Kids' Pickleball Shoes for Girls That Fit Orthotics: Court Shoes for Growing Feet

A lot of girls now learn pickleball in PE class, at a summer camp or in a family game at the park. Most of them play in running shoes or whatever sneakers they wore to school. That is the first thing we would recommend changing. Pickleball is a game of short sideways steps, sudden stops and lunges at the net, often on a hard outdoor court. This guide is for parents of girls who play, from the first family game to a junior league. It covers what the injury data shows for kids and why a court shoe matters more than any brand. It also explains how to choose one for a wide, narrow, flat or high-arched foot. Finally, it shows how to fit a custom orthotic inside it.

Shopping for a son? Read our guide to kids' pickleball shoes for boys. For other sports, see our varsity guide for girls and our junior tennis shoe guide for girls. A teenager already in women's sizes can use our women's pickleball shoe guide.

What the Injury Data Shows for Kids

The research on pickleball is mostly about older adults, but children now show up in it too. Coppa and colleagues (2025) searched a national sample of emergency room visits for pickleball injuries in children. They estimated about 3,011 such visits nationwide over the years they studied, and more than half of them came in the final year. Boys made up most of the injured children in that study, but girls were a large share. Injuries to the face and cuts were the most common, and older children had more knee and shoulder injuries. Only a small share were admitted to the hospital.

The pattern points toward falls. A child trips or slides, puts out a hand, or hits the court with her face. We found no published trial of a shoe, a brace or a warm-up for pickleball in children. Pluim and colleagues (2006) found the same gap in tennis research. So our advice leans on what keeps a player upright: a shoe that grips the court and holds the foot on the sole.

The closest data for girls comes from tennis, another racket sport on hard courts. Brant and colleagues (2019) found that high-school girls in tennis had about twice the boys' rate of leg and foot injuries. It was the widest gap of the eight sports they compared. Nobody knows yet whether that holds for pickleball. It is one more reason to take a girl's court shoes seriously.

Why a Court Shoe, Not a Running Shoe

A running shoe is built to move forward. It has a soft, tall heel, a flexible upper and a narrow sole under the forefoot. On a pickleball court, the foot moves sideways and stops hard. A soft running shoe lets it roll over the edge of the sole. A court shoe has a lower, firmer heel, firm sides and a flatter, wider sole with a tread made for a court. For an outdoor court, look for a tough rubber outsole and extra rubber at the toe. For a school gym, choose a non-marking outsole.

Is There a Kids' Pickleball Shoe?

Not that we could identify. We found no pickleball-specific shoe made in children's sizes in the U.S. Kids play in junior tennis shoes, which are built for the same sideways stops on a hard court. HEAD lists two of its junior court shoes, the Sprint Pro and the Revolt Pro, under junior pickleball.

Heel Pain in a Growing Player

In a girl between about eight and thirteen, heel pain is usually irritation of the growth plate at the back of the heel. That is where the Achilles tendon pulls on bone that has not finished growing. Wiegerinck and colleagues (2014) found 3.7 cases for every 1,000 registered patients aged six to seventeen in Dutch family practices. A hard court and a growth spurt both aggravate it. James and colleagues (2016) randomized 124 children with this heel pain to a heel raise or a ready-made orthotic. Every group had improved about the same amount by the end of the year in that trial. A cushioned heel cup, calf stretches and a lighter schedule for a few weeks help most girls keep playing. Read more about heel pain that won't go away.

What to Look For in a Kids' Court Shoe

Proper fit comes first. Klein and colleagues (2009) measured 858 preschool children and their shoes in Austria. Most wore shoes that were too short, and short shoes were associated with a big toe that angled outward. Measure both feet each season and fit the longer one. Leave about a thumb's width of room past the longest toe with her socks on.

• A firm heel counter. Squeeze the back of the shoe. It should not fold.
• Firm sides. Push on the side of the upper. It should resist, so the foot stays on the sole during a sideways stop.
• A flat, wide sole. A sole that is wider than the upper is harder to roll over.
• The right outsole for the court. Tough rubber for outdoor courts, a sole that will not mark for a gym floor.
• A removable insole. Lift it in the store and look at the depth underneath.

Getting an Orthotic Into a Court Shoe

A court shoe is one of the easier athletic shoes to fit with an orthotic. It is usually deep enough, and the factory insole lifts out. Take the insole out, set the orthotic in, and check that her heel still sits deep in the counter. A slimmer device often works better than a bulky one in a snug junior shoe.

A flat foot alone is not a reason for an orthotic. Wenger and colleagues (1989) followed 129 children with flexible flat feet in corrective shoes, heel cups, custom inserts or nothing. The arches improved in every group, and the treated children did no better than the untreated ones in that trial. An orthotic earns its place when there is a problem to treat. Heel pain, an arch that aches after playing and pain under the ball of the foot all count. See our guide to flat feet in children.

Match the Shoe to Your Daughter's Foot

Wide Feet

The same junior tennis shoes work here. New Balance sells its kids' 696 in standard and wide, and its kids' 996 in medium and wide in little kids' sizes. HEAD describes its Sprint Pro Junior, which it lists for junior pickleball, as fitting average to slightly wider feet.

Narrow Feet

Many girls have a narrow heel, and a shoe built for a broad foot lets it slide. Lace to the top eyelet with a heel-lock loop, and choose a firm heel counter and a snug midfoot.

Flat Feet

A flexible flat foot is common and usually does not hurt. If it aches, a firm heel counter and an orthotic help more than a soft shoe. A stiff flat foot that does not form an arch on tiptoe needs an examination.

High Arches

A high-arched foot lands hard and rolls outward easily. Choose a wide, flat sole, a roomy instep and some cushion under the forefoot.

Loose Ankles

There are no brace trials in pickleball. In high-school basketball, McGuine and colleagues (2011) found that players in lace-up braces had about a third of the acute ankle injuries of players without them. A girl who has sprained an ankle can wear the same kind of brace on a pickleball court. Read our guide on ankle sprains.

Kids' Pickleball Shoes for Girls to Try

No shoe company pays for placement here. No brand sponsors this article. Every shoe here is our own pick, based on the features above and on what we see in the office.

We do run a separate website, footshop.cc. Patients kept asking where to find the products we talk about in the exam room. So we built a separate site that keeps the links in one place. It includes links to Amazon and other retailers. Every affiliate link over there is disclosed where it appears. If you buy through one of those links, we earn a small commission. It costs you nothing extra. We run it as a convenience for our patients, not as a condition of care. You are free to buy any of these shoes anywhere you like, at whatever price you find, with or without our links. Our advice is the same either way.

Medical footwear is not part of that. Prescription shoes, inserts, boots and braces are never on our affiliate site. They are not a shopping link, and we will not treat them like one.

Wide Feet

• New Balance 696 (kids'): sold in standard and wide on New Balance's site, from little kids' through big kids' sizes.
• New Balance 996 (kids'): sold in medium and wide at Zappos, in little kids' sizes.

Junior Court Shoes HEAD Lists for Pickleball

• HEAD Sprint Pro (junior): one width, which HEAD calls a medium fit for average to slightly wider feet.
• HEAD Revolt Pro (junior): one width.

Average and Narrow Feet

• NikeCourt Jr. Vapor and NikeCourt Jr. Lite (big kids'): one width each. Nike lists a removable insole for both.
• ASICS Gel-Resolution and ASICS Gel-Game (grade school): one standard width.

For every shoe on this page, lift the insole in the store. If it comes out and the orthotic sits flat with her heel still inside the counter, you are in business. If it is glued, bring the shoe to our office, and we will design the orthotic around it.

What to Check Every Season

• Measure both feet standing, at the end of the day, in the socks she plays in. Fit the longer foot.
• Put her orthotic in the new shoe at the store, with the factory insole out. If her heel lifts, try another shoe.
• Check the sole. A smooth patch under the ball of the foot means it no longer grips.
• Keep the outdoor pair outdoors. Grit from an outdoor court scuffs a gym floor and wears a sole smooth.
• Ask about heel pain, blisters and black toenails.

When to See a Podiatrist

Bring her in for heel pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks. A limp, swelling or night pain needs an examination too. Come in after a sprain that is still swollen after a week, or for an ankle that keeps rolling. A toenail that is black and loose, or red and growing into the skin, needs medical attention. If she already wears orthotics and has grown a size, bring the orthotics and her court shoes. Our pediatric foot care page explains how we see young athletes. Our custom orthotics page explains how we make devices.

More reading: everyday athletic shoes for kids and foot care for athletes.