Shoes with ankle support?

[Telemakhos]

I fence sabre and I've been doing so for 4 years now, using various non-fencing shoes like new balance shoes and nike free running shoes, which have worked out alright for me, but lately my nikes have made me prone to rolling my ankle and it's knocked me out of commission twice since january. Now, I'm looking for some real fencing shoes, preferably ones with ankle support. Any suggestions?

[Fencergrl]

I've used Li Ning fencing Boot as seen here: http://www.fleche.ca/html/Uniforms/Clothing_Shoes.html

You might also look into the various ankle supports around either instead of /in addition to the hi-tops.

[erooMynohtnA]

Rather than getting a high top fencing shoe, I would get a low top with a seperate ankle brace.

If you're looking for something to make rolling your back foot less likely, I would suggest the LP Scimitars. (If you have wide feet.)

[JayhawkPawn]

Are the Scimitars really that much wider than the blades? I've -finally- broken in the blades, and they only hurt a moderate amount when walking about, and fine fencing. I don't have particularly wide feet, and I love my D'artagnan II's.

It must be a cold day in hell, I'm asking positive questions about LP stuff, and I thanked Alex. Satan is having a bad week.

[Fencergrl]

I have wide feet and find Scimitars comfy. I don't know how they compare to Blades however.

[erooMynohtnA]

Originally Posted by JayhawkPawn

Are the Scimitars really that much wider than the blades? I've -finally- broken in the blades, and they only hurt a moderate amount when walking about, and fine fencing. I don't have particularly wide feet, and I love my D'artagnan II's.

It must be a cold day in hell, I'm asking positive questions about LP stuff, and I thanked Alex. Satan is having a bad week.

I don't know if Scimitars are wider than Blades, but they're pretty wide, especially compared to Adidas fencing shoes.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Originally Posted by Telemakhos

I fence sabre and I've been doing so for 4 years now, using various non-fencing shoes like new balance shoes and nike free running shoes, which have worked out alright for me, but lately my nikes have made me prone to rolling my ankle and it's knocked me out of commission twice since january. Now, I'm looking for some real fencing shoes, preferably ones with ankle support. Any suggestions?

I rolled my ankles plenty with fencing shoes, and then got custom made orthotics. Depending on the cause of your ankle problems, fencing shoes might be great, or might be no help at all-- for me, court shoes (stabils, in my case) are much better than fencing shoes.

In any case, if you get ankle support and shoes separately, you can mix, match, and find what works well. Hi-tops...... don't tend to have good reputations.

Unless you're my cousin, who is still deeply stuck in the '80's.........

[Craig]

If you get hi top shoes, you're training your ankle to get weaker.

Get into some rehab for the ankle and perform specific exercises to strengthen the ankle and make it more stable. Then, if you are fencing a long day and the ankle starts to feel fatigued, put on an ankle brace for the rest of the day.

As a fencer who has badly sprained ankles multiple times, I can tell you that things started to improve once I followed some good sports med advice and spent more time doing rehab exercises focused on making my ankle more stable.

Craig

[Fencergrl]

Originally Posted by Craig

If you get hi top shoes, you're training your ankle to get weaker.

Get into some rehab for the ankle and perform specific exercises to strengthen the ankle and make it more stable. Then, if you are fencing a long day and the ankle starts to feel fatigued, put on an ankle brace for the rest of the day.

As a fencer who has badly sprained ankles multiple times, I can tell you that things started to improve once I followed some good sports med advice and spent more time doing rehab exercises focused on making my ankle more stable.

Craig

I agree and disagree with this.
Yes, Hi-tops alone, are not the answer, but they can help to support the ankle from re-injuring during uncontrolled activities such as fencing and walking on uneven ground. That's why hikers have ankle support on their boots.

If your theory was correct then hikers, skiers, ice-skaters etc.. would all have very week ankles. They have high boots for support in their sport. Someone with an injury may need that support at times as well, until their ankles are stronger.

The key is making the ankle stronger is not relying on the support of the shoe but on making the ankle itself strong again. So doing strengthening exercises was great advice. Sports medicine doctors or sports rehab clinics are the best place to go to get on the right track here.