Finding shoes

Let's start with the honest answer: there are no dedicated Crossminton shoes and no shoe rule. It's played in badminton, squash or general indoor shoes. The rules concern themselves with the floor — it must not carry an increased risk of injury — and leave the shoe to you.

The transfer from indoor sport fits well, but not completely. Badminton and squash shoes are built for a court that works forward and back — to the net, to the front wall. The Crossminton court is a square with four equal corners around a center. What's asked, then, is less the forward movement than the secure lunge in every direction. The core requirements of indoor shoes still hit the mark, because they aim at stop-and-go, lateral support and fast changes of direction anyway.

What to watch for indoors: a light, non-marking sole, which many halls already demand at the door; lateral stability with a firm heel cap against rolling the ankle on a lunge; a flat, flexible build for fast reactions; some cushioning against the impacts of pushing off and landing; and a snug fit, so that no energy is lost on the start. Tennis shoes are only partly suitable — they're heavier and built for different paths. Handball and volleyball shoes can fit if they meet these points.

One trade-off you can't resolve, only weigh: cushioning and stability against lightness and reaction speed. What matters more to you, you decide yourself.

Outdoors it gets murky. Crossminton runs on grass, sand, asphalt, clay and artificial turf, and for none of these surfaces is there a solid shoe recommendation. All that's certain: an indoor sole is quickly worn down on asphalt, and the grip differs fundamentally by surface. If you play outdoors regularly, a second pair with tread is worthwhile — which one you're most likely to find out by trying it on your court. How to adjust to changing surfaces is in the outdoor part of the handbook.

Turn your indoor shoes over and look at the sole: does it mark, or is it light and grippy? Give yourself a hard sideways lunge in the hall — does the shoe hold, or does the foot roll outward? And if you also play outdoors: does the same sole grip on your court, or do you slip? Note whether a second pair for outdoors would make sense.