a pair that is flat and slightly cushioned. I don't know if completely minimal is a good idea or not. I figure I need good grip, maybe a slight amount of padding for heavy jumping, minimal drop and light weight. Would this work? Does anybody here play basketball, and what do you wear?

My current shortlist (based on the specials page on an online store over here, because I'm also hoping to go cheap - sub $100) is:

- Merrell Bare Access (recommended by somebody in another forum, zero drop with a little bit of padding. Shoe-like sole shape. $20 dearer than the other two options)
- Merrell Current Glove (looks pretty grippy, but maybe it's a little too 'technical' and designed for water?)
- Merrell True Glove (interesting, seems like a cross-training option with an interesting sole shape that might hug the foot a little more. Would that help you roll back onto your foot and prevent sprained ankles?)

Any thoughts?
 
I think Gentile said he plays basketball barefoot before, but I really don't know how much trouble he has with being barefoot or not. I would imagine even a pair of minshoes would be fine if you wanted to wear footwear.
 
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Hadn't really thought about playing barefoot. I don't think I could handle the stomping, but it is a cool thought.

Being old and slow, I've been known to play dirty tricks on guards like stepping on their feet and leaning into them to put them off balance. If you time it right they will fall over and you can drive to the basket like a pro. :) Don't think I'd like somebody to do that to me if I was BF.
 
I thought about something like the good old Chuck Taylors, but they're actually quite hard to find around here (and I imagine they would cost a bomb if you went and bought something similar from a skate shop). I remember when they were one of the only shoe options available. The Dunlop volleys are like the Aussie Chucks in a way, but like many things they are not what they once were in this brave new globalised world.

In the end I bought a pair of Merrell Bare Access runners for basketball (and a pair of last year's road gloves on special too - they were going cheap!). Based on a five minute test in my living room, they are going to be really good. Super light, zero drop, not too much padding at all, and they feel quite grippy on my kitchen floor. They're also narrower in the heel than I expected, which I think is a good thing.
 
i play volleyball barefoot. and not the beach kind. one of the park districts makes me wear shoes, so i have some VFFs that are only used for that purpose. but, now i play primarily at the other park district that doesn't care. i once overheard a conversation between someone and the athletic director. i didn't hear the whole thing, but it went something along the lines of "people ask me about it, but i see him out running everywhere barefoot, so why should i make him put shoes on in here?"

basketball does have more abrupt changes of direction than volleyball, but i don't see a major problem with it (just some minor ones). you'll just adjust the way you play a little bit.

a couple little notes, though. first, i seem to jump equally as high (or higher) without shoes than i did with them. i baselessly conjecture that the loss of a few centimeters of height from padding is offset by better loading of the muscles/tendons/etc. second, last season, one of the opposing middle hitters decided to take his shoes off for the final set of our match. it was really strange playing defense (i happened to be in the back row when he was in the front) because you couldn't hear him. usually there is all this thud-thud-thud going on. but when he would get the set there was the thudding as the ball was passed and set but then when he was the only one running it was eerily silent and disorienting because i didn't have the usual audible cues as to where he was lining up to hit the ball.

thinking back, i recall that when i was in grade school, one of the stories we had in reading class involved a new kid whose first day at his new school was the day they were holding races. in the event, he decided his boots were too heavy, so partway through the race, he stopped to take them off, then ran on the grass on the outside edge of the track, caught the leaders and won at the last moment. naturally, the 2nd place finisher complained because he couldn't see or hear him coming, but was rebutted by the argument that the barefooter had actually run farther since he had gone way around the outside. anyways: sneaky sneaky....
 
I think Gentile said he plays basketball barefoot before, but I really don't know how much trouble he has with being barefoot or not. I would imagine even a pair of minshoes would be fine if you wanted to wear footwear.

I have come full circle and believe it or not, if you want to play basketball buy basketball sneakers, plain and simple. They actually have basketball shoes out there without a heel. I think the Kobe Bryants and Addidas Zero's are a good choice. With the amount of aggressive side movements, people stepping on your foot in the paint, minimal shoes were not ideal. I never felt safe in a basketball game with minimal footwear. If I'm just shooting around and nothing else, I do like to be barefoot.

Not all shoes are the enemy, I'm glad I got over that mindset.
 
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