Q. Can I play tennis in my running shoes?
A. Running shoes on a tennis court are a sprained or broken ankle waiting to happen. Running shoes are built with a thick, soft heel to maximize cushioning for straight-forward, heel-to-toe foot impacts. Runners don't cut sharply sideways, and the running shoe sole, especially the heel, is much too unstable for the sideways movements of tennis.

Q. Can I play tennis in my deck shoes?
A. The low, flat-soled deck shoes and their cousins, all of which are often called tennis shoes, lack the cushioning and support needed to chase tennis balls. They are safer than running shoes because of their low profile, but your joints will take a serious pounding if do any real running in them.

Q. Which is the best tennis shoe upper material: canvas, leather, or vinyl?
A. Canvas stays coolest, breathes best, and is least likely to contain suspect chemicals that might enter your skin. Leather can provide more support and will stay drier in wet off-court environments. Vinyl can provide good support, and it resists external moisture best, but it tends to get hottest and breathe worst. Durability is rarely an issue with tennis shoe uppers because the soles usually wear out long before the uppers do.

Q. Why does the toe of my tennis shoe keep wearing out?
A. Many players drag the toe forward on the serve and wear through the shoe pretty quickly. Some also drag the part of the shoe below the big toe forward on groundstrokes, but this usually causes slower wear. You don't need to drag your toe on the serve, so if you've gotten to the point where you don't have too many other things to think about, you can train yourself to let your shoes last longer.

Q. What is the flex point in a tennis shoe?
A. The flex point is where the sole of the shoe is most easily bent. You want the shoe to flex at the ball of the foot, which is where your foot naturally bends. You can test the flex point by holding your palms against the back and front tips of the shoes and pressing them toward each other.

Q. What can I do to keep my tennis shoes from getting stinky?
A. Tennis shoes get stinky because of sweaty feet, and they get worse if the shoes stay moist, allowing bacteria to grow. Having two identical pairs of shoes helps, because you can wear them on alternate days, letting each pair dry out on its day off. Canvas shoes breathe better and stay cooler than leather or vinyl shoes, and most canvas shoes can be washed. Wearing thick, clean socks helps both your shoes and your feet.

Q. What is a neutral foot type?
A. Only about 10% of the population have neutral feet, which tend to wear shoes out evenly across the sole. Neutral feet do well in tennis shoes that are balanced between cushioning and rollover protection.

Q. What is a supinated foot type?
A. 20-30% of the population have supinated feet, which are usually accompanied by high arches. Supinated feet turn inward (pigeon-toed) and tend to wear tennis shoes out along the outer edges of both the heel and the forefoot. Supinated feet need more cushioning than rollover protection.

Q. What is a pronated foot type?
A. 60-70% of the population have pronated feet, which roll inward more than necessary as the foot steps from heel to toe. Pronated feet often have low arches. Old shoes that show wear on the outside of the heel and the inside of the forefoot are generally characteristic of pronated feet. Pronated feet need tennis shoes that resist rollover more than provide cushioning.