Traction and shock absorption in the heal area specifically are great.
__________________ I now dangle to the left....my tassle. Get your minds out of the gutter.
"Martin was not an optimist; he was a prisoner of hope." Optimism is about assuming there's evidence that justifies your outlook while hope is about creating the evidence and procuring your own happiness or vision of the world. - Professor West
All of the fencers (besides a couple of the fencers on the epee squad) have either slipped or fallen with the ballestras. Anyone who practices on FIE/FIE-like metal strips probably haven't faced this problem, but for those who have the misfortune of practicing on any surface that is somewhat slick, well, you know. That being said, the promotional pairs Nike sent us are no longer actively used, just to give you a clue. (The average fencer on the team practices approximately 16-20 hours a week, we run up, down, around, up, under the strips and we have all returned to our old, beaten-up shoes.)
Would it be possible for fencing.net to mention to Nike that the UNC team is largely unhappy with this?
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I agree with Bigdawg that the shock absorption in the heel is excellent, and to be fair the UNC fencing floor is pretty dang slippery. I've slipped on it many times in my normal (admittedly crappy and cheap) fencing shoes, and I've seen people slipping in the nike's.
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All of the fencers (besides a couple of the fencers on the epee squad) have either slipped or fallen with the ballestras. Anyone who practices on FIE/FIE-like metal strips probably haven't faced this problem, but for those who have the misfortune of practicing on any surface that is somewhat slick, well, you know. That being said, the promotional pairs Nike sent us are no longer actively used, just to give you a clue. (The average fencer on the team practices approximately 16-20 hours a week, we run up, down, around, up, under the strips and we have all returned to our old, beaten-up shoes.)
Would it be possible for fencing.net to mention to Nike that the UNC team is largely unhappy with this?
Oddly, I find this to be rather out of line with the thoughts that I've heard. Even our #1 shoe destroyer has reported only occasional slippage on our floor and has stated "I can't make them slip even when I try" on any sort of metal strip regardless of how old or slippery. Also, I'm interested in your definition of active use? If by no longer actively used you mean only used daily in practice by one or two people and still used for competitions on weekends then yes. They are rather dormant by that definition.
NB: That neither I nor the other guy notorious for wrecking all things shoe like with great alacrity fence epee (at least not actively).
Also note that my personal definition of actively is the normal one.
__________________ I now dangle to the left....my tassle. Get your minds out of the gutter.
"Martin was not an optimist; he was a prisoner of hope." Optimism is about assuming there's evidence that justifies your outlook while hope is about creating the evidence and procuring your own happiness or vision of the world. - Professor West
Last edited by bigdawg2121; 01-31-2008 at 01:24 AM..
All of the fencers (besides a couple of the fencers on the epee squad) have either slipped or fallen with the ballestras. Anyone who practices on FIE/FIE-like metal strips probably haven't faced this problem, but for those who have the misfortune of practicing on any surface that is somewhat slick, well, you know. That being said, the promotional pairs Nike sent us are no longer actively used, just to give you a clue. (The average fencer on the team practices approximately 16-20 hours a week, we run up, down, around, up, under the strips and we have all returned to our old, beaten-up shoes.)
Would it be possible for fencing.net to mention to Nike that the UNC team is largely unhappy with this?
Do you wear your shoes for the entire session including whatever warm up exercises you do? By the sounds of it you were using these to run in. This may just be an issue of personal taste here but never run or do anything in fencing shoes that isn't fencing.
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Would it be possible for fencing.net to mention to Nike that the UNC team is largely unhappy with this?
Actually, you (through your Nike rep) can pass on the information directly to Nike. I don't know who on your team (most likely a coach) deals with Nike, but you should (along with others that have concerns) be specific about your concerns and communicate them with to Nike through your rep.
Also, the outsoles are not going to have as good a grip on really slick wooden floors. It might be you have to train in one pair of shoes and compete in the Nike's (if you like them over other shoes) if your floor is too slick.
Maybe as Craig tests his shoes on different floors he can provide feedback on his findings?
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Seriously you're reading too much into that last post. The shoes have only shown occasional tendency to slip on the outsoles and the rounded edge of the toe and only that on our relatively slippery floor. After testing on almost every other type of fencing surface commonly encountered from gyms to metal strips we can't make them slip on most things. In fact they're too "sticky" on newer metal strips if anything. I'm not sure Squall has even actually tested the shoe but only one person that has expressed any issues and that was admittedly due to a tendency to fence on the edge of the back toe. Everyone else likes them both pairs are still in daily use at practice and every weekend at NCAA meets. Still no signs of wear and the coaches love them. I doubt our Nike rep will hear much outside of pricing negotiations.
__________________ I now dangle to the left....my tassle. Get your minds out of the gutter.
"Martin was not an optimist; he was a prisoner of hope." Optimism is about assuming there's evidence that justifies your outlook while hope is about creating the evidence and procuring your own happiness or vision of the world. - Professor West
Also, no one I'm aware of knows anything about any hitops. They'll probably make some but there aren't any prototypes to the best of my knowledge.
__________________ I now dangle to the left....my tassle. Get your minds out of the gutter.
"Martin was not an optimist; he was a prisoner of hope." Optimism is about assuming there's evidence that justifies your outlook while hope is about creating the evidence and procuring your own happiness or vision of the world. - Professor West
When I asked at the fencing.net booth at Atlanta, they told me no high tops were planned, but at the same time, the shoes on the first post of this thread ( http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery...54&image_id=25 ) look awfully like a high top version of the ballestras to me.
When I asked at the fencing.net booth at Atlanta, they told me no high tops were planned, but at the same time, the shoes on the first post of this thread ( http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery...54&image_id=25 ) look awfully like a high top version of the ballestras to me.
If you look closely you'll see that it is not a high top shoe but a shoe with a mcdavid style ankle brace.
FatFencer - No hitops planned. I don't know why you'd want hitops for fencing anyway - all you do is lose some mobility and "train" your ankle to get weaker. If you're concerned about ankle stability, then invest in a stability trainer and do some intense rehab-type exercises instead.
Craig, these shoes have been hyped sufficiently that I would chase down someone wearing them and chew their legs off to get them.
Still, is there any chance you can post some pictures of your demo pair? There are only about five good pictures of these shoes on the whole internets.
If you look closely you'll see that it is not a high top shoe but a shoe with a mcdavid style ankle brace.
FatFencer - No hitops planned. I don't know why you'd want hitops for fencing anyway - all you do is lose some mobility and "train" your ankle to get weaker. If you're concerned about ankle stability, then invest in a stability trainer and do some intense rehab-type exercises instead.
Craig
Craig, there was a time I would have disagreed with you about this but you are correct. When we FINALLY got decent coaching in Arizona, at least in the Phoenix Metro, foot work changed dramatically. My coach really stresses moving from the ankles and taking small steps which is completely different from before. As such my steps were certainly bigger and more general sports movement than something as specific and refined as a fencing step. A nice benefit to smaller step is my shin splints, which were the plague of my first 2 years of fencing have long gone away.
Good eyes on the photo...I didn't catch that at all, and really an ankle brace is a better but as you say, temporary, solution.
I guess the reason I like hi-tops is less function nowadays and more looks. There's just more canvas for the shoe to display cool design.
Ooooh.... I just realized the other night that a girl in my fencing club has these shoes. They're uber light, and she hasn't had any complaints about slippage on our Sometimes slippery gym floors...
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I'm not sure if this means anything other than Nike is really big and not everyone knows everything, but I asked about the Ballestra on Nike.com and they said it was never going to be released to the public. They answered my email saying they were being made for olympic athletes only.
I'm not sure if this means anything other than Nike is really big and not everyone knows everything, but I asked about the Ballestra on Nike.com and they said it was never going to be released to the public. They answered my email saying they were being made for olympic athletes only.
That person was incorrect. The Ballestra will be released to the general public with a scheduled release date of the start of the Olympics (08/08/08) on Nike.com.
There will be one or two color schemes available with other color combos created for specific teams or individuals.
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