Martial Arts shoes?

Hi all, I am looking into buying an new pair of Martial Arts shoes. I have a pair of Masterline's, but they are a little too big for me and I feel wobbly balancewise in them.

I would like to hear of the pro's and Con's of shoes people have bought here. Also, I am thinking of buying online, but how the heck can you tell if it will fit correctly? I wear an American size 8 mens shoe, but my feet are wide and I am worried that if I order online the transfer to American sizes is not exactly correct. Has anyone had experiences with ordering online?

I am contemplating Fei Vue's (online) and later bushido at the year end sale my school has.

Thanks for any advice on this,
aaradia

You might want to check with Fighting Fat and Fuzzy they both have martial arts supply stores and may be able to help.

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You are not where you have been and you are not where you are going you are only here.

I prefer bare feet but my sifu wont have it hehe, oh well.

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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and good with ketchup...

The mind is like a work of art... only ment to be understood by the artist. All others can only gaze and wonder at its meaning.

I have yet to find a pair that fits perfectly. For several years I just went with the school's generic imported brand, to make them fit I would buy them one size smaller (a 40 instead of 42) and spend a week stretching them out. If I bought them in my regular size they would stretch out too big and fly right off when I threw a kick. The downside was that the front seams would eventually burst & my big toe would stick out. Also the sole had good traction on concrete but not on my school's varnished wood floor.

I tried on the expensive Discipline shoes but they are all kinds of wrong for my feet. Too narrow in the toes, not wide enough for stability.

Right now I'm in Kwons (basically re-branded Fei Yues) and they are holding together pretty well (6 months so far), plus the traction & stability are good.

Oh -- men's size 8=42 (ish). I know cause it's my size, too. And also because it's the Answer to the Ultimate Question.

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"Pain can be a great teacher of compassion and humility."~ Unkotare-san

"Whatever the case, it proves that countless disasters can be prevented by simply assuming everyone you're working with is a moron." ~ Adam Brown, 5 Tiny Mistakes...

my shoes die really quickly. I often go outside and practice on concrete, hehe the spinning moves just grind holes in my shoes.

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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and good with ketchup...

The mind is like a work of art... only ment to be understood by the artist. All others can only gaze and wonder at its meaning.

Fei's are good, but sometimes they can run small so you might want to try a 1/2-1 size up.
I personally just use Converse Allstars, same thing and costs less.

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Oh THAT'S how that works!

Fei Yues/Kwons (black is the bomb) for me. I've got 2 pair of Kwon's I've worn for a year now & life is grand. I've got 2 pair of unbranded black FY from Jonie uniforms & no problems their either.

For the price of FY, they're hard to beat

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Terrorists aren't overseas. They're at the gas pump.
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I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. -- Kung Fu-tzu (Confucius)

I'd also recommend Fei Yue... I mean, the Shaolin monks wear them.


Anyway, they're pretty comfortable for me and they hold up pretty well for most people. Eventually, they wear through, though. If I'm training hard on the asphault every day, they only last a few months, but I've known more casual students to keep them for 6-12 months when practicing twice a week both indoor and outdoor.

For $11.99, they're a pretty good deal.

P.S.
I also heard that Fei Yue initially developed these shoes for indoor soccer! But they apparently never caught on with that group and instead martial artists like the Shaolin picked them up.

I wear Fei Yue's too and like them a lot mor ethan the traditional cotton soles. They last longer and don't fly off when your kicking. Training everyday I can usually get 6 months out of apair before they are too far gone.

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"If you meet Buddha on the road, Kill him."

“	Originally Posted By: Nero my shoes die really quickly. I often go outside and practice on concrete, hehe the spinning moves just grind holes in my shoes.	”

Most of the people at my school wear kwons/Fei Yues, and the only problem we have with them is exactly that, grinding holes in the sole, especially the heel. And we train excusively indoors, on a concrete floor with a fitted carpet on it.

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You only die once. But it lasts such a long time.-French proverb

I prefer my old nike's...

no matter how bad they smell

I got some Blitz shoes from FightingFat's store and they're really good for indoor training

still....

my Nike's just make me wanna train...
no matter where I am
there are so many hours of training in them that they're conditioned for kung fu I guess

Chief108

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“	Question Authority. Question Society. Question Reality. Question Yourself. Question your conclusions, your judgments, your answers. Question this. If you question everything thoroughly enough, the truth will eventually hit you upside the head and you will know. But here’s a warning: It won’t be what you imagined. It won’t be even close.	”

all hail Martyr Fakka

“	Originally Posted By: aaradia Hi all, I am looking into buying an new pair of Martial Arts shoes. I have a pair of Masterline's, but they are a little too big for me and I feel wobbly balancewise in them. I would like to hear of the pro's and Con's of shoes people have bought here. Also, I am thinking of buying online, but how the heck can you tell if it will fit correctly? I wear an American size 8 mens shoe, but my feet are wide and I am worried that if I order online the transfer to American sizes is not exactly correct. Has anyone had experiences with ordering online? I am contemplating Fei Vue's (online) and later bushido at the year end sale my school has. Thanks for any advice on this, aaradia	”

Hi! I have Feiyue's they have nice padding in the ball of the foot and are very wide through the top. I wear about a women's 9.5 to 10. I got the size 39 and they seem about right.

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I also have a pair of shoes for training in the backyard, because except for a couple of weeks in the summer, it's just mud & weeds (or snow & mud sometimes), and I don't want to mess up the school floor with muddy, damp shoes.

So I went to the discount store and picked up a pair of no-name shoes for 7 bucks, they look & feel pretty much like standard KF shoes, except for slightly stiffer soles & a little more insole. They're made of "pleather" and rubber soles so when I'm done practicing I just hose them off and they're dry in an hour.

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"Pain can be a great teacher of compassion and humility."~ Unkotare-san

"Whatever the case, it proves that countless disasters can be prevented by simply assuming everyone you're working with is a moron." ~ Adam Brown, 5 Tiny Mistakes...

Thanks all for your advice. I ordered a pair of black FeyVue's a little larger than I normally wear, based on your advice.

I guess my current pair of masterline's are pretty well made as they are still in pretty good shape after a year of pretty heavy practice. But I want ones that fit better.

I am nervous about ordering online, because if they do not fit that will be a royal pain. Hopefully I guessed right.

My other main concern is the right traction for the mats at my school. Guess I will find out soon enough!

Oh, and I can't go barefoot because I have a noticable lack of toe flexibility and almost broke them in group class several times when I first started! (Working on the flexibility, but it is a really slow process to make toes more flexible.)

Thanks again,
aaradia

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I must not fear.Fear is the mind-killer.Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.I will face my fear.I will permit it to pass over me & through me.& when it has gone I will turn to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.Only I will remain.F.Herbert

Just wanted to say that I am REALLY happy with my Feivue's and would highly recommend them to others.

The fit is good and they are really comfortable.

The only problem is they stick just a tad too much when doing certain kick combinations where I have to spin on the ball of my feet (crescent to knife edge and crescent to rear kicks). But I think I just need to wear them down a bit.

I like them more than the shoes I paid almost three times as much for.

Thanks to all who helped me make the decision by answering this thread.

-aaradia (shoe critic)

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I must not fear.Fear is the mind-killer.Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.I will face my fear.I will permit it to pass over me & through me.& when it has gone I will turn to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.Only I will remain.F.Herbert