ASICSMen's Split Second 9 Wrestling Shoe

I've been using a pair of these for 4 months to play indoor basketball 3 times a week. Although not what they were designed for, the shoes perform well and have held up great.I got into low-drop shoes for running and wanted to find something similar for basketball, but could not find a shoe designed for it. I have Vivobarefoot Ones that I love for wearing around, working out, running, and tennis; but they proved risky in basketball because ankle support is nice when you come down on someone's foot.Then I tried my son's old wresting shoes and was hooked, so picked up a pair of these. The toe box on this (and all wrestling shoes as far as I can tell) is intentionally narrow, so it is not the ultimate for barefoot basketball, but is the best balance of tradeoffs I've found. Wrestling shoes provide great feel, stability, and quickness while playing ball (and force you to avoid heel-toe running). I have bad ankles and always used to armor up with neoprene brace inside tightly laced hightops, but would still have a minor dislocation every 4-6 outings. With these I've reduced that to more like one in 20, due to the low and flexible sole (the high-top also helps if you step on someone else's foot).I'm not sure how long the soles will hold up if you play regularly outdoors. Although these shoes have helped my defense and cutting, they unfortunately have not improved my shot.My sons used them for wrestling when they misplaced their shoes, and said they worked great on the mat as well.

I purchased these shoes based on the recommendations I read here on Amazon. I recently got into boxing and needed something with added grip and ankle support. Long story short, these did the job. It was absolutely remarkable at how much of a difference the grip on these Asics made when maneuvering. I felt much more confident in my footing. As stated by other reviewers, make sure you get a full size bigger than what you normally wear. I normally wear 12 or 12.5 in running shoes; I purchased these in a size 13. Overall, these shoes are invaluable.Pros:-All the reasons I mentioned above.-Extremely lightweight.Cons:- For ppl with flat feet or wide feet, you will find it quite difficult to put these shoes on for the first time.-You have to be patient. Take time to break these shoes in properly.-I felt some discomfort in the bottom of my foot when running on the treadmill after going some rounds. However, I am not sure if that slight pain was because these shoes were not made for runing or if my wide feet were not accustomed to wearing such shoes.In sum, I chose not give these shoes less than a 5 star because the issues I mentioned above (i.e. difficulty putting them on and pain in the bottom of my foot when running) all arise from my odd feet. These shoes are truly great.

Best pair of shoes I have ever worn !! I am a large man 6'10" 390 lbs and it is hard to find comfortable shoes for me at size 18. I have worn these for up to 18 hours and not even noticed I have shoes on my feet. I know that is not what these shoes are intended for so if they work half as well for wrestling then they are worth it !!!!! They are soft and weigh almost nothing, I was mad when I got them because when I picked up the box I thought there wasn't any shoes in it lol. They move and twist any way your foot moves. you can grasp them by the heel and toe and wring them like a wash cloth. I will buy another pair if these ever wear out. Oh and they were delivered in 2 days even though I chose the free 5-8 day shipping option.

I bought these for Krav Maga training as an alternative to my beloved Vibram Five Fingers. I am a size 15 2E or 3E depending on the maker. On the advice of other reviewers, I purchased size 17, the next largest available (why no size 16?) to compensate for the undersizing and the non-availability of wider widths (apparently all wrestlers have narrow feet, or something). While there is extra room in the toe box, the width is just about perfect, which is an acceptable tradeoff so far. Keep in mind that if you go this route, you will basically be training with slightly longer feet than before (about an inch), so it might take some time to adjust to that. It is also critical that you lace them tightly to compensate for all that room in the toe, so that when you are pivoting for strikes and kicks, the shoe moves with your foot properly. Until the shoe breaks in, I find that I need to re-tighten a couple of times per session. Such is life for big guys...The shoe itself is very comfortable right out of the box, and I can get through 2 hours of continuous hard training with no discomfort. The split-sole design is very flexible and light.

I've been using Split Seconds since version 8 - use it for boxing and not wrestling though. I bought version 9 since I thought that version 8 was a great shoe as well. Split Second 9 does not disappoint. However I think there are only minimal improvements since the previous version (laces are a lot shorter, but that's a very obvious and minor difference). Fit is a lot more snug but that is probably due to the fact that it has not been worn in yet. Soles are still the same and has a pivot point on the balls of the foot which I am a fan of. It is not a high shoe so support is there but it is minimal. Grip on canvas is fine.If you've used the earlier version all you need to know is that you will be as pleased as you were with the previous one. Maybe save yourself some money by getting Split Second 8 for cheap.

I have flare wide feet.I normally ware men's 13 EE.Pro:Not to expensive $60.00The toe box was perfect and good ankle support.Con:Cheaper plastic materials.Not sure how it will streach out or withstand torque.Summary:I recommend the Dan Gable Ultimate 4 over Split Second 9 because of the superior traction, flex and ankle support (though not as good for wide feet).If your on a budget, than the split second 9 is a great choice. The Dan Gable also was more of a moccasin style having no actual toe box.