Footwear of the Fast and Furious (or average joe)

[White_Ape]

Howdy to all my Kung Fu brethren!

Just looking for opinions, input, experience, etc.. on 'what is the best footwear you have used'

I know the general response is either "Feiyue" shoes or "whatever you wear everyday because you want to practice in what you wear otherwise it defeats the purpose...." ok.....got that part

What I am saying is, in your wonderful and experienced opinions, what shoes have you found to be useful, comfortable, and somewhat good looking everyday shoes that are functional during practice?

Its time for me to trade in my everyday raggedy @ss runners for some new shoes and I want to make sure I get a pair that are durable, somewhat stylish (though I am not terribly vain) but mostly function well (as in allow me to pivot without sticking too much, flex the toes up so I can use the ball of my foot, and still provide decent traction for kicks)
I was eyeballing those Reebok Zigs or CrossFit because the sole looks decently flexible, but I am afraid its too much traction that will kill my pivoting.


oh....please don't say "you're gonna have to try them on and see what works for you" I imagine I will at some point have to do just that, I'd like to get some feedback first and narrow it down a bit so I'm not in the shoe store Kung Fu'ing all over the place in 60 different shoes.... ya know

Thanks Everyone

[Pork Chop]

When I did kung fu, it was usually Adidas Sambas or Vans.
Lately when I train in shoes, I wear special New Balance shoes for people with fallen arches.

[mooyingmantis]

I wear $25 tennis shoes with velcro straps (no laces). I have used these for martial arts and work for decades.

[MasterKiller]

[Lucas]

Indoor soccer shoes bro. hands down the best ive ever trained with in regards to shoes you can wear in any setting basically

you can find indoor soccer shoes catered to every foot type. wide, flat, heavy arch, slim, long etc.

reinforced toes, reinforced capped heels. light weight. flexible and very sturdy and enduring.

and ive used feiyue/kwons for years, but the indoor soccer shoe is great for street wear as well.

in door soccer shoes are designed to kick, and kick hard, as well as get kicked in the heel by other players.

one of my favs is the Oitsuka Tiger Asics, comes in several models:

[White_Ape]

ooooooo.... I forgot about Vans! Those would do the trick!
Interesting Thanks

[White_Ape]

Holy Toes!!!! Those are awesome! can't imagine in the colder weather would be optimal, but still....me likes!

Indoor soccer shoes bro. hands down the best ive ever trained with in regards to shoes you can wear in any setting basically

you can find indoor soccer shoes catered to every foot type. wide, flat, heavy arch, slim, long etc.

reinforced toes, reinforced capped heels. light weight. flexible and very sturdy and enduring.

and ive used feiyue/kwons for years, but the indoor soccer shoe is great for street wear as well.

in door soccer shoes are designed to kick, and kick hard, as well as get kicked in the heel by other players.

one of my favs is the Oitsuka Tiger Asics

I will most certainly check this out, I like the idea of extra impact protection! Thanks!

[ShaolinDan]

I like the Adidas Sambas myself, though I would still prefer feiyue's if I didn't need the arch support. The samba is a little stiff and sticky, but it also holds up really well.

A guy in my school likes to use the shoes MK posted--I've never tried 'em.

[Lucas]

as far as the five finger from vibram, they come in 3 stage models as well from less protection to more. so you can get them pretty sturdy as well. im always paranoid about breaking my little toe tho lol

[SavvySavage]

Howdy to all my Kung Fu brethren!

Just looking for opinions, input, experience, etc.. on 'what is the best footwear you have used'

I know the general response is either "Feiyue" shoes or "whatever you wear everyday because you want to practice in what you wear otherwise it defeats the purpose...." ok.....got that part

What I am saying is, in your wonderful and experienced opinions, what shoes have you found to be useful, comfortable, and somewhat good looking everyday shoes that are functional during practice?

Its time for me to trade in my everyday raggedy @ss runners for some new shoes and I want to make sure I get a pair that are durable, somewhat stylish (though I am not terribly vain) but mostly function well (as in allow me to pivot without sticking too much, flex the toes up so I can use the ball of my foot, and still provide decent traction for kicks)
I was eyeballing those Reebok Zigs or CrossFit because the sole looks decently flexible, but I am afraid its too much traction that will kill my pivoting.


oh....please don't say "you're gonna have to try them on and see what works for you" I imagine I will at some point have to do just that, I'd like to get some feedback first and narrow it down a bit so I'm not in the shoe store Kung Fu'ing all over the place in 60 different shoes.... ya know

Thanks Everyone

Those funny shaolin shoes are too padded. Personally I love wrestling shoes to do everything in. It's the perfect season too because the're on sale in stores as opposed to just online and you can try them on.

I work out in them(lifting, stamina, martial arts), I walk around in them while hanging out. I like that the soles are thin. Everyone is currently getting into this barefoot craze and buying the shoes that master killer posted pics of. There are other "barefoot" shoes too without the toes. I have three pairs of vibrams(toe shoes) and guess what? They're too expensive for what they are which is essentially shoes with thin soles. It's like buying $100 pants to do yoga in or buying underarmor products to wrestle in. Way too expensive. Wrestling shoes are an affordable alternative and no one will look at you funny. Also, wrestling shoes allow your arch to stay/get strong since the sole is so thin.

Addidas makes a good pair of wrestling shoes for $45.

Now excuse me while I load up on carbs while wearing a pair of wrestling shoes.

[Lucas]

i edited and added a couple photos so you can see the basic style

[kristcaldwell]

nothing better than a semi-worn down pair of feiyues

[SavvySavage]

As a side note if you're worried about arch support, white ape. I'm completely flatfooted. No arches at all since birth. So are all my siblings. Wearing shoes with no support has led me to being able to walk around/do martial arts/run like a normal person. I don't believe in thick shoes at all unless they are snow boots.

[Old Noob]

I second both the Vibram five-fingers and wrestling shoes recommendations, though I give the edge to wrestling shoes.

[uki]

i found the 5-10 guide shoe to be the best all round martial foot wear... it's a light hiking/climbing shoe with a hard stealth rubber sole - grips at any angle, any terrain... they are marking soles and wear out fast with wear and tear(mine lasted a year doing masonry work) they are extremely lightweight for the abuse they can take... feels like a sneaker or sandal.

http://www.endless.com/dp/B002AMUMCW...2AMUMCW1892684