The best pickleball shoes for women

The Kitchen Team

Covering all things pickleball

Last Edited

Aug 01 2025

DAPS Desi Low women's pickleball shoe

The DAPS pickleball shoes were released to the public this spring, and already several pro players have switched to them, including the players on The Kitchen's MLP team -- the Nashville Chefs. The DAPS out-perform the big brands in several key metrics, and you don’t just have to take my word for it — they have the data to back it up. They sent the shoe to the Heeluxe Performance Lab, which compared the DAPS to several other well-known shoes in the pickleball space.

The results favored the DAPS in several areas:

-Faster starts
-Quicker stops
-Better energy return
-More energy efficiency

You can find our in-depth review of the shoes here, and read our breakdown of what the shoe experts at Heeluxe had to say about them here.

DAPS Desi Mid women's pickleball shoe

$174.99 at Pickleball Central

If you’re coming to pickleball from a sport other than tennis — such as basketball, softball or volleyball — you might be used to a shoe that comes much higher on the ankle than most pickleball or tennis shoes.

If that’s a style you’re used to and low-top shoes feel uncomfortable, or if you’ve had an ankle injury and want more support in that area, the DAPS Desi Mid pickleball shoes could be the perfect shoe for you.

As the name suggests, they’re a mid-top shoe that offers comfortable padding around the ankle and added support for even the hardest changes of direction.

Diadem Court Burst women's pickleball shoe

$149.95 at Pickleball Central

Billed as a highly agile and fast shoe, these kicks also boast impressive stability so that you can get into position before your shots. The upper material not only locks your foot in place with a light 4-way stretch fabric, but wicks sweat and breathes with ease. Diadem added flexible TPU overlays in key areas for toe draggers.

There are men's and women's sizes and various colors. Shop the full collection here.

HEAD Motion Pro women's pickleball shoe

$129.00 at Pickleball Central

HEAD is a staple brand in the world of racket sports, and this shoe is their latest offering for pickleball specifically geared toward women. These modern court kicks feature a DynaFoam midsole to help us move more strategically and deliberately. This midsole uses EVA foam and tiny air pockets to provide cushion, support and response in a lightweight package so that our energy goes further. With all this movement we need traction, and the Hybrasion rubber outsole provides tacky traction in all directions.

Skechers Viper Court Pro 2.0 women's pickleball shoe

$114.95 at Pickleball Central

These pickleball shoes work to extend the legacy of the original model by bringing back the trusted breathable mesh upper and cushioned Ultra Flight midsole. The mesh uppers not only keep our feet cool, but actively pull moisture off of our socks to avoid blisters and other discomfort. Meanwhile, the Ultra Flight midsole propels us forward, allows our toes to spread for balance and cushions with every step to fight fatigue.

K-Swiss Express Light women's pickleball shoe

$104.95 at Pickleball Central

K-Swiss has long been known for their comfortable tennis shoes, and now they've designed a shoe specifically for pickleball players. The responsive midsole offers great energy transfer to help us power through fatigue during the last points of the day.Specifically engineered to support the repeated lateral movements of a pickleball player, the K-Swiss Pickleball Express Light shoe is well equipped to bolster your quickness and comfort on the court.

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