Best outdoor volleyball shoes
In this article, I will cover the best outdoor volleyball shoes. I took consideration of all types of outdoor surfaces, grass, concrete, synthetic and even beach volleyball.
By the way, if you are specifically looking for cheap volleyball shoes, we wrote an entire article about the best cheap volleyball shoes.
List of best outdoor volleyball shoes
ASICS Upcourt
The ASICS upcourt are formidable shoes when it comes to value for money. They are currently my number one overall recommendation if you are looking for an affordable volleyball shoe.
However, these shoes are primarily an indoor shoe. They are great overall, and they do pretty well outdoors, but eventually the sole might get damaged, simply because it is not really an outdoor shoe. Especially concrete and asphalt surfaces can be a bit hard on the sole.
That said, these shoes made the list of the best outdoor volleyball shoes because they are still pretty durable. On top of that, the shoe has a good grip, both for indoor or outdoor terrain. Also, you don’t have to worry about softer outdoor surfaces like grass, these shoes are perfect for grass volleyball and won’t suffer any durability issues.
Another great thing about this shoe, you can also use it on indoor volleyball courts – not all options on this list will have that option. In other words, if you want to use your volleyball shoe for both indoor and outdoor usage, the ASICS Upcourt should be your pick.
The first hours of wearing them might not be very comfortable, the shoe does need some breaking in. So, the initial expression might be worse than you will have with more expensive shoes.
The finishing touch of the shoe isn’t great. However, this doesn’t impact the performance of the shoe at all. For example, if you take a closer look at the edges of the shoe lip, you will see some minor imperfections. This shouldn’t be a big deal when shopping for a budget shoe.
The good
- Great value for money
- Great all round volleyball shoe
- Great for indoor and outdoor usage
The bad
- Doesn’t excel at anything
- Mediocre finish
- Not as durable as alternatives
These shoes are available on amazon for both men and women:
Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36
The Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36 is a very popular and much praised running shoe.
The main reason why this shoe is also a very solid option for outdoor volleyball is the durable outsole. Well, the durable outsole in combination with the fact that these are very comfortable, have a good grip and are not heavy.
In fact, this is also why some people consider this a hybrid shoe. Meaning that you cannot only use it for running, but also for various outdoor activities.
One reason why you might prefer another shoe over this one: the cushioning and landing comfort on this shoe is not great. So depending on how much you care about this, this may or may not be the right shoe for you.
The good
- Durable
- Great for multiple outdoor activities, mainly running
- Looks good
The bad
- Not the best cushioning
- Not very cheap
Interested in checking out the latest price? Take a look on amazon:
Women: Nike Women’s Air Zoom Pegasus 36
Men: Nike Men’s Air Zoom Pegasus 36
ASICS Gel-Venture
The ASICS Gel-Venture 6 are one of the best budget (trail) runners that you can find today.
Where it might not feel as suitable for volleyball when you first put them on, they are actually decent options for outdoor volleyball.
They are pretty durable, not too expensive, comfortable and offer great support.
If you are okay with the fact that these feel a bit different from indoor volleyball shoes, there are a lot of benefits you can gain by using these shoes.
The good
- Durable
- Great all round
The bad
- Feels less like a volleyball shoe
These shoes are available for both men and women on amazon:
Men: ASICS Men’s Gel-Venture 6
Women: ASICS Women’s Gel-Venture 6
ASICS Gel-Rocket
The ASICS Gel-Rockets have been very popular for the simple reason that it’s a good shoe for a good price. The overall quality of the ASICS Gel-Rocket is pretty good, especially considering the price.
However, these shoes are not made especially for outdoor volleyball. This means that these will suffer from being used on concrete after a while. You could still go for the ASICS Gel-Rocket if you intend to play on concrete, if you want to have the best volleyball experience. However, you should be okay with the fact that they might not last very long.
Also, using these on softer terrain like grass or even synthetic shouldn’t give you any durability issues.
Note that the Gel-rocket doesn’t have a removable sole, which is somewhat atypical for ASICS.
The shoe is slightly less stable than you might expect, which can be a drawback in sports like squash, where a lot of shorts sprinting is involved. However, for volleyball, this usually isn’t really an issue. Having some extra padding might actually make jumping better and more pleasant.
These shoes have everything you would want for a solid volleyball shoe. The grip is solid, they are not too heavy, pretty durable and really comfortable.
This option can obviously also used indoors, as it is primarily an indoor volleyball shoe.
The good
- Really comfortable
- Great overall
- Great for indoor and outdoor usage
The bad
- No removable insole
- Not extremely cheap
- Not as durable as alternatives
These shoes are available on amazon for both men and women:
NOBULL Trainers
The NOBULL trainers are new and do provide a fresh vibe with a somwhat unique design.
These shoes are meant to be all round trainers, good for all sorts of activities. Also, they do look pretty good, so you could also use these as everyday footwear. A very good option if you are looking for a shoe that is suitable for a lot of activities, one of which being volleyball.
These shoes are a bit more expensive, but they are actually pretty high quality, they don’t just focus on the looks.
I also really like these for sportive vacations where you only intend to bring a single pair of shoes.
The good
- High quality
- Great overall
The bad
- A bit more expensive
NOBULL trainers are not available on amazon, these have to be ordered on the official website.
Adidas Runfalcon
The Adidas Runfalcon is known as being a solid budget shoe for runners. The very solid grip also makes this shoe a solid option for trail runners.
The shoe is light, budget friendly, has a good grip and sits comfortable. These qualities make this shoe a very solid outdoor volleyball shoe.
I would especially recommend this shoe to volleyball players who also like to go for a run from time to time.
The good
- Comfortable
- Good for running
The bad
- Not as much support as some other options
These shoes are available for both man and women:
Men: Adidas Men’s Runfalcon 2.0
Women: Adidas Women’s Runfalcon 2.0
Vincere Sand Socks
Most of you might have been looking for shoes and not for socks. However, if you are looking for footwear for beach volleyball, I can only recommend playing barefoot or using solid volleyball socks.
Shoes are not only very uncomfortable and not practical, you could also injure someone else who is playing barefoot.
When it comes beach volleyball socks, these are definitely a solid and proven option. They are comfortable and durable, exactly what a beach volleyball sock should be.
These socks are available on amazon: Vincere Sand Socks
How do we pick the best outdoor volleyball shoes?
It’s one thing to simply create a list of the best outdoor volleyball shoes, but how did we actually make our picks?
Well, there are a couple of factors that we take into consideration.
Take note, it’s obviously impossible to be 100% neutral, so personal preference does come into play a little bit when selecting our top picks.
Durability (25%)
Durability is one of the most important considerations for the simple fact that outdoor volleyball shoes will be vulnerable to wear and tear. Especially when using shoes on concrete or asphalt surfaces, your shoes will suffer.
A very solid and durable outsole is very important. This is also the reason why there aren’t too many traditional volleyball shoes on the list. Most traditional volleyball shoes are made for indoor usage, and these aren’t as durable on outdoor terrain.
Comfort (25%)
An obvious factor would be comfort. It’s very important to feel comfortable in your shoes, especially when using it for sports like volleyball.
Note that this also contains cushioning and landing comfort.
Value/Price (20%)
If you are constantly playing on harder surfaces like concrete and asphalt, you will need to buy a new pair once in a while. This is why we really care about the quality to price ratio.
Usages (10%)
There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to use your outdoor volleyball shoes for many different activities.
If you can use your shoes for everyday use, running, trail running, hiking, other sports, etc. That’s obviously a plus.
Support (10%)
In sports, a good supportive shoe is important to prevent injury.
Grip (10%)
Grip and traction is important in almost any sport. However, when playing volleyball outdoors, this becomes even more important because you might be playing on wet terrain.
Best outdoor volleyball shoes – conclusion
This was our collection of the best outdoor volleyball shoes. If you are wondering whether you can use running shoes or other outdoor sportive footwear, the answer would be yes.
These options might not be optimal, but they will still be decent options.
