Don’t ask me why, but for some reason it is extremely difficult to find any pair of men’s Zumba shoes. You can check on zumba’s website, you can go to Reebok, Nike, Adidas, puma, or any other sneaker site and you still will have no luck.
As such I decided to get a pair of woman’s sneakers for when I teach my Zumba classes. Regular sneakers do not work well in dance classes, they have a lot of traction and are not good for pivoting or sliding. I never really thought about this, but some weeks ago I mentioned to my wife that I was worried about my knees with all the pivoting. As I was doing some research on how to prevent that, this is how I discovered that there were shoes made specifically for dancing and Zumba.
This brings me to the Ryka tenacious hightop training shoe. This company is one of the ones that came up frequently when searching for good dancing Zumba shoes. I ordered the shoes and I tried them on when they arrived. Length wise they fit okay, but I did feel that they were a little bit narrow for my feet. I walked around the house with them for a little while, and though I did not hate them, I did not love them.
My wife noticed that I was apprehensive about using them at the gym. Once they are used they cannot be returned. She made a simple statement that made a lot of sense, “if you are not in love with them, just return them! What’s the point of resisting?” I happen to agree with her and I began the process of returning them.
I must reiterate that I do not hate the sneakers, I just think that I can find some that fit more comfortably. I did not dance in them, nor did I wear them for long period of time. I just tried them on at home. Though the fit was okay, I just wasn’t entirely convinced that I wanted to keep them.
I think the style of the sneakers pretty cool, it has some cushioning and I felt support. I do not know how they would hold up under training conditions, but they felt pretty sturdy to me. Do not let the fact that I am returning them turn you off to the sneakers. Remember, they are made for women, and I am not a woman. So there will be some risk in these purchases for me.
If you are a Zumba instructor, or any other form of fitness instructor, you owe it to yourself to take care of your feet. Make an investment that matters and protect your body. I will be trying out other pairs of sneakers until I find one that I simply fall in love with. Unfortunately, this particular pair was not the one. But that doesn’t mean that I will not give Ryka a try in the future.
Please note, returning these things through Fedex was going to cost me nearly $30. That’s about half the cost of the sneakers! I’m going to check with the USPS, but if they are also too expensive, I’m just going to keep or sell them. Most companies will provide a return slip, this one does not. So be sure before about it before you buy.
Just a life long New Yorker sharing the journey through my lens. Please take note of a post’s date. The views I express here are subject to change and evolving as I grow and learn.
Leave a Reply