Alrighty, well I leave for tour with the Troopers this Friday, though I have yet to buy a decent pair of shoes for rehearsals. I've heard that New Balance are good, but what types? I'm really at a loss for what to look for.

Thanks,
Zach

I had a pair of new balances for winter drumline earlier this year, they were good but sorta fell apart after only 6 months. they were the 452 ones.
they mainly had hoes in the toe part I guess from jazz runs and crab marching on my toes.

i have a pair of asics and the work great for me. i have always like asics because they aare supportive and dont wear easily no matter what model you get. also some of the inexpensive ones are still really good. i would recomend getting the ones with the gell in the bottom because it really helps with the impact of your feet hitting the floor while marching.

You'll want something that's built for lateral movement and with tread that's deep enough to keep you from sliding around on wet grass & mud. Cross-trainers are usually a good choice. Running shoes don't usually offer much support for lateral movement. Court shoes (basketball, tennis, etc.) are good for lateral movement, but often have smooth tread that's great for pavement or floors, but not so good for fields.

I wear the ten dollar walmart canvas shoes, just because I don't really care if they get torn up, and the flat soles are similar to marching shoes.

I have pumas that I got for $60. They are Puma Drift Cat's, they have like no sole on your toes so good for crabbing also because they form fit to your feet. The heels are thick and curved so good for forward marching in marching band.

adidas makes a shoe called the Mali. I swear by it for everything. It's a shoe designed for, of all things, kayaking/boating.

The shoe has a drainage system, since it's designed to be submerged. Coupled with the fact that the whole shoe is made of hydrophobic material, it dries very quickly. It's antimicrobial so foot odor is kept to a minimum much longer than most athletic shoes. The non-slip, anti-skid sole is long lasting and has a significant amount of grip. The coolest and most practical thing is the puncture-resistant last. The material between the outsole and the insole is tough, but flexible, so sharp, unseen objects make no difference to the performance of the shoe.

They cost about $50-60 a pair, which is fairly inexpensive for a shoe.

i've had some new balances since beforer last school year. They held up real good, but when the get ready to fall apart, they just fall apart

sorry to bring this thread from the dead but....has anyone worn the onitsuka tigers??? look here...im thinking about buying those for band camp.....dunno if i should.

I almost bought a pair of those the other day... I've never worn them but they appear to be designed more for looks than support during physical activity. I could be wrong

You're out of luck, they only go to size 14...haha

I think every shoe I ever rehearsed in a was a new balance. My favorite model was the 801AT . It was really popular in the late 90's.

Apparently you can still get them for around $80.

Haven't worn 'em, but they wouldn't be my first choice. They're a running shoe, so lateral (side to side) support might not be too good. And because we have to crab-step, drummers are always moving side to side. The shoe also has a pretty smooth sole that probably wouldn't grip too well on grass.

i use the new balance m992.
http://newbalance.com/running/footwear/M992GL/

they work fine for me, light, comfortable.
i would prefer it more towards indoor, but it works just as fine outdoor.

but yeah, for everyone that says new balance shoes fall apart.... they do. haha

off topic, kinda, but what Kind of shoe would be good for my practice field, since it has massive amounts of dew in the morning, and spots where it is constantly mud (belive me, I've seen people marching and slipping in it" What would be good for that? Cleats?

Well, cleats might give you good grip, but they might tear up the field a bit, making the footing even worse for other people.

I wouldn't use cleats, but I'd look for something with big ol' lugs on the sole. The New Balance M801AT trail running shoes that snarepaint mentioned would be a good choice.

dont use cleats use deep tred adidas or nikes thats always worked for me

new balance is good i also had the 452 i believe

I use Asics, they work pretty well. Although I prefer wearing marching shoes, I feel like I can cover more ground with less effort with the good 'ole Drillmasters :p

A few times though I've gotten to practice and have not had enough time to run to my gym locker to grab a real pair of shoes and had to march in my skate shoes... that's rough. Going 8:5 at a slow tempo is a challenge in those things.