Footware Question

[DustyHuber]

I know that most people feel that wearing period footware would be best for training purposes, but are there any modern substitutes that would work?

I was thinking something along the lines of Aasics wrestling shoes, they have a thin sole and are quite lightwieght. They also provide good ankle coverage.

I've also heard mention of using Kung-Fu slippers.

[Jay Vail]

I know that most people feel that wearing period footware would be best for training purposes, but are there any modern substitutes that would work?

I was thinking something along the lines of Aasics wrestling shoes, they have a thin sole and are quite lightwieght. They also provide good ankle coverage.

I've also heard mention of using Kung-Fu slippers.

An old pair of retired running shoes is good enough.

[Jon Wolfe]

I wear football cleats, since the cross-training shoes I used to wear would slide too easily on the grass were I train. Hey, the Romans used to put small nails through the legonairy's sandals, so there's enough historical prescidence for my needs.

[Will Adamson]

Indoor soccer shoes

[Matthew_Anderson]

I really like wrestling shoes, they are perfect for fencing footwork IMO. Really, any lightweight, flat-soled, flexible shoe with little or no heel works fine. Most running shoes have a big, thick heel area that I find gets in the way sometimes.

[Randall Pleasant]

Dusty

One thing to keep in mind is that if you are traning on an indoor floor you don't want something to sticks too much because you will start to feel it in your knees. In other words, your shoes should allow you to easily turn on the balls of your feet.

[Shane Smith]

I favor flat-soled wrestling or martial arts shoes. I feel that thin, flat soles are a real benefit.

[Gene Tausk]

I favor flat-soled wrestling or martial arts shoes. I feel that thin, flat soles are a real benefit.

Agree with Matt, Shane and anyone else who recommended wrestling shoes. IMHO, their is nothing better.

Cannot vouch the same for TKD shoes and martial art shoes. In my experience, they do not last nearly as long as wrestling shoes which means more trips to the shoe store and more $$$ spent.

[Will Adamson]

TKD shoes are cheap, overpriced, and plain out not worth it. Wrestling shoes are much easier to come by in big sporting goods stores.

[Brent Lambell]

I think the wrestling shoes are the best idea so far. Get a good name brand that will hold up to the demands of WMA though. Dont go cheap, you often get what you pay for.

If you are looking for a shoe with more structure, a cross trainer might work well. I have been looking desperately for a pair of light cross trainers with some decent tread for training on grass, but with no luck.

They are pricey, but Nike is putting out a line called Free Trainers that have peaked my curiosity. Light, flexible and with a good tread, but the price tag is $75 or more. They are also supposed to train the muscles and tendons in your foot, which in theory would be a great assett to fencers who need quick feet.

[Jeffrey Hull]

Yeah, I think that wrestling shoes work fine indoors, and that socccer cleats work fine outdoors.

[Shane Smith]

Yeah, I think that wrestling shoes work fine indoors, and that socccer cleats work fine outdoors.

I'm not sure what you mean by "soccer" cleats, but if they have large spikes or lugs on them for digging into the turf, I highly disagree that they are a good thing.

[Jon Wolfe]

How would cleats, spikes that dig into the turf to provide better traction, not be a good thing in an area where it would be needed? The shoes I use are American Football cleats, not soccer cleats, just to be specific. I don't know how much of a difference there would be between the two but, I've never done anything in soccer cleats so, I can't really comment on how they perform. I found the cleats to be much better than the cross-trainers that I used to wear, on the grass and dry leaves.

[Matthew_Anderson]

How would cleats, spikes that dig into the turf to provide better traction, not be a good thing in an area where it would be needed? The shoes I use are American Football cleats, not soccer cleats, just to be specific. I don't know how much of a difference there would be between the two but, I've never done anything in soccer cleats so, I can't really comment on how they perform. I found the cleats to be much better than the cross-trainers that I used to wear, on the grass and dry leaves.

I would think it would inhibit your ability to perform some fencing footwork, such as pivoting on the balls of your feet, or sliding your foot across the ground slightly. Also, cleats usually have a pretty stiff sole, which will also make it harder to perfom subtle movements and maintain proper contact with the ground while striking and moving. I've never worn cleats for fencing but find I have a harder time fencing in any stiff type of shoe, such as work boots. Flat, thin-soled, flexible shoes are best IMO. If traction outdoors is really a problem on anything but the slipperest surfaces such as wet grass, you may be overdoing your footwork. I find that if I endevour to always keep my feet under me, and maintain a strong, stable stance without over-extending, I rarely have any traction problems, even with my relatively slick-soled wrestling shoes. When I get a little out of control, letting my feet get too far apart , or overeaching, that's when I find myself slipping or having "traction" problems. Just my $.02, your experience may be completely different of course.

[Randall Pleasant]

Let us not forget that we sometimes step on each other feet, often on purpose. Thus, cleats would not endear us to our sparring partners.