Kung Fu shoes don't fit

[RBshaolin]

Hi,

I recently began training but the Feiyue shoes I was using were too small. My sneakers are a size 15, Eur 50, and the Feiyue shoes were 47- the largest available. My foot fit just barely, but my toes were totally scrunched up. My Sifu thought I should try and see if they'd stretch with training. I tried, but after an hour and a half of kicking and jumping and lunging, my toes were telling me that I was doing damage and not just making them tired. I couldn't finish with the class but I'm sure I made the right decision to stop when I did. Even so, my toes still ache under the nail five days later and I have some trouble walking.

I tried martialartsmart to see if I coulld find Feiyue shoes in a larger size, but they weren't able to help.

Anyway, I wanted to know if anyone had leads on how to find or special order larger Feiyue shoes, suggestions on other good kung fu footwear for bigger feet like mine, or opinions on training barefoot.

-RBshaolin

[Shaolinlueb]

i dont know if they make them bigger. maybe special order them from tigerclaw. gene might know more.

[GeneChing]

Chinese people are smaller, in general, so when they start moving into larger sizes, for shoes and for clothes, everything comes out disproportionate. We've been trying to get bigger shoes since we supply big Americans. I've seen some samples of larger sizes, but they were messed up. It's sort of like why you can't have big bugs - they get so big that their exoskeletons are too heavy and they collapse. Only at the poles, where the gravity is funny, can you have something like an Alaskan king crab. Ok, that's not the best of analogies, and we keep bugging them for larger sizes, but until China grows a few more Yao Mings, you're better off trying another brand. :(

[SaMantis]

Hi RBShaolin,

Some of the big guys in our school wear Vans or low-rise Chuck Taylors. Basically any tennishoe with a nice wide base and low/no arch support.

A 47 will never stretch to 50 and you need those toes. Plus most CMAs won't let you train barefoot in class, so you gotta have shoes.

[Chief Fox]

I use Adidas Samba indoor soccer shoes.

[Hard Fists]

if you really want a light weight fighting shoe for kung fu, why not try wrestling shoes? I know a lot of guys that wear them because they are comparable to kung fu shoes in feel, but add a little more support. Also, I imagine that they come in a larger size range.

[RBshaolin]

Thanks for your advice everyone! I feel a lot better now. I found a brand of martial arts shoe, Discipline, that goes to a men's 15. I'm pretty sure those will work for me. We'll see. If not, it's good to know I have even more options. I'm just eager to get back to class, once my toes feel normal again.

But I feel like this was a good lesson. I didn't do a good job of listening to my body and to my gut, I was more interested in fitting in and not making trouble and making a good impression on people, and as a result I ended up injuring myself. Now my back's acting up because my balance is off, I've been walking much more on my heels! I wish I could say that didn't happen in other areas of my life, but it does. :o

Well, I'm more aware of it now than I've ever been. Pain is an excellent teacher. I will look at other things in my life to make sure they fit me as I am. :)