Asics Blast FF 3 Performance Review

The Asics Blast FF 3 is Asics’ latest flagship volleyball shoe. Built as an indoor court shoe, it features a TURNTRUSS component on the lateral portion of the shoe. This helps accomplish the shoe’s well-marketed goal of adding support and stability for “moving powerfully” on the court. Keep reading for the full performance review of the Asics Blast FF 3.

Pros Stability & Support

The biggest pro of the Asics Blast FF 3 is the top-tier stability and support. Your foot sits low to the ground in the Blast FF 3 and is contained within the midsole. The shoe’s outsole features a lateral outrigger that ensures you can always remain flat on the bottom of the sneaker when pushing off side-to-side, and the TURNTRUSS plate makes sure your foot stays where it’s supposed to. Starting from the widest point on the outrigger, the TURNTRUSS is a hard plastic plate that runs along the lateral side of your foot, through and partially under the arch, and ends just before the shoe starts wrapping around to the back of the foot. The result is excellent lateral containment.

To summarize the above paragraph, when you are moving laterally, the Blast FF 3 makes sure that it stays flat and stable on the ground, and makes sure your foot stays perfectly in place within the footbed. When you hear talk about shoes providing ankle support, this setup is what is meant. High tops don’t protect your ankles, stability does.

The Blast FF 3’s TURNTRUSS plate also results in rigidity through the midfoot, meaning that it won’t bend or twist in ways that your foot shouldn’t.  The arch is supported on both sides of the foot, so this shoe is an excellent choice for anyone that really needs torsional support in their volleyball footwear.

Traction

Traction is arguably the most important component in any shoe for any sport. For those of you that have played in Asics or read my other reviews, this should come as no surprise: The Blast FF 3 has excellent traction. Asics’ rubber compound is always soft and tacky, and that’s the case here. These shoes were sticky and responsive on both wood and plastic court floors. Asics volleyball shoes are always best-in-class for traction, and the Blast FF 3 is no exception.

Court Feel

The Asics Blast FF 3 feels great to move in on the court. Your foot sits low to the ground which is always helpful for feeling the court, which can assist with your coordination when moving around. The edge of the outsole is slightly rounded, which is crucial when taking your penultimate step in volleyball. That smooth transition helps you to safely transfer power through your approach and into your jump. The Blast FF 3 feels quick and responsive when playing, which is exactly what you want from a volleyball shoe.

Cons Cushion

The Asics Blast FF 3 is a great volleyball shoe, but it does have one flaw. All of that low-to-the-ground responsiveness comes at a cost: the cushioning. The midsole is Flytefoam, which is what Asics uses in all of their top-end volleyball shoes. In the Blast FF 3, however, there just isn’t enough of it. The cushioning doesn’t feel dead; you can still move quickly and jump high. But the impact protection just isn’t there.

When I wear these, they always feel great at first, and then after a while my feet and/or knees start to feel sore. To be fair, Asics does mention on its site that this shoe is meant for supporting powerful lateral movements, and not so much verticality. If you play an especially jumping-heavy position such as middle or a pin hitter who also attacks out of the back row, maybe look at another model.

Asics Blast FF 3 Summary

The best way to think about the Jordan Tatum 1 is to focus on what you need most in a volleyball shoe. This is one of the most stable sneakers I have tested. Lateral movements, like those a defender or setter might make, feel quick and responsive. On the other hand, I probably wouldn’t tell a middle to buy these. If you’re not max jumping all the time when you play, the Asics Blast FF 3 is a great volleyball shoe and I’d recommend trying them out.

Asics Blast FF 3 Performance Review

The Asics Blast FF 3 is Asics’ latest flagship volleyball shoe. Built as an indoor court shoe, it features a TURNTRUSS component on the lateral portion of the shoe. This helps accomplish the shoe’s well-marketed goal of adding support and stability for “moving powerfully” on the court. Keep reading for the full performance review of the Asics Blast FF 3.

Pros Stability & Support

The biggest pro of the Asics Blast FF 3 is the top-tier stability and support. Your foot sits low to the ground in the Blast FF 3 and is contained within the midsole. The shoe’s outsole features a lateral outrigger that ensures you can always remain flat on the bottom of the sneaker when pushing off side-to-side, and the TURNTRUSS plate makes sure your foot stays where it’s supposed to. Starting from the widest point on the outrigger, the TURNTRUSS is a hard plastic plate that runs along the lateral side of your foot, through and partially under the arch, and ends just before the shoe starts wrapping around to the back of the foot. The result is excellent lateral containment.

To summarize the above paragraph, when you are moving laterally, the Blast FF 3 makes sure that it stays flat and stable on the ground, and makes sure your foot stays perfectly in place within the footbed. When you hear talk about shoes providing ankle support, this setup is what is meant. High tops don’t protect your ankles, stability does.

The Blast FF 3’s TURNTRUSS plate also results in rigidity through the midfoot, meaning that it won’t bend or twist in ways that your foot shouldn’t.  The arch is supported on both sides of the foot, so this shoe is an excellent choice for anyone that really needs torsional support in their volleyball footwear.

Traction

Traction is arguably the most important component in any shoe for any sport. For those of you that have played in Asics or read my other reviews, this should come as no surprise: The Blast FF 3 has excellent traction. Asics’ rubber compound is always soft and tacky, and that’s the case here. These shoes were sticky and responsive on both wood and plastic court floors. Asics volleyball shoes are always best-in-class for traction, and the Blast FF 3 is no exception.

Court Feel

The Asics Blast FF 3 feels great to move in on the court. Your foot sits low to the ground which is always helpful for feeling the court, which can assist with your coordination when moving around. The edge of the outsole is slightly rounded, which is crucial when taking your penultimate step in volleyball. That smooth transition helps you to safely transfer power through your approach and into your jump. The Blast FF 3 feels quick and responsive when playing, which is exactly what you want from a volleyball shoe.

Cons Cushion

The Asics Blast FF 3 is a great volleyball shoe, but it does have one flaw. All of that low-to-the-ground responsiveness comes at a cost: the cushioning. The midsole is Flytefoam, which is what Asics uses in all of their top-end volleyball shoes. In the Blast FF 3, however, there just isn’t enough of it. The cushioning doesn’t feel dead; you can still move quickly and jump high. But the impact protection just isn’t there.

When I wear these, they always feel great at first, and then after a while my feet and/or knees start to feel sore. To be fair, Asics does mention on its site that this shoe is meant for supporting powerful lateral movements, and not so much verticality. If you play an especially jumping-heavy position such as middle or a pin hitter who also attacks out of the back row, maybe look at another model.

Asics Blast FF 3 Summary

The best way to think about the Jordan Tatum 1 is to focus on what you need most in a volleyball shoe. This is one of the most stable sneakers I have tested. Lateral movements, like those a defender or setter might make, feel quick and responsive. On the other hand, I probably wouldn’t tell a middle to buy these. If you’re not max jumping all the time when you play, the Asics Blast FF 3 is a great volleyball shoe and I’d recommend trying them out.

Jordan JT 1 Review 2023

The Jordan JT 1 is Jayson Tatum’s first signature shoe and offers an odd assortment of performance features.

Colorway: Zoo

Release Date: 2023

Price: $120

5/10

FINAL SCORE TBD

The Jordan JT 1 is Boston Celtics superstar Jason Tatum’s first signature shoe. The JT 1 was one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year but after an initial brief testing of the shoe, the JT 1 raises a lot of questions regarding its on-court performance. There is no denying that the JT 1 is an innovative model that’s packed with tech, but how exactly it will all perform on court remains to be seen.

Jordan JT 1 Traction

The Jordan JT 1 features a very different traction setup for a Jordan sneaker but it’s very reminiscent of another brand’s traction setup. The JT 1 does away with most of the shoe’s sole and uses a lot of the midsole foam as the traction system. This is very similar to Under Armour’s Flow technology.

This type of setup cuts down the weight of the shoe considerably, and, in the case of Flow, grips the court extremely well. It isn’t great for outdoor use, but indoors, it’s an excellent traction system. In the case of the JT 1, this setup does not seem nearly as effective. The foam portions of the sole are almost slippery.

It might just take some time to break in but after an initial try-on, it doesn’t feel great. There are two traditional rubber traction pods in the forefoot of the shoe that do grip very well, and most people predominantly play on their forefoot, but having bad traction on over half of the outsole does not bode well.

Jordan JT 1 Cushion

The Jordan JT 1 again has an unusual cushioning setup. The heel of the shoe relies only on the foam in that area of the shoe, but the forefoot is where Jordan Brand packed all the cushioning tech. Here we have an exposed high-volume Zoom Air unit that covers most of the shoe’s forefoot.

The holes on either side of that Zoom Air unit are there to allow it to expand and contract and give you the maximum amount of cushioning possible. It’s not the bounciest implementation of Zoom Air we’ve tested, but it gets the job done.

Jordan JT 1 Materials

The JT 1’s materials are again, odd. They have a combination of the lightest and most innovative synthetic textile out there: Lenoweave and the most traditional and robust material out there: Leather. This version of Lenoweave is very lightweight and breathable but it feels much more reinforced than what was featured on the Jordan 37.

The leather is implemented in portions of the shoe that need a bit more structure and containment. This setup should work well on court but Lenoweave is pretty abrasive, so you’ll likely need thicker socks when playing in the JT 1.

Jordan JT 1 Support

This might be the worst feature of the shoe. The forefoot, again, is very well equipped with a TPU plate that adds support and acts as a spring plate which should add some zip on the court. But the back half of the shoe has nothing. In fact, if you press down on the midfoot, it bows, and this is exactly where you need support in a hoop shoe the most.

This is why torsional shank plates are usually placed in this section of the shoe. There is a good chance that after playing in the JT 1 for some time, you will feel heavy foot fatigue, and this might even lead to plantar issues.

Jordan JT 1 Fit

The Jordan JT 1 fits true to size so go with whatever size you usually use with Jordan. However, it’s a rather narrow basketball shoe, so if you have wide feet, or if you have had issues with this type of fit in the past, keep that in mind.

Jordan JT 1 Overall

The Jordan JT 1 might turn out to be a good on-court performance basketball shoe, but it does not seem like it will after our initial test. If the traction finally breaks in and grips the court well, if that high-volume Zoom Unit ends up being bouncy and reactive on court, and if those potential torsional issues don’t rear their head, then this might be a great basketball shoe. Not likely, but we will keep you posted. So far, it appears it’s not a great first signature shoe for Jayson Tatum.

Jordan Zion 2 Review 2023

Here is the summary of the Jordan Zion 2 Review. For a detailed review, continue reading!

Our Verdict:

Best for Traction

Zion 2 signature shoes are better than Zion 1 in their cushioning and improved traction.  Its elite-level traction has a biting grip over the basketball courts. Material is also an upgrade, but it’s too very premium. But overall Jordan Zion 2 are very reliable performance sneakers right now.

Facts & Specs

Pros

• Exceptional support pattern
• Great Fit
• Premium court feel
• Comfortable Cushioning
• Solid traction
• Lateral stability

Cons

• Cheap material

Detailed Jordan Zion 2 Review

Jordan Zion 2 is the second signature shoe of Zion Williamson. Zion signed a multiyear deal with the Jordan brand in 2019.

Jordan Zion 2 this year has the same expectations as Zion 1, which was a killer performer on the court. Zion 2 has some exceptionally great traction patterns.

Its performance foundation (PF) version is designed to support Arch muscles. Additionally, such basketball shoes are best for long playing time, comfort, and quality.

The Jordan Zion 2 features a velcro midfoot strap to hold your feet tight in place. Air Strobel unit helps you jump high in the cloud and land safely. This one is built for powerful and big players. Let’s check the detailed review.

1. Traction:

Traction on Jordan Zion 2 is one of the best in all the performance basketball shoes this year. The rubber outsole has a linear pattern on the top and a delta pattern on the bottom.

However, Jordan brand Played with the design a bit by putting the Zion Williamson logo in the middle of the outsole. That looks beautiful and gives you multidirectional traction.

It will cover you on your fast and lateral movements. You don’t have to worry about slippage during hard moves, cuts, and rapid side-to-side moves.

It takes a minimum of time to break in. But once broken in, you will definitely enjoy playing in Jordan Zion 2 because it is a Top-notch traction pattern.

2. Cushion:

Jordan Zion 2 features two different cushions on the heel and forefoot. The cushion in this basketball shoe is elite-level.

A zoom unit in the forefoot and Air Strobel in the heel part make it a completely balanced, responsive cushioning. While getting tons of comfort with forefoot Zoom air and responsiveness with the Air Strobel in the heel.

You will feel a lot of bounciness in the heel while not compromising the court feel too much. It’s going to cover you well on heel strikes on hard surfaces.

Jordan Zion 2 is great for impact protection and bounciness. It’s overall a well-designed cushioning setup.

3. Material:

The Jordan Zion 2 has a textile mesh material on the top. And the sides are covered by a leather-looking material with Jordan’s Jump man logo.

The tongue of the Zion 2 has Zion Williamson’s logo. It has minimum padding.

The Midfoot area has a strap that holds your feet tightly on the footbed whether you are a narrow or wide footer.

It’s a nice addition to Zion 2 from the performance standpoint. Material is supportive of the tough basketball game. However, it does not have a premium look.

But Zion 2 upper material is comfortable and supportive that conforms to your foot shape nicely.

The ankle area has soft Achillies pillows for added comfort and protection. The overall material is supportive in Zion 2.

4. Support:

It has a solid internal heel counter. We can confidently say that this mid-top shoe is best for bigger guys. Because in the shoe, they are getting a lot of support on their side-to-side moves.

In the midsole, it has a stiff poly midfoot shank plate. So the sneaker does not bend on the midfoot, so torsional support is good too.

It has lateral outriggers from both sides, making Jordan Zion 2 a very stable shoe. Additionally, Achilles pads support the ankle area. Overall the support is amazing.

5. Fit:

Jordan Zion 2 has a narrow-toe box. When you tie the laces tightly, it sometimes pinches the pinky toe area badly.

So fit can be an issue for very wide-toe box players. Other than that, it’s a wide-foot-friendly shoe made according to the design specifications of a big guy like Zion.

So, a true-to-size pair will be good if you are the medium or wide footer.

6. Looks / Appearance/ Colorways:

Jordan Zion 2 is released in many attractive colorways including Voodoo colorways. That has a touch of a lifestyle sneaker besides being a perfect professional basketball sneaker.

Dynamic turquoise, Hope Diamond, Cool Grey, Fossil, 25 Years in China, Hyper Crimson, Black/Cement, and The Duke Blue.

All 8 colorways have vibrant designs and modern aesthetics. Overall, We really liked the shoe aesthetics.

7. Outdoor/Durability:

Traction performs exceptionally well both on indoor and outdoor courts. It does not pick up dust easily and it’s easy to clean with a single wipe. So Zion 2 is a great option for outdoor courts as it grips really well on outdoor surfaces too.

Jordan Zion 2 has narrow spacing between relatively thin outsole tread patterns. The rubber on the sides is thicker than the one in the middle area of the outsole.

The upper material is strong and will last you a couple of seasons. So Jordan Zion 2 are pretty durable basketball shoes.

8. Breathability/Ventilation:

Jordan Zion 2 has used a textile upper and leather-like material on lateral and medial slides. Which adds to its durability. But it makes the shoe really hot to play in.

It will heat up your feet if you play in scorching weather. The synthetic material is not breathable. So consider looking elsewhere if you want to get a really breathable shoe.

9. User Review

Jordan Zion 2 has received excellent reviews from players. It has a user rating of 5/5.

10. Expert Review

Kicks Contest World

“Zion 2 is the perfect option to play in the fall. It’s got a nice old-school look. These days, there are not many basketball shoes that are meant for wide feet and bigger players. Zion 2 is one of them.”

Richee Kim

“Jordan Zion 2 are pretty solid shoes to play in. The traction is amazing, the cushion is there, support is great. Material is improved than zion1. I like shoe aesthetics. Overall it’s an improvement on Zion 1. It won’t disappoint you if you want to pick up a pair.”

Hoops and Life

“I definitely think it’s worse than last year’s model. The traction was decent, but I really did not like the material while support and lockdown were good, and the cushion was mediocre. But the worst part is comfort. Maybe it’s good for very powerful players like Zion”

Sole Brothers

“I liked its old-school look. The traction and cushion are top-tier. It’s definitely going to be in my rotation as it’s minimal and lighter. Support is an issue but it’s still it’s ok for me. Overall it’s really amazing and I enjoy playing in it.”

BBall Shoes/ Reddit

“These are better Zion signatures than the first one. Ankle support and fit are exemplary. Traction is improved over Zion 1 but the mostly longitudinal pattern works better on the side-to-side movements than braking in forward or backward motions.”

 

Craft Endurance Trail Performance Review

Piggybacking off of the success of the road-focused Endur Distance, Craft is adding a new, trail-ready version to their PRO line with the Craft Endurance Trail. This shoe has many features we like but as with most trail shoes, there are some caveats.

Craft Endurance Trail

Price: $160

Weight: Men’s 11.8 oz, Women’s 10.1 oz

Drop: 9mm (27mm forefoot, 36mm heel)

Sizing: True to size

• Rundown: A go-to trail shoe for comfort or speed. The Craft Endurance Trail is a great option for anyone wanting a performance shoe without the $200 price tag.

Midsole

Sam: As the trail footwear world seems to increasingly move towards more neutral drops and away from aggressive road geometry, the Craft Endurance Trail’s midsole gives runners a race-ready stack that is built to focus propulsion to the forefoot. With a 9mm drop, this is a shoe that really wants to run and excels at higher speeds. The Endurance Trail is the newest model for Craft’s Trail line, and it emphasizes their commitment to performance.

Craft’s new Px Foam, a single foaming agent that is 20% lighter than traditional EVA foam, makes up the midsole of the Endurance Trail. This foam is particularly responsive and light. For runners looking to go fast, you’ll find this shoe gives a good energy return while maintaining a soft and bouncy ride. The Px Foam midsole provides a good amount of shock resistance, making the Endurance Trail a little more stable in the heel than one would expect for such an aggressive drop.

Typically, you would expect a shoe with such a lightweight and responsive foam to break down relatively quickly. After roughly 70 miles in the shoe, I haven’t noticed any lack of energy return. The nature of the Px Foam coupled with the big drop almost gives this midsole the feel of a plated racer. I found that the bounce mimics the “snap” you receive from other carbon trail shoes, without the hefty price tag.

Drew: The Px Foam midsole of the Craft Endurance Trail is smooth, protective, and bouncy. Px Foam is a little heavy for a road shoe but it pays dividends on the trail as the extra density helps mute the rocks and roots.

Typically, I prefer less drop than 9mm but I think the drop geometry works really well with the design of the midsole and results in a rocker that feels propulsive and fun. The energy return alone puts it in the top tier of trail shoes but everything else the midsole offers makes it a complete package.

Upper

Sam: The Craft Endurance Trail Upper is a single-layer mesh that form fits your foot and is fairly breathable. Craft has added some TPU overlays near the pain points of the foot to protect from rocks and other debris you’ll run into on the trail. The tightly knit mesh layer is one piece, so you don’t run into any nagging or tears at the seams like you might with other trail uppers. The lacing system allows for a nice heel lock and the soft flexibility of the tongue ensures you don’t get any rub near the front of your ankle.

Drew: The engineered mesh is fairly basic but the upper is comfortable while protective in all the right places with the toe and heel guards. The gusseted tongue is helpful both to prevent tongue slip and improve lockdown. If you’re a normal or narrow footer you will have plenty of room in this upper. Craft makes some of the most wide foot friendly uppers in the trail shoe industry. You don’t have to avoid this shoe if your foot is narrow but you’ll want to wear thicker socks.

Outsole

Sam: In the words of Craft Pro David Laney, “We basically took the Endur Distance and slapped a trail outsole on it.” The rubber outsole follows a two-piece (forefoot and heel) rubber compound with a fairly dense, squared lug pattern on the bottom. They do not list the official lug depth on their site, but I would pin it right around 3 to 3.5mm (think your basic Salomon Sense Ride).

For a shoe made to be responsive, I love the two-piece outsole as it allows for more flexibility in the toe. I found the rubber to be sticky enough and showed good promise on wet rock and wood. Because of the road origins of the shoe, I used this a lot as a straight-out-of-the-door, road-to-trail option. The outsole has held up fine over the 70 miles of mixed road/trail and has not shown any signs of deterioration. The Craft Endurance Trail is built for almost all types of terrain, but I wouldn’t classify this outsole as burly enough to handle your more technical and vertical trails.

Drew: The outsole of the Craft Endurance Trail gripped everything I threw at it including some dicey wet-to-dry to mud-to-dry transitions that often reveal traction issues. I was also impressed that the Endurance Trail packs so much rubber but still feels very flexible. The flex groove built into the forefoot and the two-piece construction really pays off in terms of making the shoe feel much more nimble than I thought it would be.

Is the Craft Endurance Trail wide foot friendly?

Sam: I consider my feet to be on the wider side and I found that the Craft Endurance Trail actually gets roomier as you move into the forefoot. The mesh upper also allows for some stretch so you don’t feel like your foot is crammed into the shoe.

Drew: The Craft Endurance Trail is as wide foot friendly as a trail shoe can be, especially in the forefoot. It provides plenty of room for toe splay as you speed around corners.

Is the Craft Endurance Trail worth $160?

Sam: Yes. The Craft Endurance Trail is a shoe that will perform at almost any distance for a runner and can be that jack-of-most-trades in your shoe quiver. The durability of the outsole coupled with the cushion of Craft’s Px Foam makes this a perfectly fine option for longer mileage days. The responsiveness and energy return of the midsole also makes it an ideal race day or shorter distance, maximum effort shoe for those not looking to venture into the $200s for a carbon-plated shoe.

Drew: A good portion of our favorite trail shoes are in the $150-170 range. That’s the going rate for a high-end trail shoe with all the bells and whistles except a carbon plate. The Craft Endurance Trail is priced correctly.

Cons

Sam: I couldn’t find much that I was upset with about this shoe, however an aggressive 9mm drop automatically makes it not for everyone. With a higher heel stack at 36mm, at times the shoe feels unstable at high speeds, especially if you’re entering more technical terrain where foot precision is a must. I took the shoe on a couple of muddier runs and found that the dense lug pattern didn’t shed mud very well, so I would not recommend this shoe for wet Spring days. This could be particular to me, but I experienced some pressure on the top of my foot while running in the Craft Endurance Trail. I would assume this is due to the 9mm drop that I’m not used to. Overall, the downside of this shoe is that you won’t have the stability of a lower-stack option on your technical terrain.

Drew: Sam nailed it. Stability can be hit or miss. I wish the midsole came up a little higher and cupped the foot, especially in the midfoot and heel. The wide base is great but unless you’re locked in TIGHT your foot may threaten to slide off the lateral edge on slanted terrain or sharp corners. With the wide foot friendly upper you need to make sure you nail the sizing of the Craft Endurance Trail. You don’t want any excess space bc if your foot gets wonky in this shoe it could result in a sprained ankle.

Craft Endurance Trail Summary

The Craft Endurance Trail was a very pleasant surprise. This shoe offers the softness and cushion of other long-distance options like the Jordan Tatum 1 or Salomon Ultra Glide but adds a responsiveness and energy return that isn’t present in those other shoes.

Although it feels like this shoe is built to move fast and will perform well at higher speeds, the versatility of the Px Foam midsole will make it a good option for any experience level looking to have added comfort. The bouncy ride makes this shoe a fun choice for your less technical singletrack days and it will perform for almost any number of miles.

The road geometry makes the Endurance Trail a perfect choice for runners who like to go straight from their doorstep to the trailhead. It’s a jack-of-most-trades option and a shoe that many trail runners or hikers will benefit from adding to their rotation.