What are the best shoes for parkour and free running ?

When looking for the best shoes to train Parkour there are a few things that should be taken into account, certain things to look for, and other things to avoid. Sometimes the best shoes for training can be as little as 300/- rupees rather than a gimmicky ‘Parkour specific’ shoe that can be over 20000/- rupees and not actually be that good for Parkour at all.

I strongly believe that the shoes shouldn't cross 500/- rupee mark. While training Parkour, shoes will be under constant strain and every now and then you would be forced to change them. So try to look for shoes that fit the basic requirements for parkour.

Training Barefoot is also advisory as research suggest that training barefoot is beneficial to our health. As our roads (in India) are some what dirty, so try using minimalist shoes they will give you barefoot feeling while using them.

Basic Requirements For Parkour Shoes:

1. First you want a shoe that will keep your foot tight, so it does not slip or slide inside the shoe
2. Weight, Ideally the shoe should be as light as possible, when your running around all day the less weight you carry the longer you can continue to train. Generally, less added weight to the body is beneficial because it will allow more natural and free movement.
3. Sole, There are a couple of factors that need to be considered when looking at the sole of a shoe:

Thickness: Despite what some may believe, a thick sole is not advisable in a Parkour shoe. Thick soles can sometimes assist in promoting poor technique. Thick soles generally provide a lack of sensitivity between your feet and the environment you interact with. This lack of sensitivity allows some people to attempt drops that they are not yet ready for. Having thinner soles allows you to feel the impact of landings. This is beneficial as it forces you to maintain correct technique so as to avoid injury. So try minimalist shoes these are good for your feet and gives you barefoot feeling.

avoid thick sole

preferred-thin sole

Design: Shoes with a one piece sole will be the most effective as they do not tear away in chunks as many soles that are glued together in segments tend to do.

avoid multi block sole shoes

preferred one piece sole

Preferred- minimalist shoes

Material: Shoes which have syntactic or rubber sole is preferred as they have greater friction b/w the ground and your feet so you will have better grip.

Test the shoes to see whether they have grip on smooth surfaces as while performing on rail or wet conditions they may fail to provide grip.

One thing to avoid is shoes that have hard plastic in the arches, as this can cause slippage when climbing, and if you happen to land on a metal rail with the hard plastic arch part it will cause you to easily slip off.

Why train in thin sole shoes (minimalist shoes)?

Training with a non-parkour shoe without any support will lead to a dramatic change in the way your body will react to training. The impact of the movements you make will be greatly diminished and your toes will need to readjust to the impact created by your body.

You will be forced to make softer landings and in better form basically on the ball of the foot and strengthen your ankle stability. But in the longer term, the benefits are worth it. Risk of injury will diminish and your leg muscles will regain the needed strength to perform at peak level under any circumstance.