How to Buy a Pair of Wrestling Shoes: What You Need to Know
We will discuss several things you need to know if you are buying wrestling shoes for the first time or if it has been a while since you purchased shoes. You will find out more about Youth vs Adult sizes, Wide Width Shoes, Proper Sizing, Setting a Budget, Color Selection, and Split Sole vs Uni-sole shoes.
YOUTH SIZES VS ADULT SIZES
The market for wrestling shoes is small for youth size shoes (under a men’s 5.0). Therefore the color selection and options are fairly limited until you hit around a size 5.0. For example, adidas offers 2 colors and Asics offers 4 colors to choose from. Recently adidas and Asics have made some of their top wrestling shoes at available starting at a size 4.0.
Once your wrestler reaches a size 5.0, you now have access to shoes in all sorts of colors and designs with prices ranging from about $45 to $130. We often get comments from customers that we do not offer a wide variety of youth wrestling shoes; we currently offer every youth wrestling shoe available from adidas, Asics, and Matman.
WIDE WIDTH SHOES
“Do wrestling shoes come in wide widths?” This is our most common question regarding wrestling shoes. Just as the size of the market limits your selection in youth wrestling shoes, no one offers wide width wrestling shoes. This being said, we find adidas shoes are cut wider than other manufacturers. I have a wide foot with a high in step and find adidas works well for me now. We can make this recommendation based on feedback from our customers as well.
Even though we find adidas works well with wide feet, several wrestlers swear Asics fit their wide foot the best. Keep in mind every foot is different so it is best to shop with a company like WrestlingGear.Com that offers a sizing guarantee. We ship back and forth to you at our cost if you have a sizing issue.
PROPER SIZING
Normally adding a half size to adidas and Asics shoes works pretty well. Each wrestler likes to have his or her shoes fit differently, but this is a good rule of thumb. Some wrestlers like their shoes so tight that blood will have a hard time flowing to their feet. Generally, I like to see the width of a thumb at the toe to allow for both comfort and a little growth.
If you have a wide foot, we recommend adding at least a half size or even a full size in some circumstances to your normal gym shoe size.
The common error we see in cases that we have a sizing issue is customers do not start with their wrestler's normal gym shoe size. They "think" it is a size 9.5 and it really is a 10.5. The key is to find your wrestlers most recent pair of gym shoes and use that to purchase your wrestling shoes.
Another mistake is using a wrestling shoe made by different manufacturers to size your shoes. For example, you shouldn’t use a pair of Asics to size a Matman shoe. Each manufacturer's shoes fit differently, even within the same brand. WrestlingGear.Com makes sizing recommendations based on customer's feedback. For example, each shoe has information on its web page whether we recommend adding a half size or even a full size to the normal gym shoe size.
SETTING A BUDGET - YOUTH AND ADULT SIZES
For youth sizes, your budget range will be much narrower than the range for an adult shoe. For example, a pair of youth wrestling shoes will run about $33 to $44 depending on which brand you choose. The adult price range is much wider, from $36 to $130.
What do you get for the more expensive shoes? I think you get a little more stylish shoe, better material usually more leather than nylon, lighter material, better sole, and a better lace guard mechanism.
COLOR SELECTION
Most often color is the second determinant after budget for what shoes a customer buys. Once you decide on your budget, you will be limited in your color options. For the most part entry level and intermediate level shoes come in the standard freestyle colors: red, royal blue, and— of course—black. Black is most often carried by most retail stores that are general sporting goods stores and often times you will have to shop with a catalog company to buy the red and the royal blue shoes. Sporting goods stores usually stop at the intermediate level shoe, so if you want an elite shoe you will almost certainly have to find a catalog or internet-based store to shop with.
SPLIT SOLE OR UNI-SOLE
Many wrestlers have strong feelings about split sole or uni-sole for the bottom of their shoe. Usually whatever type of shoes you have when you start wrestling is what type you tend to stay with. Asics shoes are all uni-sole and adidas shoes are all split soles; at least this is the case with the current year models. So if you have to have either one of these types of soles, the brand you shop with is already decided.
SUMMARY
We tried to discuss some of the different options you have when buying wrestling shoes. Often times the two most important factors in buying shoes are your budget and what color you want. After you decide this your options will be significantly reduced and you can focus on the split sole vs. uni-sole decision, if you like the lace guard mechanism or not, and the size you are looking to purchase.
Drop us a note via our contact form to let us know what you thought of the article. We tried to write something that would help a new wrestler and parents figure out what wrestling shoes to purchase.
Jeffrey Pape
Owner/President
WrestlingGear.Com, Ltd.
