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Asics Gel-Rocket is NOT a Great Pickleball Shoe

ASICS GEL-ROCKET 7 B405N 9093

Asics Gel-Rocket
The Asics Gel-Rocket is not a great pickleball shoe
Until recently, Asics ™ had a great reputation in the indoor court shoe category. Unfortunately, as anybody who pays attention to these things can tell you, those days are behind us now.

Asics Canada has pretty much given up on the indoor court shoe business. Two seasons ago, they offered 12 different indoor models in a variety of colours and ten of these were good shoes that were suitable for adult pickleball players.

This season, however, they are offering only four models. Two of these models (Gel-Upcourt and Gel-Rocket) are transition shoes designed for kids, not adults. One of the four is a high priced volleyball shoe that is designed to look like a street shoe (Netburner Ballistic FF) and the other is the Gel-Tactic, which is nothing special.

The Gel-Rocket is undoubtedly their top seller in this category. But this is not because it is a good shoe for pickleball. It is their best seller only because Sport Chek and The Sporting Life are selling it to gullible consumers who don’t know any better.

As in previous years, the newest version of the Gel-Rocket has a loose upper with very weak support and a segmented sole featuring alternating patches of low grade gum and painted rubbers. Neither of these rubber blends offer adequate traction on hardwood floors and neither will stand up to long term use by adult players.

At best, the Gel-Rocket is an imitation court shoe suitable for use by teens who are likely to outgrow the shoe in a few months. It is not and should not be considered an adult pickleball shoe even though it comes in adult sizes.

Babolat Shadow Spirit Men Court Shoes
Babolat makes excellent indoor court shoes with Michelin rubber soles.
At Racquet Network, we have replaced Asics ™ with Babolat ™. While Asics is in rapid decline in the indoor court shoe category, Babolat is clearly in the ascendance.

Over the past five years, they have consistently improved their court shoes to the point where they have now surpassed Asics as the brand preferred by the majority of our pickleball customers.

The other brand that continues to do well in this category is Yonex. In addition to making excellent court shoes generally, Yonex makes two wide models that are excellent for pickleball and the older players who tend to dominate that sport.

Regardless of your size or foot shape, if you are a former Asics customer in need of some quality court shoes, you should come in and see us. Our experts will fit you and make sure you leave with the right size and the right shoe for the surface you are playing on.

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Men’s Squash Apparel

Tennis, squash, badminton, pickleball apparel
We stock more squash apparel for men than anybody in Calgary.

Racquet Network carries a large selection of apparel for men who play squash and other racquet sports.

We have a large selection of black and white shorts as well as a number of tee shirts and polo shirts. To the greatest extent possible, we carry all sizes including XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL.

However customers should be aware that many squash apparel suppliers in Canada restrict their size runs to S, M, L and XL, so our selection of XS, XXL and XXXL can be limited, depending on the time of year.

The brands were carry include Tecnifibre ™, which is the hottest brand in squash. We also carry Adidas ™, Fila, Wilson ™, Yonex ™, 10S, Asics ™, Babolat ™, Victor ™and a few others. We carry everything from simple cotton tee shirts to high end technical fabrics that keep players cool and dry.

We are aware of The Glencoe Club rules regarding colours and can help customers pick tournament apparel that meets their 70% white requirements.

While we do our best to try to keep the squash apparel section our website up to date, this is not always possible. Therefore we recommend that customers come into our store and take advantage of our two fitting rooms to try stuff on.


Squash Apparel

Racquet Network carries a large selection of apparel for men who play squash and other racquet sports.

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Men’s Tennis Apparel

Tennis, squash, badminton, pickleball apparel
We stock more tennis apparel for men than anybody in Calgary.
Racquet Network carries a large selection of apparel for men who play tennis and other racquet sports.

We have a large selection of black and white shorts as well as a number of tee shirts and polo shirts. To the greatest extent possible, we carry all sizes including XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL.

However customers should be aware that many tennis apparel suppliers in Canada restrict their size runs to S, M, L and XL, so our selection of XS, XXL and XXXL can be limited, depending on the time of year.

The brands were carry include 10S, which is the hottest Canadian brand in tennis right now. We also carry Yonex ™, Wilson ™, Babolat ™, Tecnifibre ™, Salming, Adidas ™, Fila, Asics ™, Victor ™ and a few others. We carry everything from simple cotton tee shirts to high end technical fabrics that keep players cool and dry.

We are aware of The Glencoe Club rules regarding colours and can help customers pick tournament apparel that meets their 70% white requirements.

While we do our best to try to keep the tennis apparel section our website up to date, this is not always possible. Therefore we recommend that customers come into our store and take advantage of our two fitting rooms to try stuff on.


Tennis Apparel

Racquet Network carries a large selection of apparel for men who play tennis and other racquet sports.

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Badminton Apparel for Boys

Tennis, squash, badminton, pickleball apparel
We stock more badminton apparel for boys than anybody in Calgary.
Racquet Network carries a large selection of apparel for boys who play badminton and other racquet sports.

We have a large selection of black and white shorts as well as a number of tee shirts and polo shirts. To the greatest extent possible, we carry all sizes including XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL.

However customers should be aware that many badminton apparel suppliers in Canada restrict their size runs to S, M, and L, so our selection of XS, , XL, XXL and XXXL can be limited, depending on the time of year.

The brands were carry include Yonex ™, which is the hottest brand in badminton. We also carry Victor ™, Salming, Adidas ™, Fila, Wilson ™, 10S, Asics ™, Wilson ™, Babolat ™, Tecnifibre ™ and a few others. We carry everything from simple cotton tee shirts to high end technical fabrics that keep players cool and dry.

We are aware of The Glencoe Club rules regarding colours and can help customers pick tournament apparel that meets their 70% white requirements.

While we do our best to try to keep the badminton apparel section our website up to date, this is not always possible. Therefore we recommend that customers come into our store and take advantage of our two fitting rooms to try stuff on.


Boys Badminton Apparel

Racquet Network carries a large selection of apparel for boys who play badminton and other racquet sports.

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Men’s Badminton Apparel

Tennis, squash, badminton, pickleball apparel
We stock more badminton apparel for men than anybody in Calgary.
Racquet Network carries a large selection of apparel for men who play badminton and other racquet sports.

We have a large selection of black and white shorts as well as a number of tee shirts and polo shirts. To the greatest extent possible, we carry all sizes including XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL.

However customers should be aware that many badminton apparel suppliers in Canada restrict their size runs to S, M, and L, so our selection of XS, , XL, XXL and XXXL can be limited, depending on the time of year.

The brands were carry include Yonex ™, which is the hottest brand in badminton. We also carry Victor ™, Salming, Adidas ™, Fila, Wilson ™, Yonex, 10S, Asics ™, Babolat ™, Tecnifibre ™ and a few others. We carry everything from simple cotton tee shirts to high end technical fabrics that keep players cool and dry.

We are aware of the Glencoe Clubs rules regarding colours and can help customers pick tournament apparel that meets their 70% white requirements.

While we do our best to try to keep the badminton apparel section our website up to date, this is not always possible. Therefore we recommend that customers come into our store and take advantage of our two fitting rooms to try stuff on.


Badminton Apparel

Racquet Network carries a large selection of apparel for men who play badminton and other racquet sports.