TargetTalk

I am averaging around 570. I usually dont care about these things and have been wearing casual sports shoes but now it is time to get to next level.

Would shooting shoes benefit over regular sports shoes??

And if any particular type or brand of sports shoes be equally good? As I dont want to carry extra weight wherever I go for match and practise.


Please advice.

As long as the "regular" shoes you wear don't have thick, squishy soles, you should be fine. I don't shoot in the 570's anymore, but I can tell a slight different in stability if I wear my squishiest shoes. It's not going to decrease your hold dramatically, but it can have a small effect.

I don't see the World Class shooters here wearing anything special. Arnie Vitarbo (you may want to look him up) told me that regular "coaches shoes" were fine.

For myself, I frequently wear "penny loafers."

Rule changes have reduced the need for special shooting shoes.
No longer can you have very stiff shoes and walk around like a duck.
A good pair of flat soled walking shoes are fine.

I've been shooting BAREFOOT.

Don't know the interpretation of ISSF Rule 8.5 shoes. Are they required?

Also, living in rural Appalachian Tennessee, I fit right in with the local moonshiners.

Seriously, I used to live in Breckenridge Colorado and in the summers, all the serious skiers would run around barefoot - all your balance comes to the brain thru the feet.

Try it!

No specific rule stating "barefoot" but rule should cover it...

9.13.1 Athletes’ Clothing (See aslo GTR 6.19, The ISSF Dress Code)
a) Sports trousers, training (athletic warmup) trousers and jackets, for men and
women and similar sports blouses, skirts/dresses for women are allowed. Blue
jeans, jeans or similar trousers are prohibited;

b) Open toe or open heeled shoes, sandals or any other similar footwear are not
allowed;

Our own club rules demand enclosed footware on the range.

6.19.3.2 Athletes may not wear sandals of any type or remove their shoes (with or without socks).

David M wrote:No specific rule stating "barefoot" but rule should cover it...

9.13.1 Athletes’ Clothing (See aslo GTR 6.19, The ISSF Dress Code)
a) Sports trousers, training (athletic warmup) trousers and jackets, for men and
women and similar sports blouses, skirts/dresses for women are allowed. Blue
jeans, jeans or similar trousers are prohibited;

b) Open toe or open heeled shoes, sandals or any other similar footwear are not
allowed;

That rule is for shotgun.

See my answer above. Barefoot is NOT allowed.

Some posts have mentioned the powerlift shoes. Are these fine https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/ad ... ft31mltprf ? Do the have good cushioning for long hour support so the feet does not hurt?

The problem is that you don't want "good cushioning" to get maximum stability. Form fitting with rigid arch support is OK, but anything squishy or "cushioning" in the usual sense will hurt your stability. I have no idea what the inside of the Adidas are like.

Adidas Samba- flat limited flex sole, available in mens, womens, and kid sizes- inexpensive, and they provide the stability needed:

https://www.adidas.com/us/samba-classic/034563.html

Nice firm well fitting shoes, not above the ankle work fine.

I wear a low profile trail hiking shoe. It does provide lateral stability.

One shoe I have found that provided the same stability as a shooting shoe is a Solomon trail running shoe. The shoe seems to reduce the tendency for the ankle to roll which reduces one of the axis your ankle would move in while standing.

Having said that I have seen people shot world class scores in running shoes. having been where you are at the game becomes a lot more mental and less about anything else.

Jin Jong-oh likes weight lifting shoes (second pic down): https://breslanta.com/2012/07/29/olympics-day1-images/

Up here in our winter league, the most popular foot wear is made by Sorel.


Otherwise known as the Minnesota Wing Tip!


:)