Best Zumba shoes for women
What shoes to wear for Zumba workout? I never asked this question until I recently noticed that I frequently roll, slip or trip during active dancing. Today I tripped and got a severe pain on the side of my ankle. When I examined my sneakers later I realized that I was wearing totally wrong shoes for my fitness classes. I had simple running Pumas that were too wide and had too much grip. The shoes were designed for forward and backward movements only, so when I stepped sideways during a dance move, it caused my foot to roll on the side more than necessary.
So I did the research and in this article I will show the best aerobics shoes I could find. I will also provide the information on whether the particular shoe suits people with different foot problems like bad knees, flat feet, wide feet, high arches or bunions.
5 Features of proper footwear for aerobic exercises
- Not too much grip. Dancing is an active sport where you need to slide and move fast. Without any grip you will slide too much and get stretching injures. With too much grip you won’t be able to move fast and will trip a lot.
- Lightweight. Heavy shoes will make your feet tired and may give you fatigue.
- Good cushioning for shock absorption. Your feet receive a lot of stress in the sole near the ball joint of the foot during dance. Cushioning will help prevent injuries to that area.
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Pivot point or spin spot is a special feature of Zumba shoes that allows you to spin and turn easily. It can be a lot of twisting during a dance, so you will need a shoe that allows that without a lot of grip. On the other side you will need some grip support in order to not trip and fall. Without this extra spot your body will turn a lot more than your feet. This may damage your knees and ankles.
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Split soles. Some sneakers have separate soles – one for the toes and the ball of the foot and one for the heel. This design gives more flexibility to the foot during dance with spinning and twisting. Your ankles will have good support even when you are standing on your toes.
Based on these steps I found some very good Zumba shoes options on Amazon:
| Product | Pivot point | Price | Split sole | Sizing | Good for | Overall score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Zumba Women's Fly Print Dance Shoe |
Amazon | no | 5 – 11 US | Bad knees, high arches | 4,4 | |
 Zumba Women's Zumba Fly Fade Dance Sneaker |
Amazon | no | 5 – 11 US | High arches | 4,4 | |
 Bloch Women's Evolution Dance Sneaker |
Amazon | 4 – 12,5 US | Flat feet, bad knees, high arches | 4,3 | ||
 Zumba Women's Impact Max Dance Shoe |
Amazon | no | 5 – 5.5 US | Bunions, pain knees | 4,2 | |
 RYKA Women's Influence Cross Training Shoe |
Amazon | no | 5 – 11 US | Bad knees, bunions, flat feet, wide feet | 4,1 | |
 RYKA Women's Exertion Shoe |
Amazon | no | 5.5 – 11 US | Bunions, flat feet, pain knees | 4,1 | |
 Bloch Women's Boost Dance Sneaker |
Amazon | 4 – 16 US | high arches, bad knees, bunions, wide feet | 4,1 | ||
 Capezio Women's DS11 Fierce Dansneaker |
Amazon | 3 – 14 US | Pain knees, flat feet, high arches | 4,0 | ||
 Ryka Women's Transition Fitness Shoe |
Amazon | no | 6 – 11 US | Bunions, flat feet | 4,0 | |
 New Balance WX867 Cross-Training Shoe |
Amazon | no | 5.5 – 12 US | Bad knees, flat feet, bunions, wide feet | 4,0 |
Bad knees
If you suffer from pain in your knees you would definitely want avoid situations of twisting your body when your feet are sticking to the floor during the dance. Professional instructors advise to avoid usual sneakers for Zumba dancing. Instead, try a proper shoe for Zumba: the one with a split sole and a spin point.
The best sneakers for Zumba with split soles and spin point are shoes from Zumba brand (made by women for women): Fly Print and Fly Fade dance sneakers.
Flat feet
Having flat feet means your arches aren’t supporting your feet as they should. People with flat feet tend to need wider shoes as well. Many wear ortholic insoles like Powerstep. Insoles will lift the foot inside the shoe. It is thus more important to have adjustable height in the form of stretching mesh or laces.
The best Zumba shoes for flat wide feet are Bloch Evolution and RYKA Influence sneakers. Both provide great arch support. Ryka shoes are all wider in the toe area which is good for people with bunions.
High arches
If you have high arches it means your foot stands a little bit higher from the ground in the middle area. Shoes with high arch support and laces to loosen the upper part are best for people with high arches.
The best Zumba shoes for high arches are the ones with a split sole like Bloch Evolution or Capezio Fierce.
Specially designed Zumba shoes fit also well for high arches: Zumba Fly Print or Zumba Fly Fade dance sneakers.
Other options
There are other options if you don’t have an opportunity or money to buy good Zumba shoes:
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Dance half-socks. You can have them on any sneaker you like and than twist and turn without hurting the knees or sticking to the floor. They work like a pivot point and are easy to take on and off when needed.
Amazon -
Dance socks. These are mostly for carpeted floors where you don’t have a chance to twist in usual sneakers. These are best to have on at home and workout with any Zumba dvd. Be careful though as they are very slippery on other surfaces.
Amazon
Best Zumba fitness videos
As a bonus and for those who don’t have time to go to the gym here is a set of the best Zumba workout videos: