What do you look for in a fencing shoe?

[thereom4]

I'm looking for a pair of fencing shoes. I did a little reading and coupled with the little experience I have in fencing, I think a more lightweight shoe is the way to go. I fenced in a pair of inexpensive sneakers from Target last semester. In hindsight they probably weren't the best. They were heavy and bulky. I checked out the prices of fencing shoes/sneakers and some were rather expensive. At least to me. I've read that some fencers have used wresting shoes to fence. I am considering using jazz shoes/sneakers. I'm taking jazz now and the pair I use are very lightweight, although they don't have any arch support. If I can find a better pair this may be the way to go for me.

Any thoughts on fencing shoes? What should I look for?

[KD5MDK]

A dozen or two threads in the Armory, to start.

[Allen Evans]

I've read that some fencers have used wresting shoes to fence. I am considering using jazz shoes/sneakers. I'm taking jazz now and the pair I use are very lightweight, although they don't have any arch support. If I can find a better pair this may be the way to go for me.

Any thoughts on fencing shoes? What should I look for?

I'm going to suggest very strongly that you spend as much time listening to opinions and weighing options about shoes as you would about making, say, a choice in fencing blades.

I'm astonished that some fencers swear by a shoe that is designed for a padded wrestling mat to fence (a completely different activity) on a hard fencing surface. I've often wondered how, after they have fenced a full day, they manage to walk out to their cars. But then, most of the fencers using these shoes are very young. I think it's significant that you don't see many fencers older than 25 wearing wrestling shoes to fence in.

Using a shoe that doesn't support your arches (such as jazz shoes) in a sport with many sudden stops and starts as fencing has doesn't seem all that wise.

Fencing shoes (for the most part) do their job in supporting the foot and giving traction on the piste. Some do better than others. Some are much cheaper than others. I was an Adidas Fencing shoe user for many years, and over all, I was happy with the shoes I bought, even as I gritted my teeth and paid the price for them.

Since then, I've continued to use Adidas shoes, but I'm using their cross-trainer/running shoes (currently I'm using their Tempo model), and been very happy with them, at a significant savings in price (purchased on sale). These shoes:

• Fit me well.
• Provide good arch support.
• Have significant padding under the heal.
• Are reasonably light (though not as light as a fencing shoe).
• Can be found with a rounded heel (as opposed to a cantilevered heel, which can make lunging difficult).

Look at a lot of fencing shoes. Especially look at the bottoms, soles, and insoles of expensive fencing shoes. Then go to a reputable athletic store and find something that looks similar and will work for you. Try the shoes on in the store and do some footwork with them. Especially do some quick changes of direction and lunges. Spend some time at this. You'll know then if they'll work for you.

A little bit of effort should be able to find a decent shoe for 60-80 dollars. When you find a pair that works, go out and buy another pair immediately and set them aside. After the first pair wear out, you'll be glad you planned ahead.

Allen Evans

[LordShout]

If you're going to use wrestling shoes I would go to the store and buy a dr. scholls sport insert as well as one of their heel cups. At least one heel cup in your front foot will save you from poor lunges destroying your heel. One or two placed in the back helped me keep me heel on the ground longer during lunges.

[BAKER/the/swd/grl]

Well if your looking for inexpensive i have heard of these but i haven't tried them so don't know how they are performance wise--but they are specifically fencing shoes tho

http://shop.fencing.net/Fencing_Shoe.../afg-51007.htm

[bigdawg2121]

I look for a shoe that will support me. It must have a great sole. I absolutely need a shoe that will stick by me when things get slippery but not so much that I feel I can't move freely. I demand a shoe that's in it for the long haul. Realize that choosing a shoe is not easy; don't play any games. It's not ok to fence in other shoes and then tell them that you're saving them for when it matters. Also, it's NOT just what's on the outside that matters. Beauty is fleeting and ultimately you want a shoe with substance. Finally, I try to look for a shoe that has a strong relationship with its parent company (indicator that it will be stable and consistent) and is good in bed.

[teamusaepee]

Well the short answer is that you'll have to try different ones until you find what works best for you.

Some tips from my own experience:
Some people don't quite understand that shoes wear out much faster than you think. Of course how long it takes depends on how well your biomechanics are (i.e., a biomechanically efficent runner can get away with wearing light, almost-barefoot track shoes), how much you use them per week, how much you weigh, the quality of their construction, etc. However, once you find a pair that feels right, at the first sign of pain, aching, Achilles tendonitis, etc. you need a NEW pair. I can't even begin to tell you how many problems you will almost certainly incur down the road if you wear worn-out shoes. This really means getting a new pair at least once each season. Some of you probably balk at that, especially with these Nike/Adidas fencing shoes running over $200, but if you don't replace them regularly you take your chances. Personally I combat the cost of shoes by using non-fencing shoes that are 1-2 models old (usually I can get them over 50% off). My all-time favorite shoe was the Adidas Asymmetric, but since I can't get it the ones I use now (Adidas Stabil 6, Mizuno volleyball shoes, Asics volleyball) work just fine.

IMHO the D'Artagnans and the like (wrestling shoes, etc.) just don't have enough cushioning - up to a point, the more money you spend the more cushioning you get (and the Asymmetrics proved to me that more cushioning doesn't necessarily mean more weight). I also have tried the Leon Paul Scmitars - they were great at first, especially since I have wide feet, but something about the biomechanics of them caused me to get nasty Achilles tendonitis after only one round of pools (which went away as soon as I changed shoes), so I had to give them up after a few tournaments.

[KD5MDK]

The amount of time you spend bouncing might have an influence...

[Lady Quindecim]

I look for those wadded up pieces of paper that they stick in the toe.
I tried putting on a shoe once that still had one in there (there were two and I did not know it) and OH BOY was that a mess!
=^_^=
I also look for hearts and bunnies.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Really do look in the armory for a few million threads on shoes.


Have you ever had foot pain? Ankle pain? Knee pain? Hip pain?

As seen in the most recenct American Fencer, fencers are particularly suceptible to Planter Fasciitis. It may present as foot pain or calf pain, or both. Most things about fencing make the problem worse, but cusioning is important to prevent PF, as is a firm soled shoe. Take the toe in one hand, the heel in the other, and if you can get them significantly closer together, it's not a good shoe for PF.

If you're an exceptionally well put together person who doesn't have foot or joint pain, and you find other shoes "clunky" or "heavy", the standard fencing shoes are probably right for you-- even the budget ones, and even without putting insoles in them.

If you do have foot or joint pain, or develop it eventually, look into the "clunky" or "heavy" shoes, you'll break yourself far less, and you'll get over the "heavy" feeling pretty quickly when you can walk to the car at the end of the night.

I really do love the Stabils. I've heard good things about other court shoes. Some people swear by the higher-end fencing shoes-- most of them don't have foot problems that I know of---I could be wrong.

[seven6ty]

My foot?

[Phrogger]

Like already stated, there's probably a wealth of information in old threads. Best advice:

For a beginner, any type of athletic shoe is an adequate place to start.

As a step up, many people find court shoes to be excellent to fence in, both for stability and traction. Indoor soccer shoes with gum soles (such as Adidas' Samba) are also popular choices. Low cost is also a plus. A drawback however is the lack of a rolled heel or inside toe for lunging.

For the intermediate to advanced fencer, you might graduate to an inexpensive fencing-specific shoe such as Blade's Starfighters (my last pair), Asics Onitsuka Tigers, or Adidas En Gardes.

I've never owned a high-end pair of fencing shoes, although I'm considering the new Nike Ballestra if they come in under $200. It looks like Nike did their homework while designing it, and the construction looks fairly sturdy, though only time will tell. In general Nike running shoes fit me better than Adidas so this might be a good move for me.

I've recently changed my perspective with regards to shoes in general. Shoes are probably the most critical piece of clothing you wear on a day-to-day basis and can affect other areas of health either negatively or positively. Like the tires of a car, shoes must be appropriate for the activity and replaced at regular intervals. Poor or worn-out shoes can lead to shin splints, knee problems, and lower back pain among other things. So I'm making room in my budget for a new pair of shoes every season or so, depending on my fencing schedule. I'ts really not an excessive replacement schedule considering people who are daily runners are replacing shoes at a 3 to 6 month interval. I don't think it's realistic to expect fencing shoes to last forever.

Last note: There are good reviews in the Equipment Review section of Fencing.net. A good place to start.

[Ordway]

The right shoes are very important. Don't cheap out.

I've tried about six different types of fencing shoes starting with the old black-stripe Adidas, and including what I think were the D'Art I & IIs, and the Blade ones (not the Scimitar, but the cheaper one) and I've tried on about fifty other ones I think... Right now I fence in the Adidas En Gardes, a marvelous shoe except that it gets torn up quickly.

But that's OK, because as someone else posted, SHOES ARE CONSUMABLES. They don't last forever, nor should they be expected to. At this point if I get a season out of one pair, I'm happy.

What do I look for?

--A good rounded heel that absorbs shock well when I lunge. That's #1 especially for fencing on hard floors.

--A sufficiently spacious toe box. I discovered the hard way (by losing the nail on my big toe) that if a shoe fits in all other dimensions beautifully, but is a bit too short in the toe, you won't notice it just walking around, but the repeated impact of toe to front of shoe will damage it.

--The right fit in the heel. Apparently my heel is relatively narrow compared to the ball of my foot, so with some shoes that fit me in the front, it's too loose in the back. What's the problem with that? That I can come flying out of my back shoe in the middle of a lunge. It has happened on enough occasions that it's a problem.

--I like a flexible sole that lets me get the feel of the strip.

--Good enough traction. This wears out - another reason shoes are consumables.

--Decent protection on the roll area of the back foot, as I drag my foot in the lunge. My current favorites wear through quickly, but c'est la vie. The lunge works for me technique-wise and I'm not going to reduce the effectiveness of my lunge just to spare wear on my shoes... I'll be interested to see what the new generation shoes are like in terms of durability here though.

I also admit that I like shoes that look nice. The clean lines of the Adidas En Garde are attractive; some of the other shoes I've worn were really ugly. It's the last thing, but hey, why not?

Now, all of these things are really individual. I wouldn't have been able to tell you any of these if I hadn't tried on and fenced in a lot of different shoes. I can't tell from looking at a shoe or reading a review if it's any good. I really, really wanted to like the Blade Scimitars but they felt horrible on my feet. So I would advise that you try different shoes on if at all possible.

If you're new to competing you may not know where you can do that. Well... it's hard. I'm lucky enough to train right next to The Fencing Post's store, so I just walk next door But otherwise, the best bet is to go to a large tournament (like a NAC) where there are vendors, and try stuff on. Failing that, look at what your teammates are wearing and ask them questions. And be willing to try shoes that maybe you won't love. Pay attention to what hurts (if anything) and where, and when, and adjust accordingly.

BTW, if you do have the chance to try on shoes, make sure you are wearing what you'd wear in a tournament. For instance, I wear lace-up ankle braces on both ankles, and two pairs of socks, so I need to wear that when I'm trying a shoe on, because it feels totally different that way than if I just slip off my street shoes and try them on.

Oh, and once you know what you're looking for, it may be that a non-fencing shoe will be best. Some of my extremely talented teammates fence (at least some of the time) in what I think are running shoes, because they like them, having tried other fencing shoes. But you have to know what you want.

[telkanuru]

I look for a sign that says "Adidas Stabil" personally.

[Phrogger]

One other point that should be obvious but might not be: Shoe preferences and fits are individual. Like for a runner, some people will want more padding, some more strip feel. Some need more stability, some flexibility. I know what I like in a running shoe (light, stable, good padding), but it's not the same as what I want in a fencing shoe (light, flexible, not clunky).

It'd be cool if someone was able to make a chart that matched up foot types with known fencing shoe models like this one at Asics or "Shoe Dog" at RoadRunner Sports. It would help folks who aren't in the position to try them on first!

[academe]

One other point that should be obvious but might not be: Shoe preferences and fits are individual. Like for a runner, some people will want more padding, some more strip feel. Some need more stability, some flexibility. I know what I like in a running shoe (light, stable, good padding), but it's not the same as what I want in a fencing shoe (light, flexible, not clunky).

It'd be cool if someone was able to make a chart that matched up foot types with known fencing shoe models like this one at Asics or "Shoe Dog" at RoadRunner Sports. It would help folks who aren't in the position to try them on first!

The Asics site also has some nice animations/videos attempting to explain biomechanics. Not too bad actually.

As per putting together such a chart, what we really need to do is a fencing shoe survey along the lines of those done for runners. Might be fun to do...

[Redblade]

I look for spiders and scorpions. We were house-sitting for a friend on vacation during the summer a few years back (they had a small horse ranch), and one morning I found a scorpion in my shoe. It was very disconcerting.

Sometimes I look for my cat's toys in my shoes, especially my fencing shoes, because I leave them at the end of the bed where the cat plays.

[InFerrumVeritas]

Light indoor soccer shoes (read: not cleats! indoor soccer) were recomended to me as a cheap alternative. I have a pair that have worked out really well. If you get the ones designed to be used on hard surfaces, they have excellent traction.

Aside from fit (which should be obvious), the main three things I look for are (in this order):
Traction
Arch Support
Weight

I have Addidas Samba. They are very inexpensive, but have worked our very well for me. I find that my direction changes are much quicker due to the increased traction over the old pair of running (cross country) shoes that I had. Once I broke them in, they were very comfortable (but like all Addidas, I have found the arches initially stiff, which is good in the long run but requires a break in time). At $45, they are well worth it, at least compared to the fencing shoes that I have seen for at least twice as much.

(Mods: Could this thread please be moved to the Armory section?)

[thereom4]

Thanks to everyone who replied. You all definitely gave me some things to think about. I'll of course be scratching the whole jazz shoe idea. I take jazz and since we are dancing around alot in jazz shoes on a floor similar to the gym floor for my fencing class I figured I could try out a jazz sneaker for fencing. I was looking for a cost effective option to $200 fencing sneakers that would help me move. I will check out Adidas' fencing shoes, the general concensus seems that this is the way to go. Thanks again.

[Sabresque]

new nike shoe coming out... the adidas were the only quality option in the past.