Okay, so I’ve been playing tennis for a while now, and one thing I’ve always wondered about is when to actually replace my shoes. I mean, they don’t look that bad, usually, but I know playing in worn-out shoes can mess you up.
So, I started to dig into this whole “replacing tennis shoes” thing. First, I just looked at my shoes. I checked the bottoms – the soles – to see if they were getting smooth. That’s a pretty obvious sign, I guess. If you’re slipping and sliding all over the court, it’s a no brainer.
Then, I felt the inside. You know, that cushiony part, called the “midsole.” It felt…flat. Like, way less bouncy than when I first got them. Not much support going on there.
My Deep Dive into Shoe Replacement
I did some searching online, and that’s when this rule started popping up, something like, “You gotta do it after playing for about 50 to 60 hours.” That made things clear, it’s about playing time, not how many months you’ve had them!
- Checking the Sole: I started paying way more attention to the bottom of my shoes. I’d run my hand over them after each match or practice.
- Feeling the Midsole: I’d press down on the inside of the shoe to see how much “spring” it had left.
- Tracking Playtime:This was the game-changer. I started to keep a rough estimate of how many hours I was actually on the court.
A practice session? An hour. A match? Could be two or three. It adds up!
I realized I was probably playing in my old shoes for way too long before. Now, I’m trying to be better. Once I hit that 50-60 hour mark, I started to really check my shoes, and even got new ones a bit early. I found that my knees felt a little better and it gives some confidence that i can prevent injuries.
It’s still a bit of a guessing game, but paying attention to how the shoes look, feel, and how long I’ve been playing in them is way better than I use to do.
