Beginner Shoes

[Dax]

My county has the beginnings of a high school fencing leauge. Many schools are envolved and were are getting larger and larger. I just started fencing in october, and I have figured out that my running shoes just can't cut it any more.

I have been reading for an hour or so about D'Art IIs, Addistars, and Asymmetrics. I was wondering what would be the best shoe for a beginner? I don't want to spend too much, but all of you seem to know what you are talking about. Oh yeah, another note, we are fencing on gym and cafeteria floors, and from what I read, where you would be using the shoe makes a difference.

Thanks

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Either the victory, or the dart 2 or dart 1. The asym and adistars, as far as I've heard, have poor traction on smooth surfaces. The dart and victory shoes have good traction, which is what you need. You might also want to look at the adidas stabil 5's.... a good, durable, quick shoe.

[Dax]

Thanks for your help!

*edit*

I just ran into a problem... Do they make any of the shoes in a size 15(US)???

[noodle]

best shoe for a beginner? buy some cross trainers from nike or new balance or something. i didn't buy real fencing shoes until i was about a year in. if you have the money and you want to spend it, i like asymmetrics best (though they're not being made anymore), though they're probably the most expensive.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Originally Posted by Dax

Thanks for your help!

*edit*

I just ran into a problem... Do they make any of the shoes in a size 15(US)???

aye, look at duellist, they have some fencing shoes in very large and very small sizes.

[achilleus]

Here's a photo of Bissdorf (GER) the silver medallist at the 2000 Games. He's on the left wearing tennis shoes.

Here's a photo of Jeannet (FRA) vs. Zharkov during the 2002 World Championships in Lisbon. Neither is wearing fencing specific shoes...

Here's a photo of Granbassi (ITA) at Athens wearing a Nike volleyball shoe.

Here's a photo of Thompson (USA), training for the '04 games, wearing Asics volleyball shoes.

None of them are beginners...

Save your money, find some court shoes that fit your feet, and you should be good to go...

[SJCFU#2]

Originally Posted by achilleus

Save your money, find some court shoes that fit your feet, and you should be good to go...

I agree with Achilleus -

For your purposes a good indoor court shoe with a soft gum sole should be enough. Consider raquetball, volleyball, possibly indoor tennis - basketball shoes tend to be heavy

You'll find there are plenty of other things to spend your money on.

[grotto]

Ditto on what achilleus said, I recommend indoor soccer shoes, they seem to last the longest of the bunch, but they typically don't have the support of the court shoe.

[Larrison]

I'll add to the chorus. Go down to the local big sporting goods store and look through their "court shoes", and "indoor soccer shoes" and potentially "boating/ deck shoes".

Look for something that has a fairly thin sole (you're not jumping up and down too much, so you don't need a huge amount of padding), good lateral stability (not on a platform), and fits well around the front and toe area (since you're going to be lunging and want it not to slip around the foot).

Volleyball, racquetball, tennis, cross training, indoor soccer, and boating/ deck shoes all have been suggested at one time or another, as low-to-moderately priced alternatives to fencing-specific shoes.

If you're primarily doing it on wooden or linoleum floors, give some consideration into what will give you the best grip on that. I prefer the gum soles rather than the harder plastic-type soles (which I think are better on concrete).

[achilleus]

Originally Posted by achilleus

Here's a photo of Granbassi (ITA) at Athens wearing a Nike volleyball shoe.

For some reason I can't seem to find the edit button...

The photo is actually of Bianchedi, not Granbassi.

If you explore the page you can find Granbassi, under the Athens 2004, women's foil pages...

[Orangeaholic]

Originally Posted by Dax

My county has the beginnings of a high school fencing leauge. Many schools are envolved and were are getting larger and larger. I just started fencing in october, and I have figured out that my running shoes just can't cut it any more.

I have been reading for an hour or so about D'Art IIs, Addistars, and Asymmetrics. I was wondering what would be the best shoe for a beginner? I don't want to spend too much, but all of you seem to know what you are talking about. Oh yeah, another note, we are fencing on gym and cafeteria floors, and from what I read, where you would be using the shoe makes a difference.

Thanks

If you want a really good pair of fencing shoes then I suggest Li-nings they have really good support, and i love them. Plus, you can get them very cheap like $60-$65

[Dax]

Thanks very much for the help. I am going to go look at some court shoes tomorrow!

[Lefty1]

Dax,

Court shoes work very well for fencing. However the Li-nings in my opinion are GREAT shoes for the price and have excellent traction.

You should really consider them because they could be much less than a pair good court shoes.
Just a little tip

[Dax]

The big problem with shoes for me is my feet. I am a big guy, 6'6'' and am almost 16, and I wear a size 15 shoe... Tomorrow I will look for some court shoes, and I can only find the li-nings up to a 12... So if I cant get good court shoes I will order D'art IIs from absolute fencing, because they have my size.

Thanks for the help everyone!!!

[rcmatthews]

All the pictures of people not wearing fencing shoes are nice, but I am sure that many, many pictures could be found of fencers wearing fencing shoes. Personally, fencing shoes improved my footwork greatly, as compared with the wrestling shoes that I had been wearing. If you play football, you wear football cleats. If you go bowling you wear bowling shoes. Why not wear fencing shoes for fencing?

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by rcmatthews

All the pictures of people not wearing fencing shoes are nice, but I am sure that many, many pictures could be found of fencers wearing fencing shoes. Personally, fencing shoes improved my footwork greatly, as compared with the wrestling shoes that I had been wearing. If you play football, you wear football cleats. If you go bowling you wear bowling shoes. Why not wear fencing shoes for fencing?

It is not to say that fencing shoes aren't good (and the number of fencers who wear them tends to depend on the weapon... many more epee fencers seem to wear court shoes than sabre fencers), but the fact that top level fencers use fencing shoes is evidence that not every shoe is right for every person, and for some people, non-fencing specific shoes may be the best option.

[JonTong]

Originally Posted by Orangeaholic

If you want a really good pair of fencing shoes then I suggest Li-nings they have really good support, and i love them. Plus, you can get them very cheap like $60-$65

True, I have flat feet so I need to insert special arch supports in my fencing shoes. The supports are wide so I need extra room for that. The addias one are too narrow. Li-nings are juz perfect. They provide good support and they are quite durable. That's why they are still the no.1 for most of the Chinese fencers. I got them directly from China so it only costs me $30 for a pair of high-top. Super good deal for fencers with wide feet.

[achilleus]

Originally Posted by rcmatthews

All the pictures of people not wearing fencing shoes are nice, but I am sure that many, many pictures could be found of fencers wearing fencing shoes. Personally, fencing shoes improved my footwork greatly, as compared with the wrestling shoes that I had been wearing. If you play football, you wear football cleats. If you go bowling you wear bowling shoes. Why not wear fencing shoes for fencing?

Yup. You're right tons of great fencers wear fencing shoes. Many Italians wear the Viktoria shoes, many of the Asians wear the Li-Ning's, many of the Hungarians wear the PbT's, etc...

And the Adidas shoes are by far the most popular and well made.

Also you can numerous fencers worldwide not using fencing specific shoes, they just don't have the names that the fencers I posted do. When I first to an epee world cup, I was shocked at how few people actually wore fencing specific shoes.

Are fencing specific neccessary to fence? No. Are they neccessary for success? No. Are they neccessary for a beginner? No.

Many athletes don't wear specific shoes, especially in the smaller market sports. Ever watched badminton, ping pong, or volleyball events? You'll see numbers of amatuer athletes wearing non-sport specific shoes. Badminton and ping pong players wearing basketball, tennis and volleyball shoes, and volleyball players wearing basketball shoes. And you'll even get some football players wearing soccer shoes.

The pro sports, like basketball, football, soccer, etc...are so filled with shoe contracts and custom made shoes, that it's not an issue. Heck, even with fencers, it's not always an issue. Take a look at the Italians sponsored by Viktoria. If someone gave me free fencing fencing shoes, I'd probably wear 'em. Even funnier to me is the French team, sponsored up the wazoo by Adidas, and non of their epee team really wear fencing shoes.

In addition, fencing being a small market, has some really bad shoes. Look at the fact that hi-end tennis shoes (a large market) run $100 are used by the pros and come with such great features as 6 month outsole toe guard guarantees. Enough cushioning so that one doesn't need to get heel cups, or insoles, are constantly upgrading the materials used in the shoe, and come in a variety of styles for different attributes like wide, narrow, high arch, cushioned, stable, etc...

Compare that to Adidas fencing shoes, low end $100, one style, that hasn't been changed since the 60's. Going with the high end shoes means paying $200 for a shoe that can wear a hole in the side in 2 weeks. If you're a pro, and the shoes are free, who cares. If you're paying out of pocket, it becomes obvious which is a better deal.

Anyway, the bottom line is wearing something that's comfortable, and if money is an issue affordable. Personally, I find my footwork improves the more I practice, not with a pair of shoes...

[rcmatthews]

I highly doubt they make a ping pong shoe. The only football players that wear soccer cleats are kickers, because what they do is more akin to soccer, rather than football. And this is not just on the professional/college level where they are sponsored, but also on the high school, middle school, and pee-wee levels as well.

Are fencing specific neccessary to fence? No. Are they neccessary for success? No Would they likely help someone with their footwork? Yes. Not to be condecending, but I don't think that epee is the place to look for masters of footwork.

You say that you would wear fencing shoes if someone gave them to you for free. Is this because they would simply be a free shoe, or you believe that they do give some advantage, however slight? If it is the latter, than I must ask why you don't pay the money for the shoes.

When I played football, I happily shelled out houndreds of dollars for the best footwear that money could buy. When I threw the shotput in college, I also payed lots of money for top quality throwing shoes. I will continue to pay money for top quality fencing shoes. If you don't wish to do so, that is your choice.

Please refrain from underhandedly insulting my fencing. When I said that my footwork improved vastly with fencing shoes I ws referring to a comparison from one day to the next. I do not care how hard you train, your footwork will not improve by leaps and bounds in one day.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by rcmatthews

Yes. Not to be condecending, but I don't think that epee is the place to look for masters of footwork.

epee is all about footwork.

Changes in tempo and ability to attack and retreat at various rates are the way hits are created at the top level.