Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

I finally got a pair of feiyue shoes off Amazon. $14.99 plus shipping. These are midway between the old black cloth gongfu shoes with the thin hard reddish soles, and something like a Converse Chuck Taylor. They are very light yet the soles somehow manage to be cushy, even springy. It looks like the tread pattern would bind on turns but somehow it doesn't. Very comfortable on my feet. You may want to consider these. Quite inexpensive and well made for a light rubber and canvas shoe.

Jerry,
Cool!
I've been looking for something like these for a while now.
Apparently I was looking in the wrong place!
I used to wear the old, hard bottomed cloth shoes for a long, long time. I'm not very comfortable doing forms in tennis shoes after such a long time working in the others.
This should be a very good in between.
And since I live in Amazon's back yard, I should get them quite quickly.

Thanks.
Bob

Does anyone have any ideas about rubber soles being less desirable during Tai Chi? My teacher used to mention that he felt that rubber gave the sensation of blocking energy versus leather or cloth bottom shoes. I tend to agree with this as I experience a very different sensation while wearing rubber shoes which is unpleasant.

It makes sense when you think about it as rubber is used to insulate, i.e. block, energy flow in many other contexts... any experiences with this?

I do notice that most rubber shoes build up moisture, so it's best to change socks a lot. It's good to have a few pairs of these once you figure out the right size so you can swap them out to dry. They are rapidly becoming a favorite because of how free and light my feet feel in them after wearing most other shoes.

I tried these shoes a while ago--maybe after they were mentioned on the famous "shoe thread"?

Anyhow, I thought the soles were odd--they were sort of U-shaped, making me feel (even more) unstable. That is, the sole hit the ground under the center line of the foot, leaving the edges still a quarter inch off the ground. That was definitely springy, but not (for me) in a good way.

At the moment, I like the similarly low-tech Baiky badminton shoes. As usual, "results may vary"! Otherwise, we could buy our way along the road to "mastering" the art, which wouldn't be any fun, now would it?

Here are the Baiky shoes. Haven't tried them yet.

Does anyone have any idea of a company that makes taiji shoes that fit size 14 USA

Greetings,

I ordered a pair of the Feiyue shoes over a month ago. They were delayed, and only arrived yesterday. Also, I had ordered size 42, and even after a direct phone call confirming that I was willing to wait for size 42, when they arrived they were size 43. Oh well. Anyway, they are comfortable and light. I’m finding the combination of the curved contour of the sole and the cushioned insole make it a bit challenging to plant the foot soundly. That may me a good thing in the long run, as I really have to concentrate on rooting through the lateral centerline of my feet.

--Louis

I happened to get 43, and the size works well for me. I usually take 9 1/2. At first the sole contour throws you a curve, doesn't it? Then it starts to feel kind of cushy and good. I suspect the curvature makes it easier to do spins - the sole doesn't bind. These are favored by Shaolin types, I suspect because you can roll around the outside edge of the foot (and strike with edge of foot) and come off the foot at different angles. The footwork in Yang style doesn't really call for that but somehow they work pretty well for taiji. They are also very nice for wearing around the house on a cold day.

[This message has been edited by JerryKarin (edited 02-09-2008).]

Jerry, I bought a pair of the black canvas ones just as in the photo a couple of years ago and they were too small. I would suggest that anyone thinking of investing in a pair should buy them one size larger than their normal size, as they are definitely made on the small side. Although I obviously study T'ai Chi the traditional way with a significant martial arts emphasis, I have to say I now practise in bare feet anyway, which probably makes me look a bit like a practitioner of the hippy or 'tree-hugging' school of T'ai Chi! It's much more difficult than practising in flat shoes, and in my opinion is very good for further discipline in balance. However, it was only after years of practising the form in flat shoes that I dared to practise in bare feet. Now I'm really beginning to hate wearing any kind of shoes for practise, but I'm sure that the Feiyue shoes are a good bet, particularly if ordered a size larger. Another thing, though, is that if you've got broad feet like mine, they are rather narrow and pinch somewhat. Kind regards, Simon.

I just ordered a pair and they definitely run a size too small. Had to send them back and exchange and even the next size up is tight and yeah, can't wear socks with them or then they are even tighter. Never-the-less, despite all that, they are really no good for T'ai Chi (which is what I wanted them for). The bottom has a curve like the bottom of a canoe, so you roll off to the sides too much and can't maintain a nice flat position with the feet flat on the floor and rooted. It actually makes balance worse, not better, because you teeter to each side. Too bad... they do have a cool look, don't they? I found better luck with a set of $10 converse sneakers at Target.

Hi Taichi01,
I bought a pair some years ago in China and I felt the same. They are ver comfortable but useless for Taichi because of the curved soil.
My favourite shoes are taekwondo shoes. Not very cheap, but are light, with a very thin and flat soil.
Take care

Feiyue shoes! Oh i like that. That kind of shoes is comfortable to use while doing Tai Chi. But its quite expensive. Any way, feiyue shoes is good because of its light weight when wearing, you can move freely. I want to buy that too.

I used to wear Feiyu's, but they don't survive my workouts for much longer than about two months (my main style is xingyiquan), so these days I use pumas. Pumas tend to last really well and also have flat soles, which are so important for internal martial arts practice.