Originally, when badminton was first played, it did not have any special equipment for people to wear. When the first player played badminton as it is today, they wore regular sneakers or jogging shoes. This, however, caused some problems because the players were always slipping and falling. As a result, the badminton shoe was developed. It was different than a regular jogging shoe because it was more stable. The soles were made to have a better grip on the ground. This meant that they increased static friction, and also increased sliding friction, so badminton players would not slip when they jumped and ran to hit the shuttlecock.