Shoes#

Shoes are one of those exceptional cases where having the right kind actually will make you a better, safer fencer. This isn’t true of most gear. A good jacket is one that fits and breathes well but it won’t score more points. Good shoes will.

The good news is that you don’t need fancy high-end shoes, just the right kind: what you’re looking for are court shoes.

Court Shoes#

Court shoes have flat, almost sticky soles. They help your foot stay where you put it. This can keep you more stable when making a lunge and give you better traction when doing weird footwork or bananas traverses. Court shoes can only do so much in the face of a slippery or dusty floor, but they’ll still be an improvement over other indoor shoes. To keep the soles clean, avoid wearing your court shoes outside where they may pick up dust and small stones.

If you’re not sure what kind of court shoes to get, the current NHF favourite are the ASICS Gel Rockets. Realistically though, any pair of court shoes you get will feel like an upgrade over other shoes. You can find these at sporting goods stores like Sportchek, or the ASICS store in the NOTL outlet mall.

Running Shoes (are not Court Shoes)#

Running shoes seem like a good default option for sports because they’re athletic, and we’re swinging swords and lunging at each other, which also sounds pretty athletic. Running shoes are meant to carry your momentum forward though. The cushion will shimmy a little bit so that when you land a running step, it’s already propelling you forward into the next step. This is the opposite of what you want when lunging.

Running shoes are not bad, and as a new fencer your technique will have a much greater impact on the effectiveness of your footwork anyway. Running shoes also eventually wear out, so if you’re not in a rush, get your reps in, run your running shoes into the ground, and then try a pair of court shoes as your next pair.