DC Skate Shoes for Zumba
I started doing Zumba at a new studio, and I saw something I have never seen before: Skateboarding shoes in Zumba class.
What are skateboarding shoes, like DC Skate shoes designed for? Grip. Keeping the skater’s feet on his or her skateboard without slipping, sliding, or rocking off the board.
Is grip what you need for Zumba? Absolutely not!
Of course you don’t want to go sliding across the studio floor, but Zumba requires turns and twists. Your feet must be able to pivot or your ankle, knee, and hip joints will suffer. Skate shoes also do not allow the lateral movement required in the most basic of salsa moves in a Zumba class.
While skate shoes might look cool, they are not the right footware for Zumba.
Pumas for Zumba
Finding the right shoes for Zumba is very difficult. You need the support of an athletic shoe with the sole of a dance shoe.
Puma athletic shoes look like a dance shoe, right? They are narrow, light-weight, and have the tell-tale circle on the sole that indicates a sole that will allow turning and sliding. Unfortunately, Pumas are not a good choice for Zumba. They lack the necessary shock absorption needed for the high-impact moves of a Zumba class. Look at the sole of a Puma sneaker – it’s very thin. There is almost no rubber or cushion to help distribute the shock from impact with the floor.
One of my Zumba participants bought a pair of suede Pumas for Zumba class. She was excited about finding Pumas for Zumba because they were inexpensive and seemed to move on the studio floor like she had hoped they would. She was coming to my class at least twice a week. She was always in the front row and was nearly 6 feet tall – you couldn’t miss her.
Suddenly she disappeared from class. She had developed shin splints from the impact of Zumba while wearing her new non-supportive Puma sneakers to several Zumba classes per week. Mayo Clinic defines shin splints as follows:
Medically known as medial tibial stress syndrome, shin splints occur during physical activity and result from too much force being placed on your shinbone and connective tissues that attach your muscles to the bone.
My participant’s shins splints were so bad there was visible bruising near her swollen ankles. She had to go to the doctor and could not participate in Zumba for six weeks. the doctor told her if she continued to do Zumba, the impact could give her stress fractures in her tibia bones. At the end of six weeks, she had to start with one Zumba class per week and she could not do any jumping – doctor’s orders.
The moral of the story, don’t wear unsupportive sneakers, like Pumas, for Zumba.
Men’s Footware from Zumba Fitness
Finally! Men’s Z1 sneakers are athletic dance shoes from Zumba Fitness for Zumba Fitness!
According to the Zumba Fitness Shop:
Hey guys, this one’s for you — the all-new Z1 Sneakers for men! Athletic, sturdy, rugged and funky-cool to boot, these sneakers are built for optimum performance both in and out of Zumba® class. Constructed with a molded footbed and TPU for maximum support, and an ultra-breathable upper and midsole for total comfort, the new Z1 sneakers for him also have extra-tough pivot points to slide and grip on cue. With extra colored shoelaces, pair ‘em up with your favorite Zumbawear™ get-up and you’ll be ready to kick it into high gear!
The Z1 Zumba sneaker for men has mixed reviews, but if you’ve been searching for the right shoe, it might be worth the $75 to give them a try!
Want Z1 Zumba Shoes from Zumba Fitness? Get Them While You Can!
I’m a Zumba and Zumba Gold instructor and I had the same pair of Zumba shoes for a year. At first, I was only wearing my Zumba shoes for about one hour per day, two or three times a week, and they were holding up just fine. As luck would have it, I started getting more and more classes at more and more facilities and soon I was teaching two or three times per day, four days a week! As awesome as it was, my Zumba shoes broke down quickly. I was having foot, ankle, and shin pain during and after Zumba class. It was obvious I needed a new pair of Zumba shoes and I needed them fast.
I had been wanting the new Z1 Zumba sneakers from Zumba Fitness so I went to the Zumba shop to order a pair. I searched and searched, but they were not there – the Z1 Zumba sneakers were temporarily unavailable! I needed new shoes badly, but I decided to wait a week.
A week later, I checked the Zumba shop again. No Z1 Zumba sneakers! I couldn’t wait any longer and I decided to replace my Nike Musique IV with the exact same pair.
I just checkd back and the Z1 Zumba sneaker is now available at Zumba.com.
The moral of the story: If you are thinking about trying out the Z1 Zumba sneakers from Zumba.com, do it while you can! They are insanely popular. If they are temporarily unavailable, check back regularly because they might come and go from the Zumba shop as they are in stock. Hopefully, this means new styles and colors will be available soon.
Good luck!
NEW Zumba Shoes from Zumba Fitness!
They’re finally here! The Z1 Zumba Dance Sneaker from Zumba Fitness!
As far as I can tell, only Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN) members can order these shoes from the Zumbawear shop as of February 20, 2010. Here is a screen shot with the description and details. If you’re not a ZIN member, talk to your favorite Zumba instructor about ordering you a pair of Z1 Zumba Sneakers!
Best Zumba Shoes
While I search for the best shoes for Zumba, I do not recommend turf shoes or wrestling shoes for participating in Zumba or other aerobic dance classes.
One of the main gripes I hear from Zumba enthusiasts is that their regular gym shoes stick to the floor during class. Sticky shoes during Zumba can cause blisters or foot, ankle, or knee pain or injury.
While turf shoes are designed to allow you to comfortably train on a variety of surfaces, they probably still provide too much traction for Zumba or other ballroom or hip hop dance classes. On the bright side, turf shoes do feature a more narrow footprint – more like cross-training shoes and less like running shoes.
A better bet might be a wrestling shoe. While wrestling shoes are light and flexible, most wrestling shoes will only be available in mens’ or boys’ sizes and are only available in a high-top style. Wrestling shoes are not designed for impact and therefore do not provide a lot of arch support or sole cushion.
My recommendation is stick to athletic shoes designed specifically for dance or aerobics. If you’re not sure that a certain style is a dance shoe or aerobics shoe, look for a circle on the sole of the shoe at the ball of the foot. Not all dance shoes or aerobics shoes will have it, but it is a good way to tell if the shoe is going to allow you to turn on the ball of your foot or if you will stick to the floor instead.
If you can’t afford to buy athletic shoes just for Zumba, wear last year’s gym shoes. Be sure the traction on the sole has worn down on the ball of foot, but be sure the shoe can still provide cushion and support.
Also see my “Sticky Shoes During Zumba” and “Good Dance Shoes for Zumba” and “Where to Buy Dance Shoes” posts or check out my “Recently Written” posts about Zumba shoes to the right at Rencsi.com.
