Types of Shoes and Your Stance

C

cuetechasaurus

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I remember reading an article in a pool magazine a while back, about how alot of professional pool players actually prefer wearing dress shoes, or shoes that have flat soles with or without an arch, instead of athletic shoes, etc, because it is somewhat difficult for alot of people to stay balanced wearing athetic shoes that are designed for mobility (i.e. soles that are curved).

I noticed that when I wear tennis shoes or running shoes, it's more diffuclt to prevent the weight on my feet from rocking back and forth, since the shoes are actually designed for that. Wearing dress shoes, or any other types of shoes that are flat at the bottom, or flat at the toes and heels with an arch in the middle, were much easier to stay balanced.

Anyone else here ever noticed this? It would be great to also hear the opinions of some of the pros on this board.
 
i had a couple of buddies that prefered to play without shoes. i guess that might have been for about the same reason. doesn't sound too far fetched
 
I play both barefoot (at home) and in heavy work boots (bars, school). I use the "pool" stance while addressing a ball down the length of the table, and a "snooker" stance while addressing a ball across the width; I don't think I find shoes to affect either stance much. The way my stance(s) are, it's almost impossible to rock back on my heels as I place quite a bit of weight on my bridge hand.
 
i personally like wearing sneakers whenever i play `coz they're more comfortable to my soles & they have more traction. i usually play for 4hrs so my feet tend to expand a lot. right now, i'm using amphibious shoes w/ gel soles & breathable sides... they're very comfy & my feet don't expand as much as they would with rubber shoes or even dress shoes:)
 
Yes, I noticed that I can balance easier in dress or flat bottom shoes.

I generally play pool after work. Since I work in an office the requires business formal or business casual dress, I'm usually in dress or casual dress shoes. On the weekends when I do play in sneakers, I notice the difference right away.

Like you said, sneakers are made for movement and weight shifts. Dress shoes just seem to be more stable.
 
Shoes are just as important as your break cue when in combat. If you're feet hurt, you cannot give your best performance.

My other half has found that Eccos are his choice. I have bought him Mephistos, thinking they had seven layers of padding, and that would help him, but he likes his Eccos.

There are many comfortable shoes out there today. Tennis shoes or sneakers may work for some. Sometimes, no matter what shoe you're wearing, after standing on your feet for 10, 12, and 14 hours in the day playing pool, your feet may ache, especially if you are flat-footed like my favorite pool player. :p

Another thing which has come up in my camp is the length of the trousers or slacks. If they are too long, even if only an inch, it can interfere with a player's performance. I've seen players trip on their pants, believe it or not. So length of pants is another thing to consider. It can affect your stance and concentration if you are thinking about not tripping on your pants when engaged in competition.

Actually, I'm really high on these Croc shoes today. I'm not sure if they'd be allowed in pool tournaments, but they are comfy, comfy, comfy. My favorite player wears 'em all the time and likes them the best in terms of comfort.

Just some food for thought! :)

JAM
 
Me too play barefoot and in several kinds of shoes at home with both the pool and snooker stances and didn't find it to affect anything too much for me, except for a little height differences. Probably sports shoes rock a bit more than office boots.
 
cuetechasaurus said:
I remember reading an article in a pool magazine a while back, about how alot of professional pool players actually prefer wearing dress shoes, or shoes that have flat soles with or without an arch, instead of athletic shoes, etc, because it is somewhat difficult for alot of people to stay balanced wearing athetic shoes that are designed for mobility (i.e. soles that are curved).

I noticed that when I wear tennis shoes or running shoes, it's more diffuclt to prevent the weight on my feet from rocking back and forth, since the shoes are actually designed for that. Wearing dress shoes, or any other types of shoes that are flat at the bottom, or flat at the toes and heels with an arch in the middle, were much easier to stay balanced.

Anyone else here ever noticed this? It would be great to also hear the opinions of some of the pros on this board.
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As long as the soles aren't leather. It sounds like you have never played in dress shoes because you surely would have remembered crushing your nuts on the table trying to stay balanced on one foot while leaning over the table for a stretch shot :D .

I get my pool playing shoes at Wal-Mart for $24.95, with rubber soles to boot. Best deal in town.
 
cuetechasaurus said:
I remember reading an article in a pool magazine a while back, about how alot of professional pool players actually prefer wearing dress shoes, or shoes that have flat soles with or without an arch, instead of athletic shoes, etc, because it is somewhat difficult for alot of people to stay balanced wearing athetic shoes that are designed for mobility (i.e. soles that are curved).

I noticed that when I wear tennis shoes or running shoes, it's more diffuclt to prevent the weight on my feet from rocking back and forth, since the shoes are actually designed for that. Wearing dress shoes, or any other types of shoes that are flat at the bottom, or flat at the toes and heels with an arch in the middle, were much easier to stay balanced.

Anyone else here ever noticed this? It would be great to also hear the opinions of some of the pros on this board.
Click to expand...

I have never been able to play pool wearing; sandals, boots, loafers or basketball shoes. The best pool playing shoes IMO are (in order from best down); Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars (low-top), Running Shoes (or cross trainers) Dress Shoes (w/rubber sole) and lastly walking shoes (Rockport, FootJoy or whatever).

I absolutely agree a flat shoe, no heel is best (hence the Chuck Taylors). I spent years looking for the perfect pool shoes and they are not out there. And dress shoes all have a heel.

We have even done some R & D at Tiger for a pool shoe, but there is just no market for them. They'd most likely be $400+ a pair and very few will pay that.
 
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ive noticed i play better in flat sandals like tevos or driving shoes. Boots or shoes with too grippy a sole seem to throw me off, as well as anything that has some type of heel (like cowboy boots)
 
The best pool-playing shoes I ever owned were made by Mozo. They had thick, soft soles, were fairly flat, and weighed a lot less than the DM's I wear now. They cost a little more than my Doc's (I think I paid $139 for my Mozo's 6 or 8 years ago), but were much more comfortable for me. I played many 12+ hour sessions in those shoes with no complaints from my feet. The only negative thing I could say about them is that the soft soles wore out more rapidly than those on ordinary shoes.

I noticed that Kid D. was wearing an almost identical shoe when he came through my area several years ago, but I didn't think to ask him if they were Mozos.

The barefoot thing reminds me of a guy who used to play in my area, and always did so sans footwear. He was a small guy (probably 5' 6", 120), and looked a lot like Carrot Top with his long, unruly red hair. He'd come into the pool hall all hopped up on rocket fuel, wearing raggedy clothes, and looking for cheap 9-ball action. He wasn't a great player, but the show was worth watching, as he would kick off his shoes (which would invariably reveal at least one toe poking out of a hole in his dirty socks), and commence to playing pool in double-time; running around the table, firing in balls, looking every bit like a tweaked-out Captain Caveman. That is, until his old lady (who was about 3 times his size) would find out where he was at and come drag his ass back home. Oh man, I wish I could create a snapshot from the mental image in my head, it would be priceless. :D

Aaron
 
I bought a pair of Florsheim Toronto all leather (except the sole) athletic style shoes strictly for pool. Best playing shoes I have ever had. Great combination of comfort and support. No balance issues whatsoever.
 
Remember Steve Martins Cruel Shoes?

My favorite Indian sandals have traction plus! Spikes on the bottom of the soles and spikes on the top too.:p

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Actually any good pair of tennies works good for me as long as they're not running shoes with the curved soles. Cheers
 
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walking shoes?

Corey,

Why are the walking shoes on the bottom of your list? This is a serious question since I wear them all day working in my shop and tend to wear them shooting pool also. I haven't noticed any disadvantages to wearing the Cabala's soft soled Rockport knock offs but I am certainly willing to learn.

Please explain why the walking shoes are bad to play in.

Thanks,
Hu



CrownCityCorey said:
I have never been able to play pool wearing; sandals, boots, loafers or basketball shoes. The best pool playing shoes IMO are (in order from best down); Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars (low-top), Running Shoes (or cross trainers) Dress Shoes (w/rubber sole) and lastly walking shoes (Rockport, FootJoy or whatever).

I absolutely agree a flat shoe, no heel is best (hence the Chuck Taylors). I spent years looking for the perfect pool shoes and they are not out there. And dress shoes all have a heel.

We have even done some R & D at Tiger for a pool shoe, but there is just no market for them. They'd most likely be $400+ a pair and very few will pay that.
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I know I'm crazy, but my shoe of choice is the ever-popular "Flip-flop".....

works for me, 365/7.......... j:D
 
A lot of you guys will disagree with this one, but I find skateboarding shoes to be my best bet for playing pool. These shoes have absolutely no heel (all flat since it is necessary for sk8boarders to do those board flips) which will give you balance for any stance and with some foot relaxors (Dr. Scholes for instance) it would be like walking on clouds. My 2 cents.
 
whitewolf said:
As long as the soles aren't leather. It sounds like you have never played in dress shoes because you surely would have remembered crushing your nuts on the table trying to stay balanced on one foot while leaning over the table for a stretch shot :D .

I get my pool playing shoes at Wal-Mart for $24.95, with rubber soles to boot. Best deal in town.
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Thank you! You beat me to it but it needed to be said. I used to use shoes like that for work and I had absolutely no friction on any kind of floor. Actually saw a guy take a tough crotch-dive onto a corner pocket two weeks ago in a tournament.

I wear Clarks or Eccos depending on whether I'm getting out of work or on my day off.
 
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