Dance Game Shoes - An in-depth look
Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:09 pm
There is no "Perfect Shoe" for dancing games some will work better than others but everyone has their own preference. It's noteworthy that footwear plays a tiny role for DDR or FA songs, but they become more important as the difficulty increases. In this topic I will discuss some of the more popular shoes in this culture, but first....
Why a special shoe for DDR?
A good dancing game shoe should help you do several things:
1) Move quickly
2) Feel where your feet are
3) Cheat hands
4) Not get caught on brackets
5) Get adequate traction
6) Make solid contact with the panel
To accomplish these the shoes should be light and have thin, flexible, flat soles; no huge arches and minimal tread. I will discuss these in more detail with each type of shoe listed below.
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Generic Running Shoe
MSRP: $30+
Weight: ~11 oz
Pros: Running shoes are really comfortable, cheap, and somewhat light. They are a great dancing game shoes if you aren't crazy serious.
Cons: Unfortunately they have thick soles and high arches making it hard to cheat hands. The tread patterns are stupidly retarded and get caught up on brackets depending on your technique.
Asics in Action: 99% Vertex^2
Nike Free
MSRP: $85
Weight: 7 oz
Pros: Frees are extremely light and extremely flexible. You can move fast and cheat hands with ease. These are by far the most commonly used dance shoe.
Cons: The soles are really cushioned taking away that "firm" pad feel.
Frees in Action: 99% Dragonforce Marathon
New Balance 790
MSRP: $80
Weight: 7 0z
Pros: 790s are very similar to frees; very light and flexible. Mad Matt wears these shoes when he's double starring 17s.
Cons: These have some annoying tread since they are trail shoes. They are also discontinued.
790s in Action: Mad Matt Defies Physics
Puma Taper (Racing Flats)
MSRP: $80
Weight: 6.5 oz
Pros: The lightest, most flexible, thin shoes you will find are Puma Tapers. The soles are flat and firm for good contact with the pads and optimum hand cheating. Some people claim it's like playing in socks. Tapers are arguably the best shoes for dancing games.
Cons: Discontinued
Tapers in Action: 67,000 step challenge
Skate Shoe
MSRP: $40+
Weight: ~15 oz
Pros: Completely flat and solid out-sole. No weird tread, but these shoes have decent traction.
Cons: Skate shoes are usually heavy and pretty stiff.
Skate Shoes in Action: Summer Speedy Quad Star
Socks
MSRP: $3
Weight: <1 oz
Pros: Socks don't hold anything back.
Cons: Just watch out for those brackets.
Sock fag in action: V ~Rasen Style~ World Record
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Now post your own favorite shoes!
Why a special shoe for DDR?
A good dancing game shoe should help you do several things:
1) Move quickly
2) Feel where your feet are
3) Cheat hands
4) Not get caught on brackets
5) Get adequate traction
6) Make solid contact with the panel
To accomplish these the shoes should be light and have thin, flexible, flat soles; no huge arches and minimal tread. I will discuss these in more detail with each type of shoe listed below.
=========================================================================================
Generic Running Shoe
MSRP: $30+
Weight: ~11 oz
Pros: Running shoes are really comfortable, cheap, and somewhat light. They are a great dancing game shoes if you aren't crazy serious.
Cons: Unfortunately they have thick soles and high arches making it hard to cheat hands. The tread patterns are stupidly retarded and get caught up on brackets depending on your technique.
Asics in Action: 99% Vertex^2
Nike Free
MSRP: $85
Weight: 7 oz
Pros: Frees are extremely light and extremely flexible. You can move fast and cheat hands with ease. These are by far the most commonly used dance shoe.
Cons: The soles are really cushioned taking away that "firm" pad feel.
Frees in Action: 99% Dragonforce Marathon
New Balance 790
MSRP: $80
Weight: 7 0z
Pros: 790s are very similar to frees; very light and flexible. Mad Matt wears these shoes when he's double starring 17s.
Cons: These have some annoying tread since they are trail shoes. They are also discontinued.
790s in Action: Mad Matt Defies Physics
Puma Taper (Racing Flats)
MSRP: $80
Weight: 6.5 oz
Pros: The lightest, most flexible, thin shoes you will find are Puma Tapers. The soles are flat and firm for good contact with the pads and optimum hand cheating. Some people claim it's like playing in socks. Tapers are arguably the best shoes for dancing games.
Cons: Discontinued
Tapers in Action: 67,000 step challenge
Skate Shoe
MSRP: $40+
Weight: ~15 oz
Pros: Completely flat and solid out-sole. No weird tread, but these shoes have decent traction.
Cons: Skate shoes are usually heavy and pretty stiff.
Skate Shoes in Action: Summer Speedy Quad Star
Socks
MSRP: $3
Weight: <1 oz
Pros: Socks don't hold anything back.
Cons: Just watch out for those brackets.
Sock fag in action: V ~Rasen Style~ World Record
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Now post your own favorite shoes!