ASICS Men's Gel-RENMA Indoor Shoe, 11.5, White/Black

Why it's worth it

ASICS built the Gel-Renma with pickleball in mind, and its forefoot GEL unit softens the impact of hard stops at the kitchen. It's excellent on indoor hardwood, but it runs narrow enough that wide-footed players should skip it.

The Gel-Renma is one of the few shoes here designed around pickleball's specific movements rather than adapted from tennis. Forefoot GEL absorbs impact at footstrike, TRUSSTIC technology stiffens the midfoot against twisting, and a wrap-up outsole with a wider gauge helps you land and change direction without the shoe rolling. If your knees and Achilles complain after hard stops, that combination is the reason to look here.

Owners playing indoors on wood floors describe the grip as well-calibrated — enough to stop cleanly, not so much that you stick and jar your ankle. That's harder to get right than it sounds. Several players who moved over from running shoes say their Achilles and ankle pain settled down afterward, which lines up with what the sport's injury patterns would predict.

From our review of 8 pickleball shoes for court support, by Eleanor Vance, Health & Beauty Editor

What we like

• +The Gel-Renma is one of the few shoes here designed around pickleball's specific movements rather than adapted from tennis
• +Owners playing indoors on wood floors describe the grip as well-calibrated — enough to stop cleanly, not so much that you stick…
• +The fit is the catch, and ASICS says so on the listing
• +Durability lands in the middle of the pack

What to know

• –It runs narrow, and that's a hard stop for a lot of pickleball players
• –Frequent outdoor players report the outsole wearing smooth after roughly a season's worth of hard use
• –It's on the heavier side of the shoes here, which some players notice by the third game