A review of the ASICS Gel-Blade 6 Indoor Court Shoes

If you are serious about performance and want to get the most of your game possible you owe it to yourself to check out the Asics Gel-Blade 6 ...

The choice of many top players including TeamCT members Mike McCue, Nick Sachvie and Samantha Cornett the Blade is designed for the player that wants the absolute best in performance. Light and extremely low to the court the Blade allow you to really feel the court which allows you to move your best.

We asked Mike McCue to give us his opinion on them and here is what he wrote:

"The Asics Gel Blade is an old favourite that has been re-introduced for the new season with some noticeable improvements.. The Blade 6 is a performance shoe with an extremely lightweight, flexible design. There is less support through the mid and forefoot. particularly when compared with other Asics models like the Blast. With bulkiness kept to a minimum, the shoe fits snugly around your foot and feels almost weightless. Being lower to the floor allows for engagement of the entire foot when making an explosive first step, changing direction en route to a ball, and the all-important recoil out of the shot. Upon switching to the new Blade, I immediately felt an improvement in my movement laterally and into the front corners.

The trade-offs of this design are decreased stability and durability. Heavier players may find themselves wanting more support, and the smaller base requires well-balanced movement. I did suffer a few slips during the "break-in" phase while the rubber sole was slightly shiny. These issues subsided after a week of daily use. Overall, I would definitely recommend the Blade 6 to advanced players who are willing to make these minor sacrifices in favour of major performance benefits."

I really like Mike's review of the Blade and believe it articulates well who the Blade is designed for, and who they are not meant for.

The Blade are like having a sports car with a stiff suspension and very low profile tires. You are going to feel the court in the Blade much like you would feel the road in a pure performance based sports car. You are trading a nice cushioned feel to gain better performance.

For the player that is looking for a court shoe to get them around the court as fast as possible the Asics Gel-Blade 6 is perfect. The very light weight of the shoe adds as little weight as possible to keep from slowing you down on. The extremely low to the court design provides the best energy transfer from each stride you take.

Looking to explode off the 'T' with your first step? The Blade are going to allow you to do just that.

From a lateral support perspective the shoe itself is not aiding you that much, other than by keeping you low to the court. Other shoes like the Salming Viper 5, of the Asics Gel-Fastball 3 have a noticeably wider base in the forefoot area but for an athlete with excellent balance and strong feet and ankles the Blade perform extremely well. They allow your body to do the work naturally. In a shoe with more cushioning you really do need the shoe to aid in lateral stability. The Blade allows your body to engage as it is designed to do, to provide the lateral support required for squash.

If you are a serious athlete and are looking to take your movement to the next level you owe it to yourself to take a good hard look at the Blade 6, they will help you get the most out of your game ...