Whenever we run shoe reviews, we try to impress upon readers
that appearance should not be a factor. A smart player looks at a shoe as a
piece of equipment, not a fashion statement. Fit and performance should trump
any style concerns. A shoe can look great, but if it lacks adequate support or
has a poor cushioning, it’s best saved for casual wear.
But if clothes make the man, or woman, it’s hard not to be
swayed somewhat by style. When we do racquet reviews, we have the manufacturers
send us blacked-out frames so playtesters aren’t influenced by the cosmetics.
Unfortunately, that’s not possible when we evaluate shoes. I always wonder
whether our weartesters can stay totally objective. It’s pretty rare to see
somebody in a sporting goods store admiring a shoe’s flexpoint. Buyers tend to
gravitate towards a particular model because of the way it looks. Once it
satisfies the eyeball test, then they move on to whether they could actually
play in them.
That’s why the most finicky shoe aficionados will go so far as
to actually design their own styles. Nike was the first company I noticed with
this practice, offering it on its website for their running and basketball
shoes. Adidas has followed suit with the aptly titled miadidas.com. Not to be
confused with Run-DMC song, it’s a website where you can take a base model of
various Adidas shoes and basically go crazy.
One of the lines you can create with is the Barricade. For
years it has been one of the more dependable high-performance tennis shoes, a
staple on the pro tours (the Barricade II is still my favorite). As long as you
can manage the weight, the Barricade is a definite asset for your feet. I’ve
usually been satisfied with the color schemes, although it’s nice to have
complete control. It’s not cheap ($140), but it does let you customize your
shoe beyond just the appearance. You can choose the width, type of a sockliner,
a hard court or all-court outsole, and even get different sizes for each foot,
something many players struggle with.
Another shoe with a rich tennis history you can design is
the Stan Smith. Now I would never advise playing competitively with “Stans”
anymore, because it has basically no support features. But they’re pretty cool.
And when you’re off the court, that’s something to consider.