Fast players, performance athletes, and women: If you fit into one of those segments, adidas has a shoe designed specifically for you. Breaking their consumers into three different markets has made it easier for adidas to cater to the wants and needs of each community.
Starting with the Barricade 8, National Sales Manager Brad Glen called this shoe the “franchise shoe” for adidas. Calling upon favored elements of past versions, the 8’s fit goes back to a wider forefoot with much more flexibility and forgiveness. adidas removed the outsole pivot point which makes it much more efficient for clay courts, making it a true all-court surface shoe. Brand new DCORE6 upper material, which Brad said is “constructed just like tennis string,” is as stable as it is breathable and the stabilizing claw that Barricade fans know and love is back to a one-prong design for less weight. Performance athletes will get long-lasting, durable wear out of these shoes.
If speed is your game, the adiZero Tempaia II is the “lightest in class,” Brad said. These shoes are “all about speed” with a truer hard court outsole that features a smaller forefoot pattern for better push off and wider heel pattern that aids with sliding. The ClimaCool version provides maximum ventilation with a breathable TPUKurim upper replacing the leather.
We also see the Kurim upper making an appearance in the women specific Stella McCartney Barricade. Unlike the Barricade 8, those familiar forefoot claws were left off this version to create a slimmer look. But fear not as Kurim also provides support in addition to the Power Band at the heel that keeps the feet centered and in place. These shoes are also ideal for the female performance athlete. Next year, look for more colors to correspond with the adidas Stella McCartney apparel line.
Also coming next year are new color stories for the Barricade 8 and the Response ClimaCool Rally. Like the Stella McCartney Barricade, the Rally is designed with a running shoe silhouette and low-profile for lightweight performance that also looks great in a pair of jeans.
Players like Novak Djokovic, Carline Wozniacki, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Ana Ivanovic know firsthand the benefits of the adidas tennis shoe line and the version of the shoes they are wearing is exactly the same as what you’ll find at Holabirdsports.com.