Surprise, New Year, new me!
C J
C J Run, C J dribble, C J shoot
C J is good
C J made me buy these.
I had my eye on the Yu Shuai 11 since the start of the season since I saw CJ sporting these. CJ’a one of my favorite under the radar not yet ultra famous players that will definitely have a great post NBA career as a commentator. He’s since moved on to the Power 4 presumably for containment reasons (more in the review)
Photo courtesy of Pelsports
I ended up pulling the trigger on these during Thanksgiving but I ordered the wrong size so I didn’t want to rush a review with the wrong size. This is my second go round with Li Ning (first being the ultra overpriced WOW 4) and I will say it went better than the first.
Pros: great traction especially on clean or lightly dusty floors, minimal wiping on dusty floors, fit, materials, support and stability, price
Cons: some deadspace in toe box, cushioning is unremarkable, transition is a little slappy, containment could be better
Sizing Advice: half a size down for everyone, wide footers can go true to size if needed
Best For: any position
Buying Advice: I can’t tell if demand is high or if Li Ning is just doing the fake sellout. Buy at retail if you must, it’s a solid all around shoe. Hi Basketball has them for $99. $75 or less would be nice.
Weight:
16.5 ounces in a size 11. Pretty much DRose, CLB, Harden weight.
Traction
The YS11 uses a multi directional pattern on that outsole that has stopping power patterns placed in the right areas. Traction actually worked really well with this rubber because it isn’t ultra sticky like Jordan and Nike’s translucent rubber. On clean and lightly dusty floors, traction was fantastic with pretty much no wiping. Dusty floors did require some wiping but a lot less than most others. On a few nights I played on a horrible unwaxed floor and the YS was almost as good as the CLB16…almost. (I compare same day same court if you didn’t know already).
Some dirt gets stuck in the grooves but the grooves are deep enough that it doesn’t affect traction.
Far better than the Clutchfit Drives but a few cents shy of top tier level. But overall these were surprisingly good.
Great job Li Ning!
Cushioning
The white foam below line is the Cloud Foam underfoot
Li Ning states the Yu Shuai 11 features their Cloud Foam for a softer ride.
The mid-sole is made by a special high polymer material. Slows down impact. Gives full feet cushioning and amazingly high rebound. Transforms resilience power into high efficient cycle system. Soft and light-weight
Cool story Li Ning.
Like the Wade 4, I’m putting this in the whatever foam category. It doesn’t feel bad, it doesn’t feel great it just feels like foam. I’d liken the feel to Phylon but slightly less dense but just as boring. Just because a foam has a fancy name doesn’t mean squat. Proprietary foam anyone ?
Although it looks like is a lot of Cloud foam underfoot, it’s actually just a layer that sits on top of a lot of blue EVA foam. That blue line seen above is the amount of Cloud you get under your feet while the rest acts as a raised midsole barrier. The majority of your impact protection comes from the blue EVA foam below it. **Granted I could be wrong about all of this but based on the Cloud logo placement, the literature on the tag and online, the difference in feel, and prior experiences, I’m pretty sure I’m right, sorry I have no contacts at Li Ning so I can’t confirm but I can tell you how they feel**
Li Ning did provide a really nice insole that I plan to use in other shoes that need a little more cushioning. It reminds me of a hybrid of a normal Ortholite insoles and the nice PU Adidas used to use. 
Transition
I usually don’t notice slappy transition but I could feel it in the Yu Shuai. On top of the slapping as, they make a hoof beat/ suction sound as your run because of the hollowed out foam cupping the ground (pic way down below) . It’s kind of funny but not really a distraction. Maybe that’s why they named it Yu Shuai ….I think it means War Horse or riding a Horse or something Horse, anyways Yu get the irony.
Overall, cushioning was decent but nothing to write home about. It probably would have felt better if they swapped the Cloud and EVA around.
Fit
I initially bought an 11.5 since I thought these might run small like the Adidss 365 but I was wrong, they fit true to size just slightly long. These are very similar in length to the Crazylight Boost 2016 so I recommend going half a size down for everyone, wide footers can go true to size if they need some more width and toe space.
The funny thing with the Yu Shuai fit is that I had no heel slip or side to side movement with even in an 11.5 Here is where my foot sits with my true size 11. I had a thumbs width with the 11.5.
These do look really big based on the exterior. Here is my 11.5 Curry 4 compared to the Dame 4 and YS in a size 11.
Heel fit was excellent since the lace set up pulls the ankle back and keeps it locked it. It even features some heel cushions but really not necessary thanks to the lace set up. 
Overall I really liked the fit of the Yu Shuai, but it needs some refinement. Quite a bit of deadspace when laced up. A smaller size would definitely tighten things up.
I’d say the fit was one of the best features of the Yu Shuai XI but it could be a lot better.
Materials
Depending on the colorway you may get a synthetic or or in this case a knit. This knit is pretty good but it isn’t super soft or stretchy and feels most like the Kobe X Elite materials but with no glue. Instead Li Ning used nylon to back the upper for strength.
It’s a nice balance of strength and flexibility with no break in. In case you were wondering knits don’t cost way more, shoe companies just make it seem that way. Here is an interesting article I found on Flyknit even though it’s from 2012
We do see this as a way not only to create a higher performance, more sustainable product but one that actually will gives us significantly better margins as we scale this.”
A five year old article hmmm, pretty sure Nike scaled it just fine. Now you can understand why everyone can/does knits or wovens now; It’s cheap, it’s automated and most importantly it helps the bottom line.
Aside from the knit, the rest of the shoe is plastic which works fine. Carbon fiber would have looked better though.
Support and Stability
Not bad at all. There is just enough firmness in the ankle collar to notice there is some stiffness. These sit in the middle of the HD16 and Curry 4 in terms of flexibility. If you like full range of motion, you’ll probably want to stay away from there because of the stiffness of the ankle collar. You can feel some resistance when you dorsiflex or bend your knees deeply.
Also included is a plastic shank for midfoot support.
Can you hear the clip clop of my hoofs?
Stability was very good with a forefoot outrigger as well as a stable heel.
Overall, I liked the balance of flexibility and support with the YS11. Very 2012-2014 Hyperdunkish feel stability wise. No issues here at all.
Containment
Containment could have been terrible but thanks to a slightly raise midsole it wasn’t bad. On hard cuts around the forefoot, I felt some flexing of the raised midsole since it’s made of thin plastic anchored by soft thin Cloud foam. Definitely not a deal breaker and better than average since it didn’t happen on every single cut. It helps that the plastic heel counter extends and runs almost the entire length of the shoe. Swapping the firmer blue foam with the Cloud foam would have helped here as well.
Would I buy a Chinese brand again?
Maybe? I really can’t say I loved this pair and I could have used that $115 to buy something else.. At retail I could buy a pair of Curry 4’s or two Curry 2’s, a pair of Kobe ADM’s, some Rose 8’s with a coupon code, Hardens, Hyperdunks etc… there are a lot of options at this price here in the US. At least they are only $99 now on Hi basketball. Damnit I should have waited.
If you haven’t guessed it, pricing is one of the problems I have with Li Ning and Chinese shoe companies; while they are affordable they aren’t that much more affordable. I can buy a Big 3 model that’s six months old and it will be priced below the YS XI. I hate categorizing shoes based on retail prices because that’s not what consumers have to pay unless they want it on release day.
In other countries I know that buying any of the Big 3 costs a ton more (double triple sometimes) due to tariffs and taxes so given the prices disparity, the Yu Shuai is a good solid shoe especially for the money. Li Ning took the Kia business model and made a great looking shoe that’s almost as good as the big boys. I’ll admit, the looks of the shoe got me with its similarities to the Hyperdunk, Curry 4 and AJ XI.
The whole process of buying and waiting three weeks and then having to get another pair really really sucked considering we can get anything delivered to our door in a matter of minutes. I am tempted to try the KT3 but I don’t really like how it looks like a bizarro Soldier 8 and reviews sound good but I’ve fallen for the YouTube hype before. If I knew it did something absolutely better than what I currently use I might give it a go but I’ll just wait for more discounts.
Conclusion
As my second review of the year, I’ll give this a third team rating. 
Pic courtesy of SI
The cushioning doesn’t feel premium but it does it a good enough job while the knit upper feels like the material used on more expensive shoes. There are few precision problems but nothing that really affected play. Thankfully the fit was very good and the traction worked great a lot better than several shoes that cost much more. Getting the basics down goes a long way in my book and it’s good to see Li Ning get it right.
schwollo.com 
Hey Schwollo, off the subject, but the Rare Metal Lightning is on sale for $55. Those have better traction than the Thunders (my Jigsaws do as I have both). Would you try those again or rather save that $55 for something else?
Thanks again for another review, love your style and work and we have very similar needs in shoes!
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Hmmdepends how much you love the Rare Metal not me. It’s a great shoe all around minus the traction but sounds like it’s better on the other colorways. $55 is a good price for a shoe you love though. I went nuts with the soldier vi when they hit that price range to stock up. I’d go for it if you really like the shoe though 65 and below it’s hard to say no to any decent shoe.
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Thanks, I definitely love the shoe. I am planning on getting them but I know my wife wouldn’t be happy so still running through my Thunders and Lightning’s.
I was really just wondering if you had ever reconsidered trying them again or are you not interested based on the Thunders?
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Oh I see. I’m going to wait until it’s around 30 bucks if anything. I know ppl are saying the traction is better but i don’t know how much better so don’t want to rebuy and end up with only ok traction (I’m looking for ridiculous traction )
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Thanks for the review. I like YuShuai X perform-wise more than this YuShuai 11. Ten has a running-shoe-like heel to forefoot offset. Propelling feel when do the drive.
Pay attention for the YuShuai 12 this fall. I think Lining would put the cloudfoam on the next YuShuai model.
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Cool thanks !
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Sorry, new edition YuShuai should be with DriveFoam which is equipped with WOW6
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Great review as always. I’m always tempted to try other brands but like to read up on them before a purchase. Have you played in the Jordan 12 or 13 models at all? If so what did you think of them thanks.
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I liked the xii more than the 13 . It’s good at everything although it’s a little bulky. Zoom feels great. The 13 is a little clunkier thanks to the pods sticking out and the traction isn’t as good as the 12 imo. Very very stable though. I had plans to write reviews for all the Jordans but just haven’t had time. Xiv is still my favorite to play in .
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A Youtube comment I made a while back:
You should probably try out more performance-oriented Li-Ning shoes (anything that’s not in the wade line). 空袭Kong Xi and 闪击Shan Ji are the two main performance lines that Li-Ning has been putting most efforts in. 驭帅Yu Shuai used to be Li-Ning’s Hyperdunk but nowadays it’s transitioning into what the wade line is (style over performance), its “Hyperdunk status” has been replaced by 音速Sonic.
IMO, Li-Ning’s biggest problem is their confusing marketing strategy. Li-Ning has about 10 performance lines including the Wade Brand lines. Those combined with other random models they put out make choosing a Li-Ning shoe really difficult.
————
Most Chinese bball shoes can be purchased at around 200-500 RMB, which is about 30-75 USD. If you paid anything more than that for your Yu Shuai (which is selling at about 400RMB depends on the colorway), you got ripped off by those filthy resellers. They specifically target people who can’t read Chinese and charge them ridiculous prices.
I would say the best Chinese bball shoes currently on the market are:
Li-Ning 空袭Kong Xi 4 (the one CJ wears, solid all-arounder, more cushioned/supportive than Yu Shuai 11)
Li-Ning WoW 6 (all-arounder, fantastic forefoot cushion)
Peak DH3 (awesome cushion/support)
361 MAZER (designed by 361USA, midsole material feels like OG Micro G)
I’m not really a fan of Anta’s KT line. None of the 3 models they put out have the right cushion for me. Like you said, “fun” cushion is what makes you wanna keep playing in the shoes.
The major drawback of Chinese bball shoes for me is the significant heal drop. Some people may prefer a bigger drop, but as a 0 drop runner, I feel like I’m carrying dead weight when wearing anything with 8MM+ offset. While you’re playing basketball, you shouldn’t be landing on your heels anyway. I don’t get the point of having a huge heel drop. Sadly Chinese manufacturers have yet to realize that.
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Damn those are cheap ! Interesting you say you don’t like the kt2 or 3 cushioning. How do those feel ? Do they have a huge heel to toe drop as well? I’ve noticed Chinese companies have gotten better over the years at least. Thanks for all that info !
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KT2’s cushion works slightly above average for me. The 2 crush pads in the forefoot and heel areas work pretty well, but the midsole itself is made of a fairly dense foam. It’s really stiff and heavy. In fact the whole shoe is super stiff from top to bottom, and it requires a long break-in period. Unlike other typical Chinese bball shoes, KT2’s heel to toe offset is actually very small. Feels like sub-6MM drop running shoes. Here’s a picture of the midsole: http://review.fastpass.cn/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/11731101-4-103.jpg
KT3 took a step back cushion-wise in my opinion. The midsole is divided in to 2 segments that are connected via a sprintframe-like TPU piece, so the midfoot cushion coverage is missing. The forefoot segment feels more flexible and lower to the ground compared to KT2, but just as protective. The heel segment, on the other hand, feels like a giant block of dense Nike bricklon. Probably due to its big heel drop (feels like 10MM+) and the giant sprintframe-like cage. The overall experience of the ride is exactly like what I said about carrying dead weight. Here’s a picture of the midsole: http://inews.gtimg.com/newsapp_bt/0/2462302182/640
Though I’m not a fan of the KT line, if I were to choose between these 2 models, I’d go with KT2. The ride is more fluid, natural, and protective. I do prefer the midsole foam to be less dense, but it’s still a solid performer.
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Oh awesome info thanks ! Bricklon lol.
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Oh and CJ wore the 音速Sonic 6 (Li-Ning’s Hyperdunk) last night during his 50-point game, which has yet to be released.
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Cj has some nice timing. Just a matter of time until he makes the all star team and blows up
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@schwollo: You’re spot on man. Kupunao has beeng giving a lot of info on chinese kicks… Hey man, would you consider buying chinese kicks from amazon and reviewing them? I saw a lot of peak and li ning shoes for under 100 bucks and you could probably get them for cheaper since you know a lot about discount codes.. Aside from the yu shai, I’ve read also your complaint about the WOW 4 being pricey so maybe you could find some steals on amazon.. 🙂 One good thing about many chinese shoes is that they’re very wide-footer friendly. I’m sure kupunao would agree.. I have the Peak DH2 which was reviewed by other well-known reviewers and they said there were a lot of deadspace but it was perfect for me.. 🙂 Hey man, I hope you don’t mind if I post a lot of questions in this article and in your other articles.. hahaha.. I really do need credible info on the tech of bball shoes that’s why I keep asking.. Since I’m on a budget, I want my purchase to be well-recommended so I’d feel like every penny was well-spent. hehe..
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Can I ask how is the forefoot cushioning of the Peak DH3? Was it soft or bouncy?
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I never reviewed or played in those
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not bouncy, just soft and absorbent
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@kapunao: Does the Peak DH3 feel light on foot? Is the knit upper also supportive?
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pretty heavy. fairly supportive for a knit upper. the tpu cage thingy on the sides help a lot.
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@Kupunao: Can I ask for further recommendations on chinese kicks that have excellent cushion, traction, and support? Have you tried the Anta KT outdoor 2? I’ve read mixed reviews on the shoe. There were those who said that the cushioning was like micro G but a reviewer from my country said that he mainly felt the cushioning on the heel while the forefoot area was lacking…
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@kupunao: Can I also ask if you’ve ever tried the Peak monster 2? It”s on sale in my country for around 30 bucks.. The cushion says cushion-3.. And also,, have you tried the black colorway of the Peak DH3? It’s also on sale for around 80 bucks and the upper is not knit, I’m not sure if it’s synthetic leather or fuse…
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To answer your questions:
1. Chinese kicks that have excellent cushion+traction+support: I’d say “excellent cushion” alone rules out most Chinese kicks. WOW6 and DH3 might be the closest things that you’re looking for, but neither of them have super good traction. I’d personally go with the DH3.
2. I’ve never played in the “Anta KT outdoor 2”, but I have played in several Anta shoes that feature the same midsole material (A-shock) that “KT outdoor 2” uses. I do think it feels very similar to the OG Micro G and Adidas bounce. Feels bouncy and soft, but its impact protection is not on par with something like Boost or Peak’s P-motive (DH3’s cushion). Overall I do like it a lot, but if you need maximum impact protection you should look elsewhere.
3. I have played in the OG Peak monster, which has the exact same tooling/platform that Monster 2 uses. “Cushion-3” is an old concept that Peak uses in most budget shoes, it means nothing but “insole, midsole, and outsole are the 3 pieces that provide cushioning to you”, which is like saying nothing, but that’s really what Peak said in their commercials back in the old days. Overall I do like the OG monster, a solid outdoor performer. It excelled at nothing, but did everything decently and it was very, very cheap. However you should NEVER buy it if you were gonna use it indoors, ’cause the outsole was designed specifically for outdoor usage, and you would slide all around the place if you used it indoors (I tried doing it myself and twisted my left knee).
4. The black colorway and the “Candy” colorway of DH3 use a synthetic fuse-like material. Very tough and sturdy, and much more supportive than the knit versions. If you care about nothing but performance, I’d go with the fuse versions.
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If anyone ever wants a real unbiased review of Chinese kicks Kunpao is the man
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@kupunao: Thanks for those many info man! 🙂 I hope you don’t mind that I’m asking a lot of questions. I’ve tried asking for info on a facebook sneaker group I’m a member of but I could not get in-depth info like what you give. Can I ask further questions about the black colorway of the DH3 because I’m really really close to buying it based on your explanations.
1) Is the fuse-like upper of the black DH3 as soft as in the Lebron X or is it stiff like the NIke’s old hyperfuse?
2) Is there a part of the midsole of the DH3 that is slightly raised to cover the upper and provide lateral containmment? Based on pictures, I”m seeing a ridge of foam (like in the Adidas D Lillard 2) that goes all around and seem to cover a bit the sides of the upper..
3) Is the sizing of the DH3 the same as with Nike shoes? Also, is the sizing of the knitted DH3 the same as that of the fuse-upper DH3? The black DH3 looks like it’s gonna be tighter based on pictures but I’m not sure…
Thanks a lot in advance man! 🙂
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1. I’d say it’s more like LBJ10’s upper, but no matter what you’re not gonna feel the stiffness of the upper ’cause it has a pretty thick inner bootie.
2. Yeah. The ridge you see is the raised midsole, but it’s about the same height as the PU insole inside, so it’s not doing too much. The containment relies mostly on the upper strength and the TPU cage thingy on the sides, which is why I’d go with the plastic upper version.
3. No, Peak’s sizing is always messed up. Like, always, every single Peak shoe’s sizing is different. I’d say based on my experience and other people’s feedback, you should go at least a full EURO size down with DH3 to get a good fit. US size-wise you should be OK going true to size. The fuse-upper version does fit less accommodating, but not to the point that you’d want a bigger size.
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Nice review as always.
Sorry for out of topic, do you have any plan for testing Why not 0.1? I love to read your review before buying them.
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I am undecided still. Missed the first drop and I wouldn’t wear that color way anyways. Sounds like a great shoe from what I’ve seen though. Traction worries me a little. Hoop n life puts out fair reviews for the most part so take a peep at his.
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Nice! These are no where to be found here!
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Nowhere in the states either just online
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Hey Schwollo! I know this is unrelated to the post, but I just got a pair of Kobe 6s, and when i tried them on, I felt something pressing onto the joints of my metatarsals. Does the upper of the Kobe 6 stretch out after breaking them in?
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On the top of your feet ? It breaks in but not much. I never had any kind of pain from them.
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Oh i see. Thank you
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Where you finding Curry 2 that low? Love mine a lot more than the 3 and would grab more for a decent price in a second, haven’t found anything respectable.
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They were on UA but they seem to be gone now. Picked up the Black Knights for 60 with MyFitnessPal coupon and a few others this past year whenever I got a coupon.
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“will definitely have a great post NBA career as a commentator”
Please explain why you said this lol. I dont watch many Pro-Blazers televised games but I have seen a few Blazers game vs my Raptors and on NBATV.
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Cj was a guest commentator (I forgot what it was ) and his insight and humor was fantastic. Really good job of putting things through a player’s perspective
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Hey big fan of the reviews! Any chance you could do 1 on the way of wade 6? Been hearing good things but really would want an unbiased opinion–hence I turn to you. Hope to her from you soon! Thanks!
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Thanks man! No plans to review it. Talked with pjeung at heskicks and he said traction is pretty bad so they right there is a pass for me. He did say it was super comfy though. Nelson at Hoop and life had a nice review on it and we tend to have similar takes most of the time.
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