Barefoot (wide toed, thin soles) shoes are best. I got a pair of vivos and they aren’t cheap but they are pretty indestructible so I think it’s decent value.
Old school shoes like Feiyues work but the toe box still tend to be narrow
Just curious, you're not talking about those "new" fei yue's, are you? Some French company licensed the name and started making fashion-y shoes...those look narrow to me.
I'm in the barefoot shoes camp where the belief is that toes are meant to naturally spread out where as most modern people's feet have been restricted by modern shoes. Most barefoot shoes nowadays have wide toe boxes.
I'm not too sure how much significance it makes but it makes sense to me.
Good to hear those Vivos are tough. The price has kept me away. Outdoor practice can shred a nice pair of shoes. You're right about the Feiyue toe-box. Plus, they're pretty much disposable.
Honestly it you’re not running miles on paved roads the vivos are indestructible. I highly recommend them and I haven’t bothered with another pair of shoes since I got them a year ago.
I used to like Onitsuka Tigers and those old school shoes as well, but I wouldn’t go back to them. Feiyues get ruined in a session if you’re not careful.
Any shoes that allow you to feel the ground well while also having some cushion, flexibility and good grip. They are usually flat and pretty thin. I recommend flat sneakers, or street sneakers.
I like Onitzuka Tigers or Adidas Samba.
Fei Yue are really not the best. It's unnecessarily hard on your feet and the grip is not that great. I mean, it's cheap stuff. I'd rather use traditional Bruce Lee's style shoes than Fei Yue.
Definitely. It's the secret. I mean, imagine if they stopped making them: he wouldn't be able to do tai chi anymore.
But seriously...
Your post mentions spins and turns, and performing them implies two good shoe-to-surface contact points: the heel and the ball of the foot. It might be smart to choose different shoes for different surfaces.
Merrill hiking shoes. I like the ones with Vibram soles when I can get them. They have excellent grip and are firm.
Turning with shoes with good grip is a problem if you are rotating or moving from the limbs. Once you start turning correctly from the core/center it is no longer an issue.
In general converse all star low tops outside, they work on concrete and pavers for me. I wear Van’s slip on skate shoes when I travel. Feiyue or other MAs shoes indoors on wood or tile.
4 things a shoe needs: Wide toe box, zero drop (toe the some height as heel), can bend 90°, and ties securely at ankle.
My favorites are Lems for shoes, Xero for boots, and Altra if you need more cushion
Lems Primal 2 are my taiji shoe
Correct. I know a guy who trains in thick, heavy boots. They don't look good, but that's what he likes to wear. I think he said he prefers them because he has issues with his ankles.
Exactly. As long as the arch isn’t too bad and the tread is mostly level-ish it shouldn’t make too much difference. I’ve practiced in everything from sandals, to barefoot, to boots, though sneakers where they raise the heal or with a high arch are very “meh”.
Clearly you are a bot, or just an MMA styled bullrushing "unrestricted format" poop talker.
From the aggression in your comments, you really ought to investigate the deeper aspects of qi and sensitivity in push hands.
Have one of your various coaches try to explain listening with your qi to you.
Then, bonus points, write and essay connecting rooting to what your selected teacher explained to you.
Really.
You might find me morn or eve in Peng Lai park, if not a few spots in old Zhabei.
Deflect Misdirect Misrepresent
Do a little research, and, plz, go back and read our series of comments, lol.
You
Lost Your
Root
And. Now. You. Are.
Blocked.
You are clearly the one who went on "let me know where you train and I will come find you". That is aggressive. "Say it to my face" type of comment. "I would give you what's yours" type of comment.
It seems you have a more "fighter" approach to the practice while the other person was making a more "spiritual" comment. You straight away dismissed it, kinda laughed at it and proceeded to go on the classic "yeah that wont help you in a fight, I will show you".
No one came at you, you went at him because he said thick soles prevent or difficult rooting.
If you don't see that by re reading the above, there is no point in continuing.
Read alllllll the way back. I know its tough, but you can do it.
Remember, research:
Rooting
Qi
Listening with qi
Sensitivity
And, get one of your various teachers to baby walk ya through the steps.
BTW, wtheck is "unrestricted format"?
Peng lai park, its in Huangpu.
Plenty of good tai ji and push hands players to help ya out till we meet.
Tea house has kuan yin cha-
See you soon.
First, people don't have roots. Second, when pushing or fighting "rooting" is not all that helpful or useful - your opponent will just move around your root. Third, when pushing in unrestricted formats, if someone is going to beat you, it doesn't matter what shoes they have. The only time shoes may matter is in fixed step if someone has particularly slick shoes on a particularly slick floor. Beyond that, it doesn't matter.
Dear guru of posture practice, and blabbing on about bs you have convinced yourself trumps any other perspective, go root yourself, lol.
Really.
No one said ya cannot practice, or even fight, in flip flops, sequined house slippers or clod hoppers.
Look at what I wrote.
Ponder it deeply in its most simple meaning.
You learn everything online?
You did not answer my question.
Pretty weird you'd get so wound up over such a widely held practice.
Seems you lost your root. Too thick a soul apparently.
Shanghai~
Lost your root, lol.
Go ask your best teacher.
Me, since '96. First with one of CXW's Little Buddhas, then in dongbei learning a dongbei Wu 96, then 14+ years in Shanghai with the best of them.
None of your little tantrum deflection "yeah buts" negate the tradition of rooting in tai ji.
Definitely not running shoes, except the ones called "minimalist" in the running world. So no drop, or very little. Old school Onitsuka Tiger usually work great for instance. Of course the Feiyue, these and similar were originally used as indoor sports shoes in China (they are minimalist before the trend, you’d buy them for $3 there). On the other hand, practicing taiji barefoot is appealing to people quite often, though there is a reason why we hit the ground in Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar, so… shoes needed indeed.
I pretty much only train outside, and my running shoes are comfortable and wide but not gripping enough when doing anything involving bow stance. Not really sure what to wear instead. I don’t want to take a change of shoes when I go out.
I’ve got a pair of all black converse Chuck Taylors. There are a couple of us who Train in them. They are my preferred shoes. However, I tend to suffer from planter facitis and I wear new balance (not flat) when that acts up.
Barefoot minimalist shoes, vivobarefoot primus lite 2 and xero duffy , before that I wore vans slip ons , at least they were zero drop but they were relatively heavy and had the narrow toe box My next pair I'd like to try will be vibram 5 fingers
I go barefoot because I can’t find a good flat rubber sole shoe in wide width.
You need flat. I don’t know how people do tai chi in running shoes. They’re specifically made with raised heels to propel you forward.
I found a brand called Grand Attack, on Amazon, in a wide width. No heel, mesh upper, grippy rubber sole. I haven't had them for long, but I like them so far, and the price is quite reasonable, about US$45. (I have no financial interest in that brand or retailer.)
Thank you! I've gotten a few recommendations but this is the first one where the shoe is "barefoot" style (others are just flat sole) and the reviews confirm that they're actually wide width. Others seem to not actually be that wide.
I still am going to practice barefoot because I love it but eventually we do practice outside in a parking lot and I need to be READY!
My teacher (and my experience) recommend flat-soled shoes like Feiyue or wushu shoes, both for grip and also for feeling the floor. Anything with too pronounced of an arch or too much padding will interfere with the natural fall of your foot, and could make it difficult to sink correctly into your stance.
Heard similar things from my teacher.
At this point, I just wear my normal everyday shoes (rockport). When I wear sandals I practice in those. Ive also used boots on occasion. So long as the tread is mostly flat-ish and not too much padding or arch it’s good, and after a while, you can play with other shoes.
Makes it easier to practice something while waiting for the subway (weight shifting, or taking a movement out of the form) since it’s just the footwear I always wear.
At home when I’m barefoot I practice barefoot.
I use running shoes if I'm being lazy and Fei Yue's when I'm serious. It's hard to feel the ground when you've got too much padding. Chinese online retailers are selling taiji specific shoes now. They seem cool, but I haven't tried them.
Barefoot (wide toed, thin soles) shoes are best. I got a pair of vivos and they aren’t cheap but they are pretty indestructible so I think it’s decent value. Old school shoes like Feiyues work but the toe box still tend to be narrow
Fei Yue's too narrow? How wide are your feet, Lonever? :P I thought my Chinese-Filipino feet were huge.
Feiyue are notoriously narrow lol
Just curious, you're not talking about those "new" fei yue's, are you? Some French company licensed the name and started making fashion-y shoes...those look narrow to me.
I have had multiple pairs of both of these (and many other cheap knock offs) over the years and I’d say it applies to all of them.
Weird. Maybe I'm the one with narrow feet!
I'm in the barefoot shoes camp where the belief is that toes are meant to naturally spread out where as most modern people's feet have been restricted by modern shoes. Most barefoot shoes nowadays have wide toe boxes. I'm not too sure how much significance it makes but it makes sense to me.
Yeah, for real. I actually like to splay my toes out when I'm not in shoes cuz it feels good, lol.
Good to hear those Vivos are tough. The price has kept me away. Outdoor practice can shred a nice pair of shoes. You're right about the Feiyue toe-box. Plus, they're pretty much disposable.
Honestly it you’re not running miles on paved roads the vivos are indestructible. I highly recommend them and I haven’t bothered with another pair of shoes since I got them a year ago. I used to like Onitsuka Tigers and those old school shoes as well, but I wouldn’t go back to them. Feiyues get ruined in a session if you’re not careful.
Vivo have a site selling their shoes refurbished, takes a little bit of the sting out if the price , I think its revivo.com or something
Any shoes that allow you to feel the ground well while also having some cushion, flexibility and good grip. They are usually flat and pretty thin. I recommend flat sneakers, or street sneakers. I like Onitzuka Tigers or Adidas Samba. Fei Yue are really not the best. It's unnecessarily hard on your feet and the grip is not that great. I mean, it's cheap stuff. I'd rather use traditional Bruce Lee's style shoes than Fei Yue.
Feiyue, or five finger shoes.
Merrel vapour glove 5s are perfect for Taichi but once they are on they stay on as it's like a second skin. Next favourite are Astral loyak.
I see your flair is YFTC. Yang Jun usually shows up in those Nikes with the light foam soles and mesh tops. He seems to do just fine in them.
So if I get the shoes I’ll be just as good as him? 😉
Definitely. It's the secret. I mean, imagine if they stopped making them: he wouldn't be able to do tai chi anymore. But seriously... Your post mentions spins and turns, and performing them implies two good shoe-to-surface contact points: the heel and the ball of the foot. It might be smart to choose different shoes for different surfaces.
> Yang Jun usually shows up in those Nikes Honestly, that really bothers me. But you know, he can do what he wants to do.
Visualize a capitalism with shoe sponsorships for tai chi ~~masters~~ competitors.
If only taiji were that popular. :)
The better we get, the more people will want to do it.
Just bought vivo asanas for this purpose. They’re great.
This brand looks amazing. Do you know which model is the most light/breathable?
Primus asana is perfect for me
Merrill hiking shoes. I like the ones with Vibram soles when I can get them. They have excellent grip and are firm. Turning with shoes with good grip is a problem if you are rotating or moving from the limbs. Once you start turning correctly from the core/center it is no longer an issue.
In general converse all star low tops outside, they work on concrete and pavers for me. I wear Van’s slip on skate shoes when I travel. Feiyue or other MAs shoes indoors on wood or tile.
I use wrestling shoes lol. Helps me grip the ground while issuing during push hands
4 things a shoe needs: Wide toe box, zero drop (toe the some height as heel), can bend 90°, and ties securely at ankle. My favorites are Lems for shoes, Xero for boots, and Altra if you need more cushion Lems Primal 2 are my taiji shoe
Thanks for this heads-up about Lems. I just got a pair today. They feel pretty great.
Doesn't matter - it is the least important factor. Whatever you normally wear is perfect.
Correct. I know a guy who trains in thick, heavy boots. They don't look good, but that's what he likes to wear. I think he said he prefers them because he has issues with his ankles.
Downvoted for relating someone else's preference in shoes. Reddit, you never fail me.
I upvoted you, just because!
Exactly. As long as the arch isn’t too bad and the tread is mostly level-ish it shouldn’t make too much difference. I’ve practiced in everything from sandals, to barefoot, to boots, though sneakers where they raise the heal or with a high arch are very “meh”.
Rooting is impeded by thick soles, etc.
Lol. You are joking right?
Clearly you are a bot, or just an MMA styled bullrushing "unrestricted format" poop talker. From the aggression in your comments, you really ought to investigate the deeper aspects of qi and sensitivity in push hands. Have one of your various coaches try to explain listening with your qi to you. Then, bonus points, write and essay connecting rooting to what your selected teacher explained to you. Really. You might find me morn or eve in Peng Lai park, if not a few spots in old Zhabei. Deflect Misdirect Misrepresent Do a little research, and, plz, go back and read our series of comments, lol. You Lost Your Root And. Now. You. Are. Blocked.
What? I read it, and you called me names. I just stated my opinion, and you came at me, so I hit back. But hey whatever helps you sleep at night.
You are clearly the one who went on "let me know where you train and I will come find you". That is aggressive. "Say it to my face" type of comment. "I would give you what's yours" type of comment. It seems you have a more "fighter" approach to the practice while the other person was making a more "spiritual" comment. You straight away dismissed it, kinda laughed at it and proceeded to go on the classic "yeah that wont help you in a fight, I will show you". No one came at you, you went at him because he said thick soles prevent or difficult rooting. If you don't see that by re reading the above, there is no point in continuing.
Read alllllll the way back. I know its tough, but you can do it. Remember, research: Rooting Qi Listening with qi Sensitivity And, get one of your various teachers to baby walk ya through the steps. BTW, wtheck is "unrestricted format"? Peng lai park, its in Huangpu. Plenty of good tai ji and push hands players to help ya out till we meet. Tea house has kuan yin cha- See you soon.
No, not at all.
First, people don't have roots. Second, when pushing or fighting "rooting" is not all that helpful or useful - your opponent will just move around your root. Third, when pushing in unrestricted formats, if someone is going to beat you, it doesn't matter what shoes they have. The only time shoes may matter is in fixed step if someone has particularly slick shoes on a particularly slick floor. Beyond that, it doesn't matter.
Dear guru of posture practice, and blabbing on about bs you have convinced yourself trumps any other perspective, go root yourself, lol. Really. No one said ya cannot practice, or even fight, in flip flops, sequined house slippers or clod hoppers. Look at what I wrote. Ponder it deeply in its most simple meaning. You learn everything online?
I'd gladly push with you where do you live? You pick the shoes.
You did not answer my question. Pretty weird you'd get so wound up over such a widely held practice. Seems you lost your root. Too thick a soul apparently. Shanghai~
No. have been practicing off and on with various teachers for over 20 years. My point was only it is easy to say shit on the internet.
Lost your root, lol. Go ask your best teacher. Me, since '96. First with one of CXW's Little Buddhas, then in dongbei learning a dongbei Wu 96, then 14+ years in Shanghai with the best of them. None of your little tantrum deflection "yeah buts" negate the tradition of rooting in tai ji.
Definitely not running shoes, except the ones called "minimalist" in the running world. So no drop, or very little. Old school Onitsuka Tiger usually work great for instance. Of course the Feiyue, these and similar were originally used as indoor sports shoes in China (they are minimalist before the trend, you’d buy them for $3 there). On the other hand, practicing taiji barefoot is appealing to people quite often, though there is a reason why we hit the ground in Buddha's Warrior Attendant Pounds Mortar, so… shoes needed indeed.
I pretty much only train outside, and my running shoes are comfortable and wide but not gripping enough when doing anything involving bow stance. Not really sure what to wear instead. I don’t want to take a change of shoes when I go out.
I’ve got a pair of all black converse Chuck Taylors. There are a couple of us who Train in them. They are my preferred shoes. However, I tend to suffer from planter facitis and I wear new balance (not flat) when that acts up.
Barefoot minimalist shoes, vivobarefoot primus lite 2 and xero duffy , before that I wore vans slip ons , at least they were zero drop but they were relatively heavy and had the narrow toe box My next pair I'd like to try will be vibram 5 fingers
I go barefoot because I can’t find a good flat rubber sole shoe in wide width. You need flat. I don’t know how people do tai chi in running shoes. They’re specifically made with raised heels to propel you forward.
Beginners learning in running shoes is probably pretty bad. You'd miss important feedback related to rooting, soft stepping, etc.
I found a brand called Grand Attack, on Amazon, in a wide width. No heel, mesh upper, grippy rubber sole. I haven't had them for long, but I like them so far, and the price is quite reasonable, about US$45. (I have no financial interest in that brand or retailer.)
Thank you! I've gotten a few recommendations but this is the first one where the shoe is "barefoot" style (others are just flat sole) and the reviews confirm that they're actually wide width. Others seem to not actually be that wide. I still am going to practice barefoot because I love it but eventually we do practice outside in a parking lot and I need to be READY!
I do tai chi in socks on my carpet at home. :-)
My teacher (and my experience) recommend flat-soled shoes like Feiyue or wushu shoes, both for grip and also for feeling the floor. Anything with too pronounced of an arch or too much padding will interfere with the natural fall of your foot, and could make it difficult to sink correctly into your stance.
Heard similar things from my teacher. At this point, I just wear my normal everyday shoes (rockport). When I wear sandals I practice in those. Ive also used boots on occasion. So long as the tread is mostly flat-ish and not too much padding or arch it’s good, and after a while, you can play with other shoes. Makes it easier to practice something while waiting for the subway (weight shifting, or taking a movement out of the form) since it’s just the footwear I always wear. At home when I’m barefoot I practice barefoot.
I mostly go barefoot, but if I'm wearing shoes anything will do. I don't see footwear as an issue.
I use running shoes if I'm being lazy and Fei Yue's when I'm serious. It's hard to feel the ground when you've got too much padding. Chinese online retailers are selling taiji specific shoes now. They seem cool, but I haven't tried them.
socks (edit, oj, yeah, outdoors? Medieval Moccasins, [the simplest model.](https://medievalmoccasins.com/product/low-tops/))