From paddles and analytics to coaching systems and training methods, pickleball has invested heavily in improving performance. Bob Winskowicz believes the sport has overlooked the one piece of equipment that connects every player to the court: their footwear.
- Pickleball’s equipment revolution has focused heavily on paddles, but footwear remains one of the most overlooked performance factors in the game.
- SQAIRZ founder Bob Winskowicz believes balance, stability and ground connection are central to both performance and injury prevention.
- The wider question for players is whether their footwear matches the explosive lateral movement demands of modern pickleball.
The missing link in pickleball performance
A pickleball player can spend hundreds of dollars on a paddle, watch hours of coaching content and analyse every part of their game, yet still step onto court wearing the same shoes they use for walking.
That contradiction is the starting point for Bob Winskowicz’s argument.
The founder and CEO of SQAIRZ believes pickleball has spent years focusing on the equipment that controls the ball while overlooking the equipment that controls the athlete.
The shoe.
“Your only interaction with the ground is your footwear,” Winskowicz says. “That is the source of all your power.”
It is a simple idea, but one that challenges how many players think about improving their game.
The latest paddle technology may influence what happens after contact. Footwear influences everything that happens before the swing begins.
A sporting obsession with the wrong equipment?
Winskowicz’s argument did not begin in pickleball.
His background comes from golf, where he spent years working with companies including Arnold Palmer Golf and McGregor Golf before developing his own approach to footwear.
The original question was straightforward: could improving balance, stability and connection with the ground improve sporting performance?
In golf, the answer appeared clear. A player generates force through the ground before transferring that energy into the swing.
The company later applied the same principles to baseball and softball before turning its attention to pickleball.
“We looked at pickleball and the one undeniable thing we found was that people needed more lateral stability,” Winskowicz explains.
That became the foundation of SQAIRZ’s move into pickleball footwear.
A sport built around imbalance
Pickleball looks simple.
The court is smaller than tennis. The rallies are often shorter. The movements can appear less demanding from the outside.
But the reality is a sport built around explosive changes of direction.
Players accelerate, stop, recover, shuffle sideways and often hit shots while their body is moving away from an ideal position.
The best players make these movements look effortless because balance is maintained throughout.
For recreational players, the challenge is often very different.
They are reaching, stretching and reacting while already off balance, creating additional stress on joints and muscles.
“When you are off balance and you are trying to compensate for that off balance, that’s when you get hurt,” says Winskowicz.
Why traditional footwear may not suit every player
One of the biggest ideas behind SQAIRZ is the shape and structure of the shoe itself.
Winskowicz argues that traditional footwear design has often prioritised appearance and familiarity over natural foot movement, particularly through narrower toe boxes.
“The foot operates like a three-legged stool,” he says. “Your big toe, your little toe and your heel.”
The argument is that allowing the toes to spread naturally creates a stronger and more stable base.
The challenge is not simply making a shoe wider. The design has to balance freedom of movement with the stability required for explosive court sports.
That principle is why specialist footwear companies are now attempting to build shoes specifically around pickleball rather than simply adapting existing court footwear.
Designing for pickleball rather than adding a label
As pickleball has expanded, footwear has followed a familiar pattern.
Many players began by using whatever trainers they already owned. Existing sports brands then adapted court shoes and positioned them towards pickleball players.
Now, specialist companies are trying to understand the movement patterns unique to the sport.
SQAIRZ spent three years studying pickleball before developing its footwear, focusing on several areas:
- reducing excessive foot movement inside the shoe
- improving lateral stability during directional changes
- limiting rollover risk
- creating traction patterns suited to pickleball movement
The company’s approach is built around the idea that the player and the shoe should work as one unit.
“When the foot is moving in the shoe, you lose efficiency,” Winskowicz says.
The injury prevention question
Injury prevention is becoming an increasingly important conversation in pickleball.
The sport attracts players from many backgrounds and age groups. Some arrive with decades of sporting experience. Others discover competitive sport later in life.
The movement demands, however, remain the same.
Quick reactions and repeated lateral movement place stress on ankles, knees and other areas of the body.
SQAIRZ has conducted testing using motion capture technology to examine balance changes among pickleball players. According to Winskowicz, the company found improvements in balance scores when participants used its footwear compared with other shoes tested.
The wider principle is simple: better stability can allow players to move more efficiently.
The bigger opportunity: footwear for every stage of life
The most interesting part of Winskowicz’s vision is that he does not see SQAIRZ purely as a sports footwear company.
The broader idea is human movement.
The company has also developed footwear aimed at helping reduce fall risk among older adults, using the same principles of balance and stability.
That creates a bigger question.
Could the same ideas that help a pickleball player move better on court also help people move better throughout life?
For Winskowicz, the answer is yes.
“We provide better balance, better stability and better ground force production,” he says. “That’s good for life.”
Can a specialist company challenge the giants?
The sports footwear industry is dominated by some of the biggest brands in the world.
Companies with global distribution, enormous resources and decades of history.
For a specialist company entering that space, the challenge is obvious.
Winskowicz’s response is that innovation often comes from smaller companies willing to challenge accepted ideas.
“You have to dismiss reality to some degree,” he says.
“You can’t really worry about Nike or Adidas. You have to focus on what you are trying to solve.”
The ambition is not simply to create another pickleball shoe.
It is to change the conversation around performance.
The next pickleball equipment battle may begin below the ankle
Players will continue to debate paddles.
They will compare technology, materials and design.
That conversation is not disappearing.
But perhaps the next important question is a simpler one.
Before asking what paddle you are using, ask what is connecting you to the court.
Because every shot begins before the swing.
It begins with movement.
And movement begins with the feet.
Listen to the full conversation with Bob Winskowicz
Bob Winskowicz joined the World Pickleball Podcast to discuss why he believes footwear has become the overlooked performance category in pickleball.
In the full episode, Bob explains:
- why pickleball movement is different from other sports
- how SQAIRZ designed footwear around lateral movement
- why balance and stability are central to performance
- how a small company competes against global footwear brands
Listen to the full episode of the World Pickleball Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Further Reading
- Latest pickleball news from around the world
- Tournament coverage and results
- Rankings and player profiles
- Regional pickleball coverage
Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…
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