Hey guys, this is NUSensei.
Today, we'll be covering the topic of shoes.
Yeah, that’s right.
Shoes.
While this may not be the most obvious in archery, footwear is something that concerns
every single archer.
Sometimes the importance of the right footwear can be overlooked.
For most archers, footwear isn’t exactly that important, and in most circumstances,
footwear depends on where you’ve been that day.
However, you might be wondering, well, what are the pros and cons of wearing certain types
of shoes?
Are there any things I should avoid, and what are some rules of thumb to keep in mind?
The reason why footwear is so important is because the stance is the foundation of the
shot.
That is the principle we drill into archers when they learn archery.
If you don’t have a good stance, then you don’t have the right balance, then your
entire shot process is going to be poor.
You have to get everything right or else your alignment will feel wrong.
That comes down to your footwear.
Certain kinds of shoes will give you more feedback and sensitivity than others.
Let’s take a look at some of these shoes.
There isn’t a single best shoe for archer, at least as far as I know, but most archers
will wear a typical sports shoe – or your sneakers, or runners, or tennis shoes, or
whatever you call them.
The reason why this is the most popular – and there are thousands of designs – is because…comfort.
You’ll be shooting for hours at a time.
You definitely want a shoe that you feel comfortable wearing.
One that fits you well.
One that has enough padding and cushioning so you don’t feel constrained and sore,
and especially for sports shoes, something that gives you a good feel of your balance.
Now in archery, balance is very important.
You want to keep around 60-70% of your weight on the front part of the foot – the balls
of your feet.
The remaining 30-40% will be on the back of the foot.
The reason why this is so important is because if you put too much weight on the back of
your foot, you will find that you will lean backwards, giving you an unsteady platform
and inducing more fatigue, whereas putting more weight on the front will put you in the
right position to be behind the arrow, and ensure a clean shot.
Of course, there are different kinds of sports shoes.
There are some that are better made for basketball.
There are obviously specialised boots like football boots.
You don’t really need something specialised.
Something that is general-purpose; something good for cross-training is appropriate.
The more sole you have, the more depth you have, the harder it might feel for some people.
For the most part, you don’t have to worry too much as long you have a comfortable shoe
like this, then your balance and your stance should be okay.
Something I’ll mention later on a lot is, optimally, you want the ability to feel the
weight here.
That means the shoe should be flexible enough where you can get a slight bend.
You don’t have to tip-top on your shoe.
That’s ridiculous.
But you want to have enough sensitivity here so you can apply a slight weight adjustment
and feel it.
A lot of shoes, even sports shoes, might not be able to do that, and that’s actually
one of the factors that will influence your footwear when you are shooting.
The problem with a sports shoe is that it’s not all-weather.
The material is designed for sweat to evaporate.
So in wet weather, when it’s raining or there’s puddles on the ground, you’ll
find that you get wet socks very easy, and that is just nasty.
It’s one of the most unpleasant feelings.
When you’re doing a field course which you might find muddy or rainy or wet, then these
things get dirty really easily and damp really easily.
It’s not really pleasant.
It’s not a universally good thing to wear for everything you do archery for, or every
situation.
But for your typical target range or shooting line practice, this is preferred.
For those of us who spend a bit more time outdoors, you might have one of these kinds
of shoes.
This is your typical outdoor shoe or even a hiking shoe.
The design is a lot more rugged; it’s more rigid.
It’s made for crossing uneven ground, walking through the bush.
You’ll find that the shell of the shoe is a lot harder, and the sole has a lot more
grip to it.
This may seem like a good idea, and I bought this shoe for the reason of shooting in wetter
weather, or rougher weather.
There are certain disadvantages with this kind of shoe.
This particular shoe, and again your design might vary, the design is quite rigid.
There’s no flexibility in the front of the shoe.
It comes as is.
Once you wear it enough, you’ll soften it and it will feel more comfortable.
But when it comes to changing your weight distribution, this is actually harder to sense
what the weight should be.
The reason why is the front of the shoe doesn’t bend.
It’s not very flexible.
So if you want to change the weight, feel the weight difference at the front of the
shoe, you have to lean forward because it’s very thick and it doesn’t bend that well.
While it’s good for a practical reason, for archery, this kind of shoe might be harder
to shoot in.
Honestly, while I did buy this shoe to shoot in, I find it harder to get the right stance
and posture while wearing this kind of shoe for this reason.
Then you have your typical work boot.
For a lot of you, you might be working and then going to shoot, so you might be wearing
this anyway.
A good work boot is well designed and being a good fit, it will feel comfortable.
Of course, with the steel cap and thick soles, these things are nearly indestructible.
Again, the main disadvantage is how much you can feel the weight in the shoe.
With the steel cap and very thick sole, you don’t feel that much.
You can adjust your weight.
In fact, this shoe is a bit more flexible than the other ones, but there’s too much
sole between your foot and the ground and that can be deceptive.
Can you shift your weight while wearing this?
Yes, you can.
Can you shoot while wearing this?
Yes you can.
I’ll say this for every shoe.
But you might find that the space between the foot and the ground might be slightly
unsettling.
It might be a little more difficult to get the right feeling while wearing a boot.
Just slightly.
Then you have your men’s shoes or dress shoes or loafers, such as this one.
This one isn’t that bad to shoot in.
It’s flexible enough where you can feel the weight through the soles.
There’s not much grip, so if you’re shooting outdoors, it’s not that practical, especially
on slippery ground.
The other problem is that design of the heel is a bit too prominent.
You might find it heel-heavy and hard to get your feet in the right position.
This one in particular isn’t that bad.
Not my most desirable shoe.
But if I had to shoot in it, I probably could.
It’s just a little bit too thin here.
You have a solid piece of rubber, or a rubber sole here, which his okay, but it doesn’t
give the same feedback as a sports shoes.
Compared to your typical work shoe or school shoe, which is a black leather shoe, these
aren’t too bad.
They’re mostly designed to look black and also be comfortable for everyday use.
These are flexible enough where you can shoot rather comfortable in them.
There’s enough flex so you can shift your weight fairly freely.
The soles aren’t too thick, so you can feel the ground.
You can feel the weight on the ground.
This is actually not too bad.
If I was working and had to shoot straight afterwards, I would probably wear this to
work.
That’s because, all-round, it’s comfortable and you can have that control while wearing
it.
In contrast, you have the more fancy dress shoes like this, with the pointy toes.
These aren’t very good for shooting in.
Can you shoot in these?
Yes.
I keep on saying it: yes, you can shoot in these shoes.
The reason why these aren’t as good is because firstly, the soles don’t have much anti-slip,
so in outdoor conditions this may be undesirable.
Additionally, the soles are very stiff.
You can flex it, and that’s okay, but the soles are very stiff.
You want freedom of movement.
These are meant to look, especially in an environment where you can walk around all
fancy-like.
But for outdoor shooting, these things aren’t as good.
Some people shoot in them.
I know some people with fancy footwear and wear them just fine and shoot just as well.
But it’s harder to feel what you’re doing right.
It’s a bit harder to get the right foot position, and these things can matter.
While this can work, it just doesn’t really look right, sometimes, in the field.
Where there are other options, I would go with those options rather than this kind of
sole.
And then there’s your sandal or your flip-flop.
I don’t know like these for shooting for several reasons.
You can feel weight distribution on a sandal, perhaps too much so, but there are a couple
of problems.
There’s no heel support.
You’ll find that as you shift your weight, your feet will lift off the sandal.
Most sandals are designed like this – they’re called flip-flops for a reason – and I don’t
find them to be a practical to shoot.
Additionally there are safety rules the range might have, especially in wearing closed footwear.
If the toes are open, that’s a safety risk.
Many places require you to wear a proper shoe.
Wearing sandals may seem very simple and easy but it’s flat.
It’s not designed for sports.
It’s designed for the beach; it’s designed for the backyard.
Overall, this is my least desirable choice.
I don’t have women’s footwear.
I would generally avoid wearing anything with high heels on the range.
It’s not practical.
It’s not the safest option.
It just doesn’t feel right.
With the high heels especially, it strongly changes your centre of balance.
Because you’re unable to change that particularly, shooting with heels is probably the worst
choice of all of the options you have.
Ultimately, does your choice of footwear that much?
The answer is no.
You don’t have to wear running shoes for archery.
Most of the time, the shoe you wear is circumstantial.
If you happen to be going out or working and going to school and then you shoot, then what
you wear doesn’t matter that much.
You don’t have to stress about finding the right, perfect shoe for archery.
You might find that you have certain shoes set aside as shoes you would shoot in where
possible.
So if it’s a regular day at the range, then you probably use your running shoes.
If it’s a particularly wet day, then you might use a different pair of shoes.
Overall, your shoe choice isn’t going to affect you that much.
Where it does matter is when you are trying to diagnose form problems.
Often, shooters will go through a process where things like shift in weight will occur,
but you don’t realise it.
You might be leaning too forward, too far back, too far this way, too far that way.
Sometimes, the wrong shoe can mask that problem.
That is why wearing a good running shoe can help that.
There’s no real disadvantage for using one of these shoes, while other shoes might make
it more difficult for you to shift your weight or feel any changes in weight.
For that reason, if you’re doing archery, this is probably your go-to shoe, as with
a lot of things.
But it’s not going to matter immensely unless you are paying attention or trying to pay
attention.
Anyway, this is NUSensei.
Hope you found this helpful.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time.