Performance Review: Nike Huarache 09

Nike's Huarache line has earned a reputation for beautiful aesthetics, great comfort, and consistently high performance. So, it's only natural to anticipate the same level of performance (if not better) in the latest model, the Huarache 09.



This will probably be one of the most schizophrenic reviews I ever write, because this shoe's great strengths are so tragically marred by its critical shortcomings. I'll start by saying that these are among the most comfortable shoes I've ever put on - not just basketball shoes... all shoes - period. Right out of the box, the comfort is overwhelming. The thinner, softer, and more flexible upper combined with the familiar Huarache forefoot/heel Zoom midsole simulates the feel of pillows strapped to your feet. When laced up, the 09's mold to your feet for terrific fit and lockdown. The ankle collar conforms to your ankle without feeling intrusive, so one shouldn't hesitate to lace these all the way up to the top. Yes, the shoes feel that good.

During play, the shoes performed as the typical Huarache performs - effortless heel-to-toe transition, amazing cushioning, great comfort, good traction, and light weight.



Then I noticed something odd. As I mentioned, the cushioning is amazing... probably rivaling the squishiest of squishy midsoles... to a fault. The midsole simply absorbs way too much impact and movement, causing me to lose a step in quickness. I noticed that on hard lateral cuts, it felt as though the midsole was still compressing and absorbing when it should've already been pushing back and helping me go in the direction I wanted to go.

I thought that it was maybe all in my head, so after I got home, I kept the 09 on one foot and tried on about 6 other shoes on the other foot for comparison (2k4, 2k5, LeBron Soldier III, Huarache 08, Hyperize, Zoom BB1). Sure enough, the cushioning of the 09 outshined most others, as the midsole felt much thicker and squishier overall. Then I ran a quick zig zag pattern with each shoe, and realized the 09's critical downfall: the lateral stability is almost nonexistent.

On each zig and zag, I experimented with pushing outwards in an effort to purposely roll my ankle. All six of my comparison shoes beat out the 09 in this test, as the 09 threatened ankle blowouts every single time. Here's why.

1) The midsole is just too thick and too soft - a bad combination for lateral movement. On lateral cuts, the midsole squishes outwards on the lateral side, allowing your ankle to roll outwards more than usual. A thinner midsole (like on the Zoom BB) would allow the Zoom Air to cushion the impact while also providing better court feel and more responsive and accurate movements. Think of this in terms of a car's cornering ability with thin, low profile tires versus with normal, thicker tires; the low profile tires will corner more accurately because there's not as much side wall on the tire to give way to the outward force. If you have strong ankles and/or don't make a ton of drastic cutting movements, this won't be a huge problem; but for more active players, this could be a huge problem.



2) The ankle collar is way too thin and flexible - it does nothing for ankle support. Think of it as low-top performance with the illusion of mid/high top feel. The ankle collar feels great; it conforms to your ankle, doesn't cut into your achilles, and flexes with every movement you make. But if you happen to roll your ankle, it's not going to do anything for you.



(For those of you who are curious as to how the shoes ranked in my lateral stability test, here's the order, starting from the best: 2k5, Zoom BB1, LeBron Soldier III, 2k4, Hyperize, Huarache 08)

The Bottom Line: The Huarache 09 is an incredibly comfortable shoe with a great fit, ridiculous cushioning, and superb out-of-the-box playability. However, poor lateral stability and nonexistent ankle support make the 09 a shoe that many players will want to avoid. I highly recommend this shoe for those of you who like wearing basketball shoes casually and/or to train at the gym or run on the treadmill. But as far as on-court performance, these shoes should come with ankle insurance.