Reddit mentions of ASICS Gel-Rocket 9 Men's Volleyball Shoes, White/Classic Red, 7.5 M US

>... a 12 year old beginner ... He would be the first to admit that he doesn't have a tremendous amount of physical endurance or strength. He's tall with lanky limbs..all femur and flat feet and hair. He's a lefty with limited coordination and no clue how little grace he has.

I was 11 when I started. And, my Dad used to joke that I was so clumsy before I started fencing that it was pretty common for me to have bruises all over my shins from awkwardly walking into coffee tables.

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>Given how much gear you guys have to wear while sparring or competing and even how fast paced and athletic the footwork and workouts can be during practices, I'm finding it hard to know what athletic pants to buy this kid as a base They are all thick or heavy and the lightweight ones pill pretty quickly so I didn't know if I'm just looking in the wrong direction or if our expectations are too high.

I wear 3/4 length tights, like these. And, above that I wear lightweight shorts, like these. If you're curios I wear athletic boxer-briefs, like these. And, that said I wash ALL of my athletic clothes in cold water with the regular cycle and dry in low-no heat only.

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>Shoes - Oh Jesus Christ. He's been through almost 3 pair. As I said, he's flat-footed so he's hard on shoes anyway. We haven't invested a ton of cash into gear just because we didn't know how long he'd be into this but we bought him a pair of Ontusuka Tigers or something like that in the beginning. Since then we've just put him in sneakers/gym shoes. No clue what might be best for his feet. His coach is so awesome but just says "Whatever is supportive for his feet for now." He's Armenian and hardcore so right now gives zero fucks about my kid's shoes and just wants him to learn how to sit back with a weapon in his hand. Mom on the other hand likes to spend money on shoes that might last through the next shoe size. Unless I'm wrong. Tell me if my expectations are too high.

'Ontusuka Tigers' are not actual athletic shoes ; they're fashion shoes that are based on an out of production pair of fencing shoes. That said fencing shoes can be quite expensive. The standard advice is to buy a pair of court shoes (volleyball or racquetball shoes). The general advice is that for 'bang for the buck' buy Asics Gel Rocket 9's (which are a popular brand of volleyball shoes).

And because he has flat-feet I would highly recommend that you buy inserts for his shoes. I recommend Superfeet Carbon's, they'll last longer than the shoes will.

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>Blades - He's a foil and for now, he's got basic AF gear, again, because we had no way of knowing if he'd be able to hold post to this sport or not. I'm sure his coach will eventually have suggestions about upgrading someday but I'm wondering when they start buying gear that lasts. Also, from a fighting style/weapons choice, I'm guessing his coach will guide him on that too at some point. He starts all the kids on foil. Is there a different style that's better suited to lefties or should we just roll with it? Our kid loves this sport but are our expectations too high?

For beginners, I recommend just using standard StM (or Dynamo) foils which are made in a Ukrainian forge. I am not a fan of the Chinese made blades (i.e., Absolute, Blue Gauntlet/SG, Linea, etc...) because they just break far to fast. Leon Paul foils are overpriced garbage, so avoid those.

As for when do you start buying higher quality blades, once he decides he's going to compete regularly I would consider upgrading to at least an FIE blade then. If I were you I'd rather him have 2-3 non-FIE StM blades up and running for him before I worry about getting him $100+ dollar blades.

Same with his 'Whites' just stick with the Absolute 350N gear.

If you're going to make an upgrade then buy a nice glove. And if he winds up competing in epee I recommend upgrading to an FIE mask but otherwise you're fine as is.

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>He did his first tournament this weekend as was super proud to even win one match given that every other participant had been fencing 2+ years. We beamed! Any advice on how to keep him engaged without pressuring him would be appreciated. Such a great sport and a fine sub you have here.

I think the best thing you can do, is to help him set realistic but difficult short term goals and to celebrate with him when he achieves those goals BUT, to keep a healthy distance from his training. Sometimes parents have a hard time not playing the role of a coach in their kids' training BUT, I think for 99% of kids it's crucial that they have that separation between their coaches and their family life. You don't want him to take the (otherwise healthy) pressure he might feel from the competition home with him. Especially, if he doesn't do as well as he (and you) hoped he would do. Let his coaches do that, it's their actual job.