How to Choose perfect Parkour Shoes?
Have you ever wondered what kind of shoes are suitable for parkour? Choosing shoes for a certain type of sport can be a difficult task, as it requires certain characteristics that it must possess, and only an expert can tell you about them. Choosing parkour shoes is a little difficult, so here we list eight conditions that should be taken into account next time so that you can choose an option.
What are Parkour Shoes?
They are a pair of skate shoes that have been found to be great for parkour training. The sole is made entirely of rubber and wraps around the bottom of the shoe to ensure it stays put. The entire shoe is very light and flexible for maximum control but has very little cushioning to protect against rough impacts.
Have you ever wondered what kind of shoes are suitable for parkour? Choosing shoes for a certain type of sport can be a difficult task, as it requires certain characteristics that it must possess, and only an expert can tell you about them. Choosing parkour shoes is a little difficult, so here we list eight conditions that should be taken into account next time so that you can choose an option.
What is Parkour?
Parkour (French: [paʁkuʁ]) is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called tracers) attempt to reach point A as quickly and efficiently as possible without equipment and often by calisthenics tactics.
Parkour is an extreme sport, so you should wear shoes that allow you to run faster, better stand-up shocks, and absorb shocks. Also, the shoes should be durable and of high quality.
The 4 most important aspects of looking at how to choose parkour shoes (in order of importance):
1 Traction (aka Grip):
2. Felt and cushion
3. Durability
4. The Style:
The most important aspect of parkour shoes is grip, also known as traction.
1 Traction (aka Grip):
So what gives the shoes an excellent grip?
There are three amazing things:
а) Rubber soles
For shoes, go to any shoe store and feel the soles of different shoes. The material itself will feel sticky on some shoes and less sticky on others. This is due to the fact that these soles are made of different rubber mixtures. You will understand it when you feel it – the stickier the rubber, the better the grip. Take a look at the background.
b) The sole design of the shoe.
The tread design of the shoe also plays an important role in the traction/grip of the shoe! In the early 2010s, it was generally believed in the world of parkour that the more grippy the surface of the shoe, the more friction the wearer would get. This caused some shoes to become almost completely flat at the bottom. Since then, this belief has evolved to value a good commercial design, but keep in mind that the concept still exists and is still important. Every good parkour shoe has a large grip surface and/or some form of deliberate tread design. And likewise, if a shoe has a very small surface area, pointy sides (you’ll see this in hiking boots), or plastic components in the sole, avoid them like the plague.
C)The elasticity of the shoe.
Shoe flexibility is a category of its own, so we’ll keep this explanation very simple. A shoe that doesn’t flex will not be able to fully utilize the traction potential of its rubber compound and tread design (more on that in a bit).
2. Felt and cushion
Once you’ve found a shoe with incredible traction, next on your list is a shoe with an incredible feel and cushion. A cushion or cushion is fairly straight – that’s what feels soft and comfortable. The term “feel” in parkour shoes refers to how sensitive the ground is under your feet. The more you can “feel the ground” the more “feel” the shoe has. Does it make sense?
But here’s the thing – not every parkour athlete or freerunner agrees on the feel of the proper cushion or shoe. Some of it comes down to skill and some comes down to style. This is because feeling is always at odds with cushioning and movement/training style often informs the need for both.
At the end of the day, you have to choose what you like and what works for you, just keep in mind that these two concepts work together and are different from each other. The most important thing is to choose parkour shoes that feel comfortable and supportive. By the time you’ve done that you’ve picked the right pair, and you can adjust to your next pair.
3. Durability of parkour shoes
The third aspect you need to consider when buying a pair of parkour shoes is durability. Parkour is one of the most, if not the most, serious sports when it comes to the footwear demands of athletes. No other sport has so many different levels and the daily impact of practicing this sport. So make sure to choose shoes that can last.
A brief history piece: A common, common problem in the early days of parkour shoes was shoe noses. Tracers found that all brands of shoes were highly susceptible to wear under the nose. For some reason, all the tracing and precision seemed to cause it. This is why many parkour shoes either have designs that wrap around the toes or have found ways to strengthen this part of the shoe with additional glue or other measures.
One thing is for sure, the best way to know how durable a parkour shoe is. You’ll know very quickly if it stands the test of time, and some are clearly better than others.
4. The Style:
Although the style is completely objective, one thing to consider is color. Your parkour shoes will most likely get dirty, so finding a white pair of shoes is probably not ideal. Dark-colored materials are probably best for maintaining any kind of long-term style. Fittingly, black is the current color in the parkour world for shoes designed and worn by tracers and free runners. But some trail runners and free runners train in light-colored shoes, and that’s fine too! This may not be such a big deal, especially if you always train in parkour gyms instead of outdoors.
Result:
There are many other subtle aspects of parkour shoes that we could get into, but these thoughts are more on parkour shoe design than picking the right parkour shoes, and to be honest, there are still many parkour shoes in the world. Are not. Looking at these aspects. Suffice it to say, there are a handful of amazing parkour shoes out there, and at the end of the day there is no right or wrong parkour shoe. There’s only one shoe you feel good about training in and one shoe you don’t feel confident training in. Take our advice as just that – advice – and then find the shoes that resonate with you. Whatever you choose, the most important thing is to get out there and start moving.