The adidas fencing shoes SUCK

[achilleus]

Originally posted by wpotere
Ach,

Posting your sources and changing your opinion on time length of running shoes leads me to believe that you are not fully against the shoes, just opinionated.

Part fact, part opinion. I didn't change my opinionon the durability of running shoes. It was a typo. Shoes from any company aren't made to last longer than 9 months. That comment was in direct response to PKT mentioning that people will save money using the assyms. They aren't designed to last long and save the consumer money.

Originally posted by wpotere

As I stated, it really is your choice. You found comfort and support in volleyball shoes and if that is what works for you then great. A company will only dump interest in a shoe if there is a large interest in them. That is why basketball, volleyball and tennis shoes get better every year. Fencing shoes probably don't generate the interest that the company needs to dump the amount of time necessary to compile more than one or two types of fencing shoe. So, we have to look elsewhere to get a shoe that works for us. There is nothing wrong with your choice or that of a person wearing Adidas.

I agree and have stated this several times.

Originally posted by wpotere

The original post stated that Adidas fencing shoes suck. That is the statement that I disagree with. This person has no backing to his statement and only made a vicious attack without out anything supporting him/her.

I just started fencing and I am still experimenting with different equipment. I choose Adidas for two reasons.

1. I have dealt with them and know the product quality via TKD.
2. I was in Germany and went directly to Uhlmann to get a great deal on them.

After trying them on and hitting the strip for a spell I really felt a difference in my agility to move my feet quicker. With fencing I also feel a bit confined by wearing shoes as TKD we are usually bare foot. So, a shoe that feels light and like nothing is on my foot works better for me. I was in tennis shoes and just couldn't move like I knew that I could.

Thank you for your opinion. I never thought of using volleyball shoes and may give them a look in the future.

The thing to keep in mind is that the assymetrics pose long term issues. They may feel great in the short term, but the people who have strained their achilles tendon and have issues with the knees develop them over long term use. When I first started i wore the older style Adidas fencing shoes for two years. Loved 'em, couldn't fence in anything else for the mobility reasons you mention. At the same time, I was ignoring the little pains that slowly built up. I was always wearing knee braces, complaining of sore feet, and and a sore back. I switched to tennis shoes. My mobility suffered at first until I got used to the shoe, and lo and behold the aches and pains disappeared. No more knee braces, no more sore feet and my mobility picked up, especially late in tournaments since I wasn't aching.

The assymetrical shoe with the back cant isn't a sound idea. Take it to any podiatrist. It may be great for speed in the lunge, but it doesn't provide enough support to the ankle, and will but extra strain on the achilles tendon. You can't walk in those shoes, run, fleche or bounce(epee), because it's just not good for the ankle.


Glad the shoes work for you though.

[JEC]

Insoles:
Proper orthotics will add or substract some cant to the insole. They have improved my balance and prevented to some extent rolling on the first lunge.
Soles:
I have used my asymmetric shoes with custom orthotic insoles for over 2 years with 1-2 weekly fencing on cement. The shoes are in excelent shape and have not major areas of wear. They are quite durable compared to other shoes. I find the asymmetric shoes superior to other tennis shoes for fencing on that surface.
My knees (frequent visitors know about my knee aches and operations) will complain if I use other tennis shoes. Obviously, I prefer to fence in a different surface, but it is not an option at the present time.
Lacing:
One problem that I have found and reported earlier in an OLD THREAD is that the eyelet of the backfoot shoe is just a perforated hole in the leather that can easily rip apart. A significant improvement for this shoe is to reinforce this eyelet.
Protection:
- The toes of the frontfoot are not well protected against hard epee hits. I previously had suggested to reinforce the tip of the shoe to prevent a black toenail (subungueal hematomas). This is a problem with all fencing shoes.
- Ankle support is minimal but lateral roll is better than other shoes.
Value:
Good value because of durability despite its high price.

[danp]

> The assymetrical shoe with the back cant
>isn't a sound idea. Take it to any podiatrist.

The two podiatrists I presented them to thought they were brilliant, and have no issues with their use in the context of fencing. For the lunging action, it makes total sense.. It gives a nice platform to push off of and takes the pressure off of areas that caused plantar fasciitis, especially so if your foot pronates.

Again, it's all a matter of personal taste and the strength and weaknesses of an individual. It's fair to call them an unsound idea for you, but not in general.

In the end, what the heck to I care, I don't have stock in Adidas... As long as I can still buy them it all good.

[pkt]

So it seems that we have a majority opinion here: most people including some medical professionals, JEC included, tend to think that the asyms are better than anything else Ach and epeeinur's opinions notwithstanding.

PK

[JEC]

I do not believe my opinion has any additional weight in this topic, other than being a fencer who uses them. Shoes are personal items, and feet come in all sizes (in all three dimensions). Another problem that I can forsee with the Asymmetrics is that they have only one width, but I am not certain about this. May be a vendor can confirm this. The Adidas shoes might suck for a given person, but clearly, a large group (might be a majority in the USA) of elite fencers use them.

[Peach]

I like the asymmetrics myself--in them I wear custom orthotics my podiatrist made for fencing (more thickness in the arch, since I have a high arch that flattens easily). In tournaments, they improve my "strip feel" underfoot and make my footwork lighter and more precise. I've heard people complain about the width, but though I have wide feet they fit me fine. I've tried other shoes (including court shoes, wrestling shoes, and various and sundry other pieces of footwear) over the course of the years, but none of them really did what I needed. What I want from fencing shoes is not to have to think about them.

If it comes down to it, though, I can fence in running shoes and it doesn't make all that much difference. Seriously. I do that if I'm having excessive knee, hip, or ankle pain, because those shoes provide an outrageous amount of cushioning, and they don't cause me any problems at all.

[Capt. Slo-mo]

Originally posted by JEC
I do not believe my opinion has any additional weight in this topic, other than being a fencer who uses them.

You'd be surprised how much weight you pull around these parts, Doc!

One thing we have noticed...larger fencers tend to blow through the asymmetric shoes much faster than smaller, lighter fencers. Also, tell me if any of you have had this problem:

One of our fencers keeps developing a large, fibrous bump on the top of the arch of the rear foot. It becomes painful as it enlarges. If they cut a small donut of closed cell foam padding and place it between the laces and the tongue...the problem goes away fairly quickly. This has happened with 2 of the last 3 pairs of asymmetric shoes.
Any ideas?

[achilleus]

Originally posted by danp
> The assymetrical shoe with the back cant
>isn't a sound idea. Take it to any podiatrist.

The two podiatrists I presented them to thought they were brilliant, and have no issues with their use in the context of fencing. For the lunging action, it makes total sense.. It gives a nice platform to push off of and takes the pressure off of areas that caused plantar fasciitis, especially so if your foot pronates.

The podiatrists (1 in the Bay Area) i've taken them to have said that they are great for lunging. Not for anything else. Certainly not walking, or running. The cant minimizes the motions to lunge and recover therby making the lunge quicker, no argument from me there. But most fencers don't fence perpetually lunging. If you use a lot of prepatory footwork or bouncing combined with fleches, limke many epee fencers do the back foot cant becomes less than useful and much more harmful since it doesn't provide proper support for the other actions.

Originally posted by danp Again, it's all a matter of personal taste and the strength and weaknesses of an individual. It's fair to call them an unsound idea for you, but not in general.

I agree that is a matter of personal taste. People on this board should realize, however, that they are not 'the perfect shoe', that most of the top competitors don't use them (take that for anything you want it to mean), that they are not intended to save you money, and that although they have more research done on the shoe than previous fencing shoes, it isn't extensive or complete research.