Shoes

[Yeti]

A similar thread was started in the General MA section, but I thought I would revive it in the CMA forum section as well...

For those of you who train with shoes, what type of shoe works best for you and/or your art? Do you wear martial arts specific shoes (Discipline, Otomix, etc.), wrestling shoes or plain ole cross trainers?

Having recently started in CLF, I'm wearing a cross trainer as are many of the students in the class. They provide a bit more stability, allow for freedom of movement on the wood floor (won't stick on a pivot) and won't fall apart with all the bag work we do. How 'bout you?

[East Winds]

yeti,

Shoes are problematic for me, at least as a taijiquan practitioner. Most trainers have a high back which poses problems when we do "Push Down/Snake Creeps Down) as the high back inhibits movement in the front ankle. Most MA shoes have narrow insteps whereas the ideal taiji shoe should have a broad instep. I have a pair of shoes that are falling to bits but it is so difficult to find a replacement. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

yeti,

Shoes are problematic for me, at least as a taijiquan practitioner. Most trainers have a high back which poses problems when we do "Push Down/Snake Creeps Down) as the high back inhibits movement in the front ankle. Most MA shoes have narrow insteps whereas the ideal taiji shoe should have a broad instep. I have a pair of shoes that are falling to bits but it is so difficult to find a replacement. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I found this on a website for a shoe store chain here in the US. I'm sure that if it looks good to you that you might find it in the UK.

http://www.payless.com/Images/beauty/049178_beauty.gifhttp://www.payless.com/Images/thumbsq/049178_thumbsq.gifhttp://www.payless.com/Images/sole/049178_sole.gif

[Yeti]

yeti,

Shoes are problematic for me, at least as a taijiquan practitioner. Most trainers have a high back which poses problems when we do "Push Down/Snake Creeps Down) as the high back inhibits movement in the front ankle. Most MA shoes have narrow insteps whereas the ideal taiji shoe should have a broad instep. I have a pair of shoes that are falling to bits but it is so difficult to find a replacement. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

East Winds, check out Discipline shoes. They make a shoe with good ankle support but that has a large cut-out on the back along your achilles so it won't restrict movement of the foot. That might help you. Their website is http://www.disciplinefootwear.com/

[Jade Tigress]

I wear shoes in class. At my other school I trained barefoot, but at my current school we all wear shoes. I really love the shoes I train in. They are comfortable, light, and durable. You can find them here (http://www.shaolinbrand.com/u414.html). Below is a pic.

[Flying Crane]

Newbalance Cross trainers.

[kidswarrior]

East Winds, check out Discipline shoes. They make a shoe with good ankle support but that has a large cut-out on the back along your achilles so it won't restrict movement of the foot. That might help you. Their website is http://www.disciplinefootwear.com/

Discipline gets my vote, too. After two decades of teaching/crowd control, I now have flat feet (and always had such high arches!), so wear these with an extra insert.

[clfsean]

I hate Discipline. They hurt my feet.

I wear Tiger Claw leather shoes
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/martialartsmart_1945_15063478


and I used to wear Feiyue. The only problem with Feiyue is when inside on hardwood they stick hard when new & then slide like socks when worn out. The ups for Feiyue is the price.

My sifu wears Adidas Kundo shoes which are listed on the Adidas website as indoor trainers.

[Drac]

I have a pair of Otomix shoes that are real comfortable..Most of the time I train in the Police boots that I wear when on duty..The Otomix shoes are always carried in case a school I'm visiting doesn't allow boots on the mat..

[Xue Sheng]

New balance

However if anyone can point me in the direction of a company that makes a good MA shoe that comes in size 14EEE I would be willing to give them a try.

[kidswarrior]

New balance

However if anyone can point me in the direction of a company that makes a good MA shoe that comes in size 14EEE I would be willing to give them a try.
I have the same problem with width, which is part of the reason I like Discipline so much--they don't specify width, but have plenty of mesh combined with leather so with a little patience, they conform well to my feet. They used to make very large sizes (15+, I think). You'd have to check on that, tho--it's a small co. These are all high tops, also, so don't know with your arts if that's what you want (do have a low back V notch). Very confortable, and plenty of support.

[Xue Sheng]

I have the same problem with width, which is part of the reason I like Discipline so much--they don't specify width, but have plenty of mesh combined with leather so with a little patience, they conform well to my feet. They used to make very large sizes (15+, I think). You'd have to check on that, tho--it's a small co. These are all high tops, also, so don't know with your arts if that's what you want (do have a low back V notch). Very confortable, and plenty of support.

Thanks, actually I just sent them an e-mail about it and I am waiting for a response. As to what I train, Taiji, Xingyi, Sanda.

[East Winds]

Thanks for the input guys (and girls), some of these look good and I will investigate to see if they might be available here in the UK. Failing that it might involve a long awaited trip to to the US. http://martialtalk.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif

Very best wishes

[kidswarrior]

Thanks, actually I just sent them an e-mail about it and I am waiting for a response. As to what I train, Taiji, Xingyi, Sanda.

You're welcome! Hope it works out.

Finally checked out what Sanda is--awesome. Didn't realize it was San Shou (is that right?). The real deal. :asian:

[Xue Sheng]

You're welcome! Hope it works out.

Finally checked out what Sanda is--awesome. Didn't realize it was San Shou (is that right?). The real deal. :asian:

Sanda is Sanshou, sanda is just the older name. However there are 2 different versions, sports and police/military

[kidswarrior]

Sanda is Sanshou, sanda is just the older name. However there are 2 different versions, sports and police/military

The sport is Cung-Le famous, right? The police/military version I've seen articles about. Pretty hard core stuff. :ultracool

[Xue Sheng]

The sport is Cung-Le famous, right? The police/military version I've seen articles about. Pretty hard core stuff. :ultracool

Correct on both counts.