About Choosing Martial Arts Shoes
In the world of martial arts, it is true that
the profound essence lies in the power of mind which leads to the uppermost
unity and union of soul and body through both internal and external practice. In
every sense of the word, Chinese martial art is a complicated blend of diverse
cultural patterns, though. And first and foremost, such strenuous sport, either
as a mental and physical exercise for longevity or a competitive form, is an
art of attack and defense comprised of a variety of difficult and dangerous
actions and movements.
Now that the
spiritual achievement is grounded on physical practice, we can’t attach too
much importance to the process of body building, during which adequate
equipment matters. Either a tyro or a master will well arm himself. That’s the
key to effective trainings or successful performances. Accordingly a pair of
Kung fu shoes is a must.
Martial Arts Shoes marke
Though Chinese
martial arts have been there for ages, in the past centuries rarely did people
have any idea about brands or pay attention to those differences. Even today,
due to the limitations of martial arts market, not every footwear company
manufactures kung fu shoes. Since the Kung fu storm swept throughout the world,
more and more sports companies have grabbed at the business opportunity with
the climbing heat of martial arts.
In China
Not that wide
though, there’s still a range of selection. Then comes a new question: how to
choose a proper pair of martial arts shoes? We might as well make a decision
from the following perspectives.
Reference points:
Lightness
Heavy shoes, in
any case, will be a burden to your movements. When it comes to a fight, smart
movements and agile action which call for light sneakers, are recipe for a
defeat.
Grip
Standing
stationary as if your feet are clung to the ground is one of the basic skills
in martial arts, which all kung fu monks or other learners have to repeatedly
practice year after year by all means. It’s the reflection of one’s level. Of
course, it depends not only on how hard you have trained but also on what you
wear. An awesome grip really matters for it’ll help lay a firm foundation and
naturally a succession of movements are sure to follow smoothly.
Comfort
Comfort
usually comes as the priority in terms of footwear choice. A perfect pair of
martial arts shoes should be a close fit to your feet. Neither a tight nor a
loose one can meet the demands of martial arts training.
Flexibility
Flexibility is
another principle by which a pair of kung fu shoes are judged. With sufficient
volume of training or playing, sneakers without flexible soles break easily. Most
kung fu shoes are rubber padded and Feiyue martial arts shoes are particularly featured
durability and robustness.
Full
flexibility calls for low uppers as well. The original martial arts shoes stick
to the rules and remain well-accepted worldwide. Uppers of low top will not restrain
any type of actions. Since there’re quite a few such skills as twisting, your
ankle is free to move.
Softness
The supple nature of canvas is another check
of comfort. The manufacturers must have racked their mind to work out the
preferable choice. Hardly can we bear the rub or squeeze of hard uppers in
everyday existence, let alone in strenuous sports.
Anti-skid
On account of
the special characteristics and functions of attack and defense, Kung fu shoes
make tremendously high demands on skid-resistance of the sole.
Currently,
special materials attached to modern manufacturing techniques make it possible
to dispose of the slipping issue.
Shock absorption
Martial arts
are usually composed of a series of skills and tricks, which includes such intense
movements as kicking and stamping, or the routine is performed through successive
jumps. Therefore, shock absorption must be taken into serious consideration in
selecting shoe materials to guarantee a moderate landing and feet protection.
Slap
This might be
a secondary requirement to other qualities. A sound slap, however a necessary
part of martial arts, will definitely jazz up a kung fu performance or
professionally reflect the martial art momentum.
Through
repeated experiments, leather uppers are proved to work much better in this
connection than canvas does, and the former adds the weigh. The anti-skip soles
with shallow grooves also outperform those with deep grooves. Another
contradiction comes up between the effect of slip-resistance and sounds.
A sound slap
or light and non-slip shoes? The traditional kung fu shoes from Feiyue or
Warrior with canvas lace-up top and deeply grooved soles best promise the
safety of players. And those made by international brands are more likely to
attract you with nice sound effect. But attractive stunts take costs. Anyway it’s
a matter of choice up to yourself.
Material
Martial arts
shoes, according to different materials, can be divided into two categories.
Canvas martial arts shoes
Most martial
art athletes wear the traditional canvas-top rubbers, which are still widely
used in formal martial arts games. Feiyue martial arts shoes are typically
light, flexible, comfortable, robust and skid resistance. Furthermore, with
padded yet grooved soles, they are clearly second to none as far as safety is
concerned.
WARRIOR and
DOUBLE STAR are potential competitors against FEIYUE. Though of similar looks,
DOUBLE STAR shoes, preferred by beginners, pale beside FEIYUE for the sake of flexibility,
skid resistance and shock absorption.
Leather martial arts shoes
Honestly
speaking, leather martial arts shoes are not that common and the functions are
limited. Usually they are produced by small sized companies for special use,
for example, Taichi performance. Only those possessing a rounded grasp of the
market needs will work on this business. Leather sneakers are a bit much
different from the traditional. They are obviously thicker and heavier, and may
not reach martial artists’ demands but quite good choice for outdoor activities
for their durability.
Some new
products of LINING, ADIDAS, NIKE and ASICS are also made of leather or added
rubber. They are, clearly, smart designed, doing well in light, breathability,
comfort and skid resistance like most of their other footwear on the store, and
commonly favored especially for trend followers as casual shoes more than a
pair of trainers for martial arts.
Price
Compared to
the high price of LINING, NIKE, ADIDAS, the double digits of the traditional
canvas sneakers are a real bargain.
Bargains are always
adorable for most customers in condition that quality is guaranteed, accounting
for the wide popularity of canvas sneakers like FEIYUE Martial Arts Shoes. On
the contrary, kung fu shoes of international brand name like LINING or NIKE are
probably a luxury for plain monks or other kung fu learners. Perhaps that’s
another reason why Feiyue Shoes dominate China
Conclusion
In martial
arts market, FEIYUE and WARRIOR may be the pioneer to produce professional kung
fu shoes.
To tell you
the truth, sometimes kung fu or just film fans, even the amateur prefer the
traditional ones which are also combined with contemporary elements in
minimalist style. The point is that they look cooler, or something more like
that kind. You see most martial artists wear Feiyue Kung fu shoes. They are the
idols who take the lead. An estimated 80 percent of kung fu monks in China
