Why Does Decathlon Keep Surprising Us With Its Table Tennis Shoes?
Why Does Decathlon Keep Surprising Us With Its Table Tennis Shoes?
At last July’s US Open, we noticed a low-profile Decathlon table tennis shoe on the feet of Han Ying. She made it into the women’s singles round of sixteen in a very competitive field. Having suffered two Achilles tendon ruptures in 2024, Han Ying became extremely selective about footwear during her recovery. From last year’s US Open through the Chongqing Champions Series this past March, she has stayed loyal to the Decathlon TTS 900 — a shoe that meets every demand a high-intensity, high-movement chopper has for a dream shoe: durable, long-lasting, supportive enough, and still agile.
Friends around me who bought the TTS 900 gave feedback that the grip really does feel planted, and the movement feels safe.
This year I also tried another Decathlon table tennis shoe: the 560 BOA dial version. It gave me a different kind of pleasant surprise. BOA dials used to appear only in running shoes, then gradually in top-of-the-line table tennis shoes. Over the past two or three years they’ve popped up like bamboo shoots after rain, showing up in many affordable table tennis shoes too.
But the 560 BOA — also called the “Comfort 560” — is, for a dial shoe under 300 RMB (299.9 RMB), my personal favorite dial table tennis shoe to date. I even like it more than a certain Mizuno BOA model, because that dial didn’t hold up…
What makes the Comfort 560 worth it?
The dial is reliable
Calling it “reliable” is my way of distinguishing it from brands whose dial systems aren’t. Some dials start slipping after a number of sessions — you cinch them tight before a match, and partway through they go loose again.
With the Decathlon 560 BOA, when you turn the dial and feel it lock in, the feedback is: this is premium quality.
Smart design — breathable and durable
The ventilation holes are well-placed. The PU-and-mesh combo is sensible: it keeps the shoe breathing while reinforcing the toe box and heel for better durability.
Traction, quick starts, and slip resistance
Overall this is a barefoot-feel shoe — nimble and light. It’s especially well-suited for players who love aggressive first-three-ball attacking. The non-marking rubber outsole and suction-cup texture provide great grip, and the shoe really does start up fast.
The outer forefoot and inner heel use similar stripe-pattern tread, which keeps you planted on hard stops and quick steps. The lateral side panel also adds a slip-prevention block — something high-end Asics shoes like to use — so when you move laterally or change direction, friction increases and sliding is prevented; you can also better sense the floor underfoot and fine-tune your footwork.
And it’s genuinely light — a single size EU 42 shoe weighs 248 g, which is right at the industry standard for lightweight speed shoes.
The Decathlon 560 BOA has pushed the affordable dial shoe category up another notch. Its performance lives up to its name: pure comfort.