Off-Piste Play · No. 04
My first court shoes were a bargain. Then I nearly broke my ankle in them. The pair that replaced them is light, stable, and the best money I have spent on this game.
In this one: the bargain that wasn't · why chunky shoes roll · what Mizuno builds into the Exceed Tour · the red-colorway deal
On the cover: the Wave Exceed Tour 7 in Fiery Red and White. List price $155. I paid $93, tax in, shipping free. More on that inside.
How this started
When I started playing pickleball, the only athletic shoes I owned were running shoes and trail shoes. Neither felt right for a sport that is mostly short, sharp moves side to side. I wanted something with a little more stability under me, so I went looking for a pair of tennis shoes.
I did not want to spend much. Good sneakers get expensive fast, and I was new to the game. So I did my research, and I found a pair of Adidas that kept showing up on recommended lists. They came to a little under sixty dollars with tax and shipping. They were recommended, to be fair — as the low-cost option that works. Adidas made a pricier version of the same shoe that was supposedly lighter. I bought the cheaper one.
I paid for that decision twice. The first time was at checkout. The second time was on the court, when I rolled my ankle mid-game and came very close to breaking it. That was the end of my bargain-shoe era. I decided it was time to spend a little more on a pair that was both stable and light.
What I learned the hard way
A court shoe is not a running shoe. It has a different job, and it fails in a different way.
A running shoe is built to go straight ahead. Pickleball almost never does. You split-step, lunge wide for a dink, stop hard at the kitchen line and push back the other way. Every one of those moves puts sideways load on the shoe, and on your ankle.
Here is the pattern I noticed while I was shopping the second time. At the lower price points, you tend to get a heavier, bulkier shoe. More foam, more material, more height. That can feel cushy in the store. On the court, it can mean you are standing a little higher off the ground with a little less control over where your foot lands. When you plant hard and the shoe does not come with you, the ankle is what gives.
So I set two rules for the next pair. Stable enough that my foot stays over the sole when I cut. Light enough that I am not dragging it around. After a lot of reading, the shoe that kept coming up on both counts was the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour.
I paid for the cheap shoes twice. Once at checkout, and once on the court.Off-Piste Play
What Mizuno builds into it
It is sold as a tennis shoe. Pickleball players figured out a while ago that it works just as well on our smaller court.
The Wave Exceed Tour is Mizuno's speed shoe — the one built for quick, aggressive movers rather than for maximum padding. What makes it a good pickleball shoe is that Mizuno did not strip out the stability to get the speed. Several pickleball buying guides this year single out the Tour 7 for exactly that reason: the pace of a light shoe, with the lateral support of a premium court shoe.
The stability comes from two pieces. The first is Mizuno's signature Wave plate in the midfoot, a rigid, wave-shaped plate that spreads the force of each landing across a wider area and keeps the shoe from twisting. The second is the D-Flex Groove, a cut in the midsole that lets the forefoot bend naturally when you push off, so the shoe is firm where it needs to be and flexible where it doesn't.
Underneath, the DX Rubber outsole is designed for stopping, pivoting and the occasional slide. Mizuno says the compound is considerably tougher than the one it replaced, and it backs the all-court version with a six-month outsole durability guarantee. The cushioning is Mizuno's Enerzy foam in the heel and forefoot: springy, but firm enough that you still feel the court.
The Tour 7 also fixed the one real complaint about the Tour 6. The old tongue was thin and could dig into the top of your foot when you laced up tight. The new one is longer, softer and padded, which matters on a shoe you want cinched down for support.
The name on the collar. That raised lattice is the molded upper — structure where the foot needs holding, flex everywhere else.
On the court
I am very impressed with these shoes. They are extremely light and extremely comfortable, and the first thing I noticed was how little I noticed them. I play pretty hard. I lunge, I scramble, I plant and push off more often than I probably should. I have yet to turn my ankle in them.
One honest note for the spec-sheet readers. Mizuno markets this as one of the lightest court shoes you can buy, and independent lab testing found it a touch heavier than that claim — right around twelve ounces in a men's size 9. That is still light for a court shoe with this much support. And on the court, it feels lighter than the number, because the weight is carried low and the shoe moves with your foot instead of against it.
The same testing gave it top marks for grip and for durability, and called it unusually stable for a speed shoe. That last part matches my experience exactly.
Wednesday nights
Our Wednesday game with the RMV Mid-Week Pick'lers is not gentle. The rallies are fast, the hands are faster, and the ball is the LT Pro 48, which does not wait for anyone. That is exactly the kind of play that exposes a shoe. A reach you commit to has to end with your foot landing where you meant it to.
What I paid
The Wave Exceed Tour 7 lists at $155. I bought mine from Tennis Express on sale for $93 — and that $93 included tax, with shipping free. That is less than sixty percent of list, for a shoe I was prepared to pay full price for.
My guess at why: the colorway. Mine are Fiery Red and White, and I suspect the red simply does not sell out as fast as the black or white versions, so it goes on sale first. If you are not particular about color, it is worth checking which colorway is marked down before you buy. Personally, I like the red. It is easy to spot in a pile of bags at the fence.
Two cautions, so nobody is surprised. The Exceed Tour runs medium to snug, and more than one reviewer says it is not the shoe for wide feet — try a pair on if you can. And the outsole tread can pick up grit on outdoor courts, so give the soles a quick wipe now and then.
The verdict
If you get serious about pickleball, and you care about preventing injury, you will end up buying a dedicated pair of court shoes. That is just where this game leads. The only question is whether you get there before or after the ankle that teaches you. I got there after.
The Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 7 is light, stable, comfortable out of the box, and tough underfoot. It feels fast without feeling fragile, which is a hard balance to strike. At $155 it is worth the money, in my opinion. At $93, it is a steal.
I spent about sixty dollars trying to save money, and nearly paid for it with a broken ankle. I would rather have spent the extra the first time. ✦
I bought the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 7 reviewed here myself, on sale from Tennis Express. Mizuno had no involvement in this review.