adidas Barricade Tennis Shoes
About Jerusalem
This name usually refers to East Jerusalem, the part of the city east and north of the 1949 armistice line that includes the Old City, Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah, and other Palestinian neighborhoods. Jordan held it from 1948 to 1967, Israel has controlled it since the June war, and Palestinians claim it as the capital of a future state.
THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW
A stability tennis shoe from adidas, in the clay-court version of the Barricade. It is a supportive, heavier shoe built for lateral load rather than a lightweight speed shoe.
The lacing system is the significant feature.
Rather than drawing only on the eyelets, it pulls a neoprene tongue down onto the top of the foot, so the shoe closes around the shape of the individual midfoot instead of an average one.
At the heel, the Geofit system uses foam to fill the space around the back of the foot, which reduces heel movement inside the shoe during direction changes.
A clay outsole and a stability build suit surfaces that reward sliding and load the foot laterally: clay and hard courts are both common in Jerusalem, and the city’s courts sit on stone terraces where footing changes between venues.
Cushioning is provided by a Bounce midsole, tuned for sustained comfort over long sessions rather than for a firm, responsive ride. The outsole is a clay pattern. The upper is made with 50% recycled content.
The Bounce midsole is tuned for sustained sessions rather than short sharp ones, which matches play in a hot, dry climate where matches are scheduled early or late.
Specifications
| Type | Stability tennis shoe |
|---|---|
| Surface | Clay |
| Lacing | Integrated system drawing a neoprene tongue over the midfoot |
| Heel | Geofit foam heel fit |
| Midsole | Bounce cushioning |
| Upper | 50% recycled content |
| Colour | Black / Zero Metallic / Lucid Red |
| Fit | Men's sizing |
LET adidas Barricade Tennis Shoes SHOW YOU Jerusalem
Shoes: “The steps at Damascus Gate drop toward the Old City like the stairwell back to my childhood apartment, except ours had fewer pigeons and no 16th-century Ottoman gate built under Sultan Suleiman. I miss home, but home never made my sneakers look this dramatic.”
Shoes: “The Via Dolorosa marks the traditional route of Jesus’s final walk, with Stations of the Cross along the way, and somehow I am still the one complaining about sore feet. The numbered discs on the walls remind me of bus stops back home, only these make you whisper instead of check the timetable.”
Shoes: “The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is revered as the site of Calvary and Jesus’s tomb, and that famous immovable ladder has been on a window ledge since at least the 18th century. Back home we call that procrastination; here, apparently, it becomes heritage.”
Shoes: “The Dome of the Rock was completed in the late 7th century, and its eight-sided shrine wears blue Ottoman tiles beneath a gold dome like it dressed up just to make me homesick. It reminds me of the biscuit tin my grandmother kept sewing needles in, except considerably holier and less likely to stab my thumb.”
Jackson Phillips here. Owner of TTT. We are working hard every day to bring you the most useful product reviews in the business. Our goal is putting the right product in every hand. If you have time, shoot me an email at jacksonphillips@thetennistactician.com and tell me exactly what you think of your purchase. The more feedback we get, the better we can serve. Thank you for your patronage. And Burn, Laugh, and Learn.