Practice Substitute

[RenegadeStorm88]

What would make for a good substitute for knickers and fencing shoes during practice, right now im wearing shorts and tennis shoes, but i know tats no good. Ive got a pair of wrestling shoes im going to use starting next week, but as for leggings, are shorts ok or do i need to find some sweat pants or something?

[lefty_monster]

Wrestling shoes are good.

You're a foilist, so you don't need an insane amount of padding. I'd suggest windbreaker-material pants. You know, the kind that are almost (but not quite, as I found out in Miami) waterproof. Those are nice and light, but if a blade breaks you're protected from flying debris. Make sure that the waistband is at the navel or above, because you want it to overlap with the jacket.

[RenegadeStorm88]

Good deal, thanks

[Goldgar]

Originally Posted by RenegadeStorm88

What would make for a good substitute for knickers and fencing shoes during practice, right now im wearing shorts and tennis shoes, but i know tats no good. Ive got a pair of wrestling shoes im going to use starting next week, but as for leggings, are shorts ok or do i need to find some sweat pants or something?

Tennis shoes may be okay, if they're really made for playing tennis, and not just for looking cool. You want something with a low sole, no side flaring, and a rounded off -- or at worst, squared, not flared -- heel. Wrestling shoes should be okay, but I think they won't have enough shock absorption.

If you're practicing or bouting with a partner, I strongly urge you not to wear shorts. It's dangerous. Instead, try sweatpants or warmup pants until you can get some knickers.

[KD5MDK]

There is no substitute for practice.

[RenegadeStorm88]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

There is no substitute for practice.

Haha!! you sir, are my hero

[lefty_monster]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

There is no substitute for practice.

Way to go, captain obvious.

[Hauptman]

Unless you're absolutely broke (and I've been there) there are really inexpensive knickers and fencing shoes available out there now so that you don't need to make this choice. A nice pair of knickers for $40 to $50, and even the Asics Tigers can be had for $65. That's not much more than the cost of a decent pair of workout pants or court shoes. And that's for decent quality stuff... there is much cheaper out there too, but you get what you pay for.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by lefty_monster

Wrestling shoes are good.

Wrestling shoes have got to be just about the worst shoes besides heels that you can use for fencing. Never, never, ever use wrestling shoes for fencing - unless you want the knees and lower back of a retired pro football player.

Think about it - when you wrestle, you have these shoes on and are using them on top of a 2 inch thick mat. Do you think that they were designed to take any shock at all?

If you are not going to use fencing shoes, then find some cross-trainers or court shoes that are made for lateral movement. Stay away from running shoes as the heels are built up too much.

[RenegadeStorm88]

Well i used my wrestling shoes today, and they worked much better than my other shoes, actually stuck to the floor, light weight, but yeah, no shock absorbtion i think im going to get some Dr. Scholls inserts for now, later when i get my own gear ill get actual shoes

[piste off]

Originally Posted by Craig

Wrestling shoes have got to be just about the worst shoes besides heels that you can use for fencing. Never, never, ever use wrestling shoes for fencing - unless you want the knees and lower back of a retired pro football player.

You should really listen to this advice.

Rick

[TBean]

You are young and your hips, knees and back bounce back from abuse - like wearing wrestling shoes for fencing. Not so much in a few years. Be kind to your body, if you cannot afford fencing shoes yet get a decent pair of athletic shoes instead.

Trust me and my old joints on this.

[Hauptman]

There is actually an interesting school of thought that says our heavily cushioned shoes inspire bad behavior that could potentially damage us more.

There are some runners now using running shoes that very much conform to the shape of the foot with minimal padding. It requires an entirely different technique in how they run. The idea is that you now will land more correctly to spread the impact across your foot and to minimize shock in general as we would do if we didn't wear shoes at all. Our heavily cushioned shoes inspire our heavy heel first stride that can cause damage very easily.

It's an interesting concept, which sounds logical. I haven't tested it myself.

[remistress]

Hey!

When I warm up I usually use Capri warm up material pants. I don't like full-length sweat-pants as they have issues at my knees when I go en-guarde (could be because I'm a chick, and has to do with tapering at the knee). As far as shoes go...yeah I'd agree; go with Asics, if you can, for cheap shoes. I've seen the obnoxious green ones for as low as $45 once. If you don't want to get those, personally, I prefer a shoe with very little sole + inserts. I practiced in cross-trainers for like 3 years and would get wicked shin splints due to the differential between the heel sole and the toe sole (and the fact that my lunge was atrocious).

Hope this helps!

[RebelFencer]

I used wrestling shoes for the my first fencing season. I was in physical therapy for two months afterwards because the muscle underneath my right butt cheek was f'ed up. It killed to lunge, go up stairs, and just to walk in general. Took an entire summer to heal. Don't use wrestling shoes.

[RenegadeStorm88]

Ya i dropped the wrestling shoes, they were too slick on our practice floor, that and all you guys have said

[Mergs]

Originally Posted by Hauptman

There is actually an interesting school of thought that says our heavily cushioned shoes inspire bad behavior that could potentially damage us more.

There are some runners now using running shoes that very much conform to the shape of the foot with minimal padding. It requires an entirely different technique in how they run. The idea is that you now will land more correctly to spread the impact across your foot and to minimize shock in general as we would do if we didn't wear shoes at all. Our heavily cushioned shoes inspire our heavy heel first stride that can cause damage very easily.

It's an interesting concept, which sounds logical. I haven't tested it myself.

Has anyone gone back and done a study of the african marathon runners that did it barefoot and seen what the effect on knees, hips, etc. was? The problem with most runners is that their style of running is such that they actually push up and then come down on their heels (high impact) rather than minimizing the rise of their bodies during the stride, thus lowering the impact on the joints.

[Hauptman]

Originally Posted by Mergs

Has anyone gone back and done a study of the african marathon runners that did it barefoot and seen what the effect on knees, hips, etc. was? The problem with most runners is that their style of running is such that they actually push up and then come down on their heels (high impact) rather than minimizing the rise of their bodies during the stride, thus lowering the impact on the joints.

As far as I know the interest in that style came from the success of those barefoot runners, including that top Olympic female runner from Australia a few years back..... name like Zola Budd or such?

[FoilyDeath]

Can I suggest squash shoes? Cheap, cheerful, and the closest thing to fencing shoes your ever going to get. In the UK, they are the accepted budget option for fencing shoes...As for the rest, just put your breeches on. Its not that much work, or just some tracksuits if your really that lazy. LP actually sells 300N tracksuits if your that much of a lazy bum:P

[RITFencing]

Any GOOD court or tennis shoes should do you.

I wear my knickers when I fence people, get a lesson or do drills with a partner. There are plenty who don't, but I do, and everyone at my club does. For footwork and static aids (like targets) you can get away with sweatpants or shorts.