6 Months, 6 Prototypes: How Zane Navratil Designed His Perfect Pickleball Shoe
In the wide world of professional sports, few athletes are presented with the opportunity to design and wear a signature shoe.
For Zane Navratil – a top-ranked pro who has more than 100 medals and four Major League Pickleball titles to his name – that moment came when SQAIRZ approached him to help perfect their debut model.
It was the complete pickleball shoe, they said, built from the ground-up to prioritize performance, stability and safety for players of all levels.
After months of play-testing, rounds of rapid prototyping, and a few signature touches from Navratil himself, the XRZ™ was born.
Alex E. Weaver
Sweating the Details
SQAIRZ has made a name for itself in professional golf and baseball footwear.
It would have been easy to apply those same features to a pickleball shoe and call it a day.
But for founder and CEO Bob Winskowicz, that would have been unthinkable. Every sport is different, after all, requiring specific and nuanced movements to achieve results at the highest levels.
SQAIRZ leaned on Navratil to obsess over the details. Zane would play with a pair, take notes of what he liked and what he didn't, then report back to Winskowicz.
"Over a six-month period, we had email exchanges, phone conversations, and video calls where we would discuss his thoughts and suggested adjustments until we arrived at the final design," says Winskowicz.
Navratil didn't hold back, either. If anything felt off, he'd say so.
"I've played in a bunch of different shoes over the years, trying to find something that fit me exactly," he says. "It was really cool to have design input from start to finish."
A Little More Wiggle Room
No one pickleball shoe is perfect for everyone, of course, but SQAIRZ built the XRZ™ on one undeniable truth often overlooked by other brands: Your toes are where the magic happens.
A solid connection to the ground is the foundation for all movement; crunched toes put you at a disadvantage.
"Think of the big toe as a steering wheel; it controls your movements and propulsion," says Winskowicz. "If the design of the shoe angles it inwards, it reduces your ability to control and power your movements."
The standout feature of the XRZ™ is its patented roomier toe box design, which allows the toes to splay naturally in the shoes, providing better balance and stability through your legs, into the core and upper body.
Navratil felt the difference right away.
"In pickleball, if you're playing it correctly, you're on your toes most of the time, right?" he says. "The wider toe box creates a lot more interaction with the ground, which can help you push off and maintain balance."
A Design Feature at Every Angle
The XRZ™ is more than just a wider toe box.
For every possible interaction between a player's shoe and the ground, Winskowicz and team designed a physical feature to enhance the experience – whether it be for performance, comfort or safety.
During an early play session, for example, Navratil noticed some wear in a very specific area of the inner side of the shoe. Within a week, he had a new prototype with a raised reinforcement along that area. It played much better, and was adopted into the final design.
Navratil lauds the fit of the XRZ™, too, noting its ability to suction onto the foot and lock your heel in place. That's thanks to a patented heel and arch support system that runs externally from the heel, then internally down under the plantar facia for improved arch support and roll-over prevention.
The four outriggers on the outside of the shoe as well as the outsole's unique directionalized traction pattern, further enhance balance and protect against injury. Finally, the Sta-Put laces have silicone nubs printed along their length, making the shoe one with the foot and providing even more stability.
A reinforced toe cap should help with those pesky holes. And to top it all off, the XRZ™ comes with a 6-Month Sole Warranty as well as 30-Day Moneyback Guarantee.
"They listened to the specific requirements of pickleball, which was great," says Navratil. "We probably ran through at least five or six different prototype versions and so now I feel like we've got an exceptional shoe."
A Partnership That's Personal
Navratil has played countless hours of pickleball, and burned holes through more shoes than he can count.
Getting the chance to help design something better, something more comprehensive that speaks to the specifics needs of pickleball, was an opportunity he did not take lightly.
"Shoes are very personal," says Navratil. "It was honestly an honor to have a company that wanted to listen to my feedback on shoes."
For SQAIRZ, says Winskowicz, working with Navratil was a dream.
While Zane is one of the best pickleball players in the world—he’s also a true student of the game. His passion for performance and firsthand experience with the demands of the sport made him an invaluable partner in developing the XRZ™. The back in forth on the design of the shoe was done with pickleball players everywhere in mind. While it started with making a shoe fit for a pro, it’s built to elevate players at every level. We’re beyond excited to have Zane on board and know his insights will help the entire pickleball community move, play, and perform at their best.
