After years of development and testing the waters of the footwear market, Selkirk is ready for its first official retail shoe release on January 14, 2025. The $120 Selkirk CourtStrike Pro and the $100 CourtStrike are the marketing leading brand’s first mainstream entries into pickleball footwear. Can Selkirk possibly dominate another emerging pickleball gear category?
Selkirk, the brand with perhaps the largest footprint in the pickleball sporting goods market, was kind enough to send pairs of the CourtStrike Pro ahead of its release so we could test them for the pickleball performance review you see below. Let’s see how the Selkirk CourtStrike Pro performed.
What is the Selkirk CourtStrike Pro?
The Selkirk CourtStrike Pro is one of two court shoe models that will make pickleball brand Selkirk’s first-ever retail court shoe launch. The CourtStrike and CourtStrike Pro proceed where the privately released Selkirk Labs S01 Pro and Selkirk Labs S02 Premium court shoes left off for the company.
The CourtStrike Pro is basically the same shoe as the standard CourtStrike, with a few extra touches for enhanced performance. It’s a court shoe specifically designed for pickleball that also aims for a more fashionable design to complement the brand’s growing performance clothing lineup. The retail price is $120.
How did the Selkirk CourtStrike Pro perform?
The Selkirk CourtStrike Pro houses a few features to aid in pickleball players’ experience on the courts. The linear wavebone and lateral herringbone traction pattern works well for quick changes of direction across the court, and the lack of wear and tear so far gives me confidence that the outsole will hold up through its 6-month warranty.
Moving up, the CourtStrike Pro focuses on stability with a relatively wide base, a small-but-sturdy midfoot shank for torsional support, and a lateral outrigger towards the forefoot. Around the heel there’s sculpting that also encases an internal heel cup for support and lockdown.
The CourtStrike Pro fits well overall in my true size with the relaxed toe box giving freedom for toe splay. While I think some wide footers may have the potential to go true to size, the safer bet is to order up a half size, especially if there’s no opportunity to try the shoe on first. I did suffer some ankle soreness after a session with relaxed lacing, so I’d suggest lacing up as tight as you can (comfortably) due to the wide toe box. It will come in handy when moving laterally and changing direction by reducing foot movement within the shoe.
The 3D-print and Thermal Plastic Rubber overlays are a useful addition to the CourtStrike Pro compared to its standard CourtStrike counterpart, and they flex with the foot well, but can only do so much for containment without a snug lace-up.
Selkirk hasn’t named the cushion used in the CourtStrike models, but does state that it’s a premium foam in the midsole with a dual-density foam insole. To me, the midsole feels like a somewhat dense EVA with more court feel than what the exterior appearance would indicate. I wouldn’t exactly call this premium, but it was decent enough to run through multiple hours of play on the pickleball court. As someone that has had the opportunity to test a wide array of cushion setups as a former basketball shoe reviewer, I wondered if I judged the cushion too harshly, but truthfully there are other pickleball shoes on the market currently that I would prefer to get more cushion underfoot.
Who is the Selkirk CourtStrike Pro best suited for?
The Selkirk CourtStrike Pro should work well for a good amount of pickleball players, especially those that do not mind somewhat of a neutral cushion setup. It will do well for people that enjoy feeling connected to the court without causing too much foot fatigue.
According to Selkirk, a more supportive mesh is used for the CourtStrike Pro in addition to the aforementioned overlays exclusive to this model. While I don’t have the standard CourtStrike model to test, I would likely recommend the CourtStrike Pro to anyone willing to put an additional $20 towards a pair. Though it’s said to be more supportive, the CourtStrike Pro doesn’t quite bring along the bulkiness on foot that you might expect from a more supportive option. For this reason, I think it’s suitable for all players, no matter the pace of play.
If you’re looking for a pickleball shoe that is easy to lace up and forget about while you focus on playing your best points, the Selkirk CourtStrike Pro is a worthy option and I’d recommend giving it good look during your research and shopping process.
Disclosure
While Selkirk did send the CourtStrike Pro to facilitate this review, the company had no involvement in this review, didn’t receive an advance look at it, and has not attempted to influence it.
