Shoes

[Thomas]

Hello everyone. I went to my first fencing lesson last night and loved it! But I had my running shoes on, and it didnt feel right. So im going to buy some indoor sport shoes. But the only kind I can find at the mall are tennis and basketball. So which shoe is better tennis or basketball?

[Fechter1]

Hoooo boy, here we go again...
Might as well get it started...

I've never tried either of those shoes. I went right to the fencing specific shoes from Adidas. They've served me well enough that I've stuck with the brand (for more than 10 years now). And yes, I currently use the asymmetrics, as they work for me. (Besides, I get them cheaper...)
However, fencing shoes might be too large of an investment, especially if you're just starting out. I'd say stick with the running shoes for now.
But again, that's just me. Others on this board have more experience in the shoe department, especially when it comes to non-fencing shoes.

[neevel]

Of the two, tennis shoes are better. Basketball shoes tend to have thick, tall, heavy soles to absorb the shock of landing from jumps. You don't want such a shoe for fencing (among other things, it'll make your back foot much more prone to rolling in the lunge). Tennis shoes are much closer to the sort of low-soled shoe with good lateral support that you want for fencing. If you look at a few more shoe stores, you may be able to find some indoor racquet-sport shoes (squash/badminton/racquetball), which can work very well for fencing and are usually not too pricey.

When trying shoes on, keep in mind that you'd like the shoes to fit fairly snungly.

-Dave

[veeco]

Try them on with whateverf socks you use to fence as well. Most fencing socks tend to be thicker than regular socks, so if you try them with regular socks and they fit snugly, they might not fit at all or be uncomfortable with the fencing socks, especially if you wear 2 pairs of socks to avoid blisters.

[pacer]

I was able to purchase indoor volleyball shoes on sale and they have a great gum rubber sole so there's little sliding around. (they were not on display but sure enough the store had themin stock.) I'm just breaking them in, and find the sole is a bit stiff. My son has been using the old "racing flat" style of running shoes (both puma and adidas make them). These aren't true racing flats but have the thinner sole like the old adidas roma. He likes the thinner sole much better than heavier sole the more typical running shoe has.

[Thomas]

Oh! Thanks veeco I forget all about the socks. ANd thnaks for the advice everyone. I will look hard to find racquetball shoes and if I cant I will go with tennis.

[vafencer]

While I haven't tried them myself, Paul Soter (sp?), the Men's Epee national coach suggests indoor volleyball shoes. The points he makes about them is that they have a fairly low profile (the sole isn't too thick), they don't have too much lateral support like most cross trainers, and they have a little extra cushioning which helps the heels when you lunge.

The reason he suggests the volleyball shoes over fencing shoes is that in the US, most national events are still fenced on floors not designed for fencing, and usually made of concrete. Resultantly, the fencing shoes don't supply enough cushioning for a long day of lunging.

[dégage]

So true. Definitely not enough cushioning. I'm out for a week now due to a shin problem. This has been bothering me all season (and at one point caused me to fence on one foot). If my shoes had better padding I wouldn't have ended up with this.

[Thomas]

Hope you feel better. Fencing on one foot though?

[swordsen]

Heel cups. Whatever shoes you wear get and use heel cups. Especially on the front foot.

[achilleus]

Originally posted by swordsen
Heel cups. Whatever shoes you wear get and use heel cups. Especially on the front foot.

Heel cups are great for the cushioning on the lunge, but the older style fencing shoes lack overall cushioning and support. If you are going to wear those things, get good insoles.

[labouche]

Originally posted by achilleus
Heel cups are great for the cushioning on the lunge, but the older style fencing shoes lack overall cushioning and support. If you are going to wear those things, get good insoles.

I hear you! I made the mistake of getting cheap fencing shoes and even with heel cups I still bruise my heels everytime I do a hard lunge. I noticed that Uhlmann sells heel cups specifically for fencing that look like they have quite a lot of cushioning so I'm probably going to get those along with a better shoe.
-la bouche

[barticus]

I'm working on my 4th beginner class. My club suggests indoor soccer shoes. Not sure how these differ from indoor volleyball shoes though.

[labouche]

I havn't liked the look of indoor socker shoes because it looks like you wouldn't feel the floor enough. The same goes for volleyball shoes. I personally think a good pair of fencing shoes is the way to go.
-la bouche

[The0ne]

go with the fencing shoes. . . the cheap ones cost about the same as cheap tennis, indoor soccer, or squash shoes, and you get a good feel for the floor in them, that's like the most important thing for me. But get heel-cups, without a doubt they are essential for fencing in!

[achilleus]

Originally posted by barticus
I'm working on my 4th beginner class. My club suggests indoor soccer shoes. Not sure how these differ from indoor volleyball shoes though.

Indoor soccer shoes are lighter and lower.
Volleyball shoes have more cushion and support.

I used to believe that feeling the floor was essential, until I noticed how many of the top fencers (epee and some foil) fenced in court shoes.

I then decided that if they could use court shoes, I could. My foot, knee, and back pain disappeared. I could fence longer, had more energy late in bouts, and better traction on wood floors. I also saved a lot of money by buying last year's top of the line shoes. My volleyball shoes were discounted from $80 to $20, and last anywhere from 7-9 months (a little longer than my adidas fencing shoes were lasting).

It really is a preference thing. Do you prefer low to the ground? Support? Cushion? Durability?

[JAySE SUiCiDE]

for all around comfort, i find the li ning shoes to be best..i'll admit i only had BG Victory's before that, but my coach wears them and said they're more comfortable (for him atleast) than any of the adidas shoes hes worn..

though yes, heel cups are essential.

~Jes

edit: you can find them at www.thefencingpost.com and Amfencing