Play Hard and Stay Healthy
We play a game of sprints; short bursts of power for long periods of time. Fast changes of direction that crush your toes on the hard stop and slam the sides of your feet with each lateral pivot. And if you’re a serious athlete, who plays a grueling year-round season for school, club, or high performance teams… then you don’t have down time. Keeping your feet supported, comfortable, and healthy is crucial to a long-lasting and successful volleyball career. Because we all know what happens to those athletes who start compensating for pain – injuries.
Save yourself from the physical and mental anguish of sprained ankles, shin splints or the dreaded ACL tear by maintaining a healthy body. How do you do that? Well, it all starts with your shoes and after reading this guide you’ll know how to pick the right one for you. We’ve listed them by position because in this specialized game, each role demands something specific from the player.
How to Pick Volleyball Shoes for Serious Athletes
A high-quality shoe will give you comfort during exhausting 4 hour practices and support you on Game 5 scramble plays that leave you tangled in the bleachers. They’re the armor strengthening hitters when you battle giants at the net. They’re the springboards for setters letting you dart around the court, dishing the sauce to hungry hitters. And they’re lightweight bursts of force so you defensive players can throw your body against the floor, refusing to let a ball drop. Your shoes are the most important piece of equipment for indoor volleyball and based on the below criteria by position, we’ve listed the top models for you.
Important Criteria:
Sole: For middle blockers, outside and opposite hitters, a lightweight, springy sole is crucial to help you get up to maximum vertical height while providing cushion on the landing. This is to help prevent knee or back injury. For defensive specialists or setters who need dynamic horizontal takeoff, it’s important to have extra cushion on the ball of the foot (in between the toes and the arch) because most of your game will be played here and its where a lot of wear and tear goes down. For setters who play front row or other 6 rotation players, it’s important to get every ounce of support you can and invest in a gel pad like Dr. Scholl’s to provide extra strength.
Traction: This is really important for setters and hitters. You need to be able to push off the ground for horizontal and lateral movement without slippage because the court can get SWEATY. Unless you’re playing at packed arenas with ball shaggers and floor sweepers, more likely than not you’re going to be rubbing down sweat marks yourself and let’s just say, that doesn’t always work the best. Slipping and falling isn’t just an embarrassing way to lose a point; it can take out a knee or even hurt another teammate. Setters especially who play so closely to team members all over the place need to be able to balance on each part of your foot, requiring crazy good traction. Hitters, you are taking huge approaches play after play and in order to safely bound with large steps you must be able to trust in sticking each time, no matter how damp the floor is beneath you.
Fabric: The fabric is important because it allows ventilation to your foot. If you sweat through your socks and your foot is trapped in a tight space with zero breathability your foot will end up slipping around and cause blisters. And if you wear ankle braces or Active Ankles, the fabric must be strong enough to last through constant impact with the added equipment otherwise you will get frayed or ripped areas, causing an imbalanced position that leads to injuries (half the time you don’t even realize the imbalance).
Structure: For all volleyball players, if you don’t wear ankle braces when you play it is vital that you invest in a shoe designed to provide ankle support. Front row you are going to war with titans that eat weak ankles for breakfast and back row you’re in charge of not letting the ball touch the ground. That includes sprays off the block, tips, high line shots and tricky setter dumps. Pretty much everything to your left, everything to your right and everything in between. Sprained ankles are extremely common in volleyball and tend to stick around even years later as painful reminders of a time when you should have had more ankle support! Don’t let that be you.
Weight: This is tricky since a supportive shoe tends to be heavier, which negatively impacts speed and vertical jump. Backrow players can get a heavier shoe than front row players since they aren’t fighting gravity every play. Same with setters. It’s more important for you to have more stabilizing shoes since you are constantly bolting around the court, getting your hands on digs a foot above the ground, balancing against the net on tight passes like an acrobat and basically sacrificing yourself to toss out juicy sets for your hitters. You don’t want a shoe that feels like lead blocks dragging you down but setters and defensive players can definitely use the extra TLC you get from a heavier shoe.
Arch Support: This kind of correlates to structure, but deserves it’s own category since it is so crucial for front row players who land on a hard surface all the time. And it’s particularly crucial if you primarily play on hardwood vs. sport court which tends to have a little more give. Many shins have suffered excruciating pain from the constant impact that could’ve been prevented with more arch support. Instead of spending countless hours ice cupping your legs trying to relieve the shin splints, make sure the shoe you purchase has arch support that LASTS. This is often the first part of the shoe to wear down so looking through reviews and seeing which are the durable models with durable arch support is important (and don’t worry we looked through the reviews for you).
Blister-Free: And let’s not get started on how excruciating blisters can be. If you’ve ever experienced blisters during preseason, you know the horror of unlacing blood soaked shoes after the last practice of the day… Only to shove your poor, mangled feet back into them the next morning. While everybody’s foot is different and blisters are sneaky that sometimes pop up only during the first week of double days or they come to say hello after a 5 set nail biter. We took the time to carefully go through the reviews and looked at what the top colleges are using. Keep in mind, a lot of times college players will double up on socks when you first start breaking in a shoe and if you purchase a model that fits great but rubs in the wrong spots a little, first try this tactic before returning them. A lot of times a great shoe needs a slight breaking in before it becomes the perfect fit.
See The Top Choices
#1 Adidas Originals Women’s Crazyflight Bounce 2 Volleyball Shoe
Crush Sets Not Toes With The Number One Pick for Hitters!
You’re the go-to, the hitter that gets it done. When the game is tight you need a shoe that doesn’t let you down, that sticks with you while you bury balls like the relentless jackhammer you are. Your legs might get a little shaky and the bizarre sets that are never quite where you want them might chip at your percentage, but these shoes will you keep flying high & pounding everything that comes your way, while your opponent calls it quits. The rubber sole doesn’t care if there’s a double block, it’s there to lift you up, over and take you to victory time and time again. Hitters love this model and the combination of breathability and springy sole launches this shoe and you, far over the competition.
PRICE: $83.63
5 Stars on all 17 Reviews on Amazon
Pros
- Rubber sole provides sturdy yet springy support to jump high and land safe
- Bounce cushioning provides enhanced comfort and flexibility
- The mesh fabric is infused with TPU yarn reinforcements for stability and less tears. Perfect combination of breathability and stability.
- Top-grip outsole for better traction on indoor surfaces – handles slippery hardwood floor easily
- True to size so no need to adjust your regular order
- Wide platform on the forefoot to help lateral movement
Cons
- Some reviewers didn’t like the style of the shoe since it’s made primarily of mesh with reinforced yarn fabric
- Arch support wasn’t as strong as others, but this was remedied with gel inserts
- Only ships to the USA
#2 Asics Upcourt 3 Women’s Shoe
Dish the Sauce Blister-Free With Our Best Pick for Setters
As the workhorse of the team, you’re in charge of winning. The last thing you want is worrying about which foot’s birthing a blister in the middle of calling a play. Whether you’re on a high school team or at an elite high performance tryout, setting is hard, grueling, mentally and physically taxing. Take some relief off your feet so you can focus entirely on getting the W. You’re not about to reap glory and snag that MVP trophy if you’re too busy tightening up shoes that can’t handle your lightning-quick speed. The Asics Upcourt 3 Women’s shoe is specifically designed for intense agility from all angles, anywhere and everywhere. Setters raved about the security they feel in this shoe without compromising pain from lacing too tight or painful blisters.
Price: $45.41
Pros
- Combination of leather and mesh allowed breathability and support
- The internal padded collar and tongue cradle your foot in cushion from all sides so you feel snug, secure and ready to go
- Mesh lining and a cushioned sockliner provided better performance comfort.
- Rearfoot GEL Cushioning System helps soak in shock on impact and allows for a smooth transition for those off the block plays and fast-twitch reactions.
- Non-marking, gum rubber outsole also gives exceptional grip and traction
Cons
- Difficult to size as some people said they ran small, while others said they ran big – so be careful when purchasing
- Doesn’t have a money back guarantee
- The extra padding made some people sweat more and have to wear thinner socks
#3 Adidas Original Women’s Volley Assault Shoe
Liberos Get Lateral With Adidas Original Women’s Volley Assault Shoe
You’re not going to let the ball hit the ground so get a shoe that has your back. Fast take off, lateral pivots no one can predict, and broken plays where you end up launching yourself in the air – this shoe does it all right there with you making sure you’re ready to get back up on your feet. Rubber sole, mid-foot support, reinforced toe area so you’re not crushing your piggies every time you decelerate all add to the awesome design and defense-minded structure of this model. Liberos and defense specialists absolutely loved this shoe and we have a feeling you will too.
PRICE: $85.00
Pros
- Rubber sole for increased support
- Super-light and abrasion-resistant open mesh upper with triple-layer foil cage offers mid-foot support during lateral movements
- Reinforced toe and heel for extra support on quick sprints
- Lightweight cushioning midsole right on the ball of the foot where most defensive players put their weight
- Rubber outsole designed for excellent grip on indoor surfaces
Cons
- The 100% leather material didn’t provide a lot of breathability and some players noticed sweaty feet
- A lot of players noticed it squeezed in on the sides and wasn’t as wide as they would’ve liked
- Only ships to USA
#4 Nike Women’s Volley Zoom Hyper Spike Training Shoe
For Middle Blockers Who Never Stop Jumping
You’re a middle, the first line of defense and the center of the offense. You’re always on double duty, constantly jumping, constantly running side to side off the net and back at it again. If you miss one step the point is over, so you need a shoe that keeps up with your fast, quick feet. This model allows full range of motion, so you can hop off the net on those fast plays where your setter wants you up FAST. And for the roof parties where you know you’re stuffing the tiny hitters that dared show up in your house, you want a shoe that shuts down their puny attempts to sneak past you and stuff that front row over and over again.
4.4 Stars out of 178 Reviews
PRICE: $89.99-$240.00
Pros
- Flywire technology wraps your foot for ultralight support for constant jumping
- Low-cut ankle allows for full range of motion. It’s advised to wear your own ankle braces with this shoe
- TPU heel counter provides stability and lockdown on the arches to prevent shin splints from short hops that don’t always land with full give.
Cons
- The low ankle structure allows full range of motion, but doesn’t protect the ankle from opponents going under the net. ALWAYS WEAR ANKLE BRACES MIDDLES!
- The arch support can inhibit vertical jump so short middles who rely on their hops sometimes struggle with this shoe
- Only ships to USA
#5 Mizuno Women’s Wave Lightning Z3 Volleyball Shoe
Best All Around Shoe
Whether you’re a utility player who’s ready to fill any role on the court, or you’re just starting out and not sure which position you’ll end up in OR you’re a beach player who just wants some indoor shoes for rec ball this is the perfect choice for all-around maximum performance.
4.4 Stars out of 158 Reviews
PRICE: $119.99
Pros:
- 100% Synthetic
- Synthetic sole
- Shaft measures approximately low-top from arch
- Parallel wave plate
- Non-marking outsole
- Mizuno intercool
Cons:
- Ran a little narrow, not true to size
- Fabric loosens up after use
- Hard across the toes for some players
