What are the Differences Between Mens and Womens Volleyball Shoes?

When looking to buy the best volleyball shoes it’s common to come across a model that is available for both men and women. Some of you may be wondering what exactly the differences are between these shoes. The simple answer is that there is rarely that much difference at all between these shoes, but there are a couple of areas that they do differ slightly.

Firstly, the most apparent difference is the color. Men’s shoes usually don’t come in a color like pink or other colors that generally don’t appeal to men. How often do you see a man wearing a pair of pink or purple shoes? You’d probably struggle to remember the last time you saw this. It isn’t just the boldness of color either, women will usually have more color choices to choose from too. Men’s volleyball shoes are comparatively boring, sticking to safe, plain colors like black and gray more than any other.

The other difference is in sizing. Men’s feet are usually larger, so just like with any other type of shoe, shoes designed for male players start from and go up to larger sizes . However, what if a man and a woman have the same foot size – does this mean that they can both wear the same sized shoe? Generally, no, because men’s feet are also slightly wider too, which volleyball shoes designed for men account for.

Women also have a wider selection of shoes to choose from. Not to generalize too much here, but volleyball is played more by women than men. So, brands like Mizuno and ASICS follow the money and spend more time and money in designing shoes for women. What this also means is women have a wider selection of shoes to choose from. So, while you may see a specific shoe available for just women or both men and women, it isn’t common to see a model that is only available for men, though you will come across one every now and again.

Finally, men shoes may ultimately be designed to be more durable. Everything in the men’s game is a touch more aggressive, a touch faster, a touch more intense. This means that the shoes are put under more stress with every play, so must be able to withstand this.

See Also: