All about Shoes for Zumba®!
I’ve had quite a few people talking to me about what to wear when they come to Zumba®, so I thought I would take the time to write a post about it.
The first thing to keep in mind when you are thinking about what to wear when you are dancing is where you are actually dancing at. If you are dancing in my studio on a wooden surface, running shoes are the best option, but at home if you are playing the DVD or just grooving to your favourite song from class on the carpet, they are not going to be the greatest choice. The one thing thing that you want to be avoiding is hurting your knees and having too much friction is the leading cause of hurting your knees as you tweak them when we are twisting sideways.
A large consideration when choosing shoes is the type of support that you need. We do a lot of jumping in our class and perhaps in other classes that you take, so ensuring that you have that support is necessary. Not sure what type of support you need? Try taking the Wet Test that you can find here at the Runner’s World website. You can also choose to use insoles for the shoes that you absolutely love, there are many types to choose from that you can find at the local department store or pharmacy or have custom made for you. Comfort is essential! Make sure that your shoes fit well, that your toes are not squished and that they are wide enough. Blisters from new shoes are never fun, don’t try to break in shoes by encouraging those blisters, they are simply the wrong shoes for you!
The only shoes that I will ever make a recommendation on are Zumba® shoes as I will ALWAYS support the brand! The downfall to their shoes is that there is no support and you absolutely must use insoles in order to have that support. I have been wearing Zumba® shoes exclusively for 2 1/2 years now with insoles with no complaints and I wouldn’t swap them! I have had to dance and teach on carpet and used the Carpet Gliders by Zumba® but they no longer carry them. You can use a sock over the top of your shoe, but there is a great new product put out by The Dancesocks which you can see here and can watch the video of how awesome there are here on YouTube.
Now back to the shoes from Zumba®! They have been designed to have very little tread, a pivot spot and a little pick at the top for grip when you need it. Whether or not you would like to support the brand, when you are looking for shoes, please keep in mind that you should look for shoes that have smoother tread and a pivot spot for the best dancing results and less grip on the floor that can cause injury on your knees, a very common complaint! The Dancesocks also makes an excellent product to use for your fitness shoes that will cover the grips that will allow you to pivot better. Take a look here for this reasonably priced alternative to buying a brand new pair of shoes.
If you would like to support the Zumba® brand and wear their ultra funky and super cool styles to class there are a couple of options for you. You can take a look at www.zumbashop.ca and order online, BUT, there are no returns if they don’t fit (one of the things they do not honour returns on.) Locally there are two companies that carry Zumba® shoes that I can help you see if they have your size and bring them to class to try them out. Depending on your size, you never know what might be available. Typically shoes cost betweeen $70-$95 and they accept cheques and cash as payments.
Want to dance in bare feet? That is a personal preference! Things to consider when wanting to dance in bare feet. Do you blister easily? Do your feet sweat easily? Do your knees hurt if you jump when you have no cushioning on your feet? If the answers are no to those questions, then dance away with no care in the world. What I do not recommend is dancing in socks, shoes that have a slippery sole, open toe or no heel. None of those are safe in my studio.
If you have any questions about sourcing out Zumba® shoes, come talk to me as I am happy to help! If you are out looking for shoes at local stores, please ask questions to the sales associates that are there. They should be well versed in what the support and treads on their shoes do and do not provide, so seek their knowledge.