Find Your Court Shoes

Padel and pickleball are both sports of explosive side-to-side movement, which is why running shoes — built for going forwards — are the most common cause of rolled ankles on both. Beyond that, the two sports diverge. UK padel is played almost entirely on sand-filled artificial grass, where a herringbone outsole grips the sand and releases on the slide. UK pickleball is mostly indoors on wood or sports tile, where a non-marking sole and lateral support matter more than tread — and outdoor hard courts want a tougher rubber again.

This quiz asks about your sport, your surface, how you move and how your feet feel, and recommends a type of shoe with three matching pairs from our reviews. The guides below go deeper on each.

Or read by surface and sport: