I LOVE Zumba...but my feet don't!

You may need to look for aerobic shoes. They are smoother on the bottom (similar to socks) which allow you to glide a little better. I noticed an immediate difference for not only my feet, but my knees. It helped me from stopping short, etc.

Ballet slippers or jazz shoes would definitely work well, too. It is dance after all. Or bare feet.

My instructors said to get shoes with a round circle on the bottom. The Zumba website sells Zumba shoes. I found a good pair at Famous Footwear. Famous has a few pairs of Nike ones. Puma also makes some.

It could very well be either the size or the amount of arch support. If you are flat footed or high arched then you need to know that going in and ask the people at the store which shoes are better for the type of support that YOU need.
Also, as I discovered when I went to get fitted for running shoes, you typically need to go up a half or a whole size from the size you would normally wear for street shoes. When you are using them as an exercise tool your feet expand and they need the extra space otherwise you could have pain or numbness (my toes kept going numb on the treadmill)
I now have running shoes that are a whole size bigger than my regular out and about shoes and it's TONS better! I can workout more effectively now, with better stamina and no worries of blisters afterwards! See if you can find a shoe store that does gait analysis and measures your foot/ arch so that they can point you in the right direction. Most places do not charge for that service, they just want people to be in the proper shoe.

Another safe bet for any type of dance aerobics is always a jazz sneaker.

I just started doing ZUMBA and noticed I was gliding as easily as I should! Thanks for all of the helpful tips!!! I will definitely have to check this out more and until than I will use my PUMA'S instead of my NIKE'S!!! :flowerforyou:

I'm a Zumba instructor and I LOVE my Capezio Dansneakers. They provide support, and have very little tread so I can twist and turn as needed.

I'm a Zumba instructor with a background in ballet & jazz. It's my opinion that Zumba is just really hard on women's feet! Many instructors I know report more pain in the right foot than left... not surprising as the movement always starts to the right. I'm currently having to take a break from all impact exercise because of foot issues. I've tried Bloch, Capezio Rockits, Ryka, Nike, and Asics shoes. None of them are good for both the twisting, "dancey" movements and impact. It's important your shoes fit loosely in the toe box!!! I won't be going back to my jazz / hip hop sneakers as they are too narrow. No more split sole shoes, either - they don't have enough support. (Perhaps, some of this is due to age. My podiatrist says anyone over 40 needs good arch support & cushion in the toe box.) I add $35 sole inserts to every pair of shoes for help with impact. He recommended Nikes with the spin spot, I haven't tried them yet. It sounds like you have the kind of pain I do. It's good to see a podiatrist as other doctors are not familiar with the type of injury that comes from high impact cardio. In the meantime, elevate, ice, repeat. Good luck!!

you HAVE to get Nike Musique shoes...they are about $60.00 but an awesome shoe! That is what my Zumba instructor recommended to me. I'm going to be buying my second pair soon. They have them all over, pretty much where ever they sell Nike shoes. I got a 9.5 as opposed to my regular size 9 because when you work out your foot tends to swell. So think about that when buying shoes!!

http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?cp=usns_CSE_081109_Froogle&l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-192952/pgid-192952&CAWELAID=377770001#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-192952/pgid-192952

there is a link to the Nike store. They come in black and also white and they also have different accent colors.

I started out using a pair of cross-trainers for Zumba (New Balance) but had a lot of knee pain due to the twisting motions and my shoes being too stiff/grabbing too much. I now have a pair of Nike Musiques (clearnace at Zappos - $35) and they made a tremendous difference in ease of motion. I did have some arch pain while using them, but now that I have the same arch support inserts that I use for walking/running, I've been fine.

I just started doing Zumba, and of course have been wearing the wrong shoes- Asics running shoes. Half way through the class, the balls of my feet burn, and my middle toes ache. Since I am 48 and haven't done Zumba before, I blamed it on being out of shape, not being in my 20s anymore, and figured it would get better with every class. I was WRONG! It just got worse. I want to tell you that I purchased Sofsole Airr Orthotic Womens performance insoles from Olympia Sports yesterday. The Salesperson sold me the max cushioning and medium arch model. There is even a gel in the heel. I slipped them into my running shoe and had no pain during class today. I am very happy!! I also researched and ordered online Zumba shoes (in anticipation that the orthotics didn't work- I was skeptical). Based on multiple reviews, I will be trying the Ryka Transition and the NB 867. FYI, the NB shoe comes in 1/2 sizes up to 11 which is unheard of.

This post is almost a year old but there is excellent advice in here. I have high arches and a lot of body weight so I am currently searching for the right shoe. I feel like as long as I can move around and lose some weight, then my feet will hurt less. But in the meantime, in order to lose weight.... I have to hurt my feet. Haha... catch-22 of sorts.

Do you guys have any more recommendations? Ones that have a big toe box, and can comfortably fit arch support inserts? Thanks!

Hola Zumba lovers! I do Zumba 4x a week. The best shoes I've found are Nike Free or Reebok Nano 2. They allow pivoting and side to side movements with ease. I'm flat footed so I use Dr. Scholl's® Active Series™ Insoles for arch support.

I work at a latin dance studio. Revolution dance sneakers are what I recommend. They have nice arch support, just enough grip and don't make you slip all over the floor. Good luck with finding what works for you

If you find it best in bare feet, might be wise to get something like this...
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_nkw=grip+socks

Have you tried warming up your feet for a couple of minutes before class?

Here are two exercises that I do nearly daily:

Sitting with your legs straight in front of you squeeze/curl your toes as if you are picking something up off the floor then push through the balls of your feet to point your toes. Repeat that ten times. Then reverse: (Flex curl point) again for 10 times.

Another good warm up: Standing with your feet about as far apart as yours shoulders. Lift your heels off the floor just a tiny bit then lower. Repeat 10 times. Then lift your heels all the way up to stand on the balls of your feet and lower your heels very slightly then return to the high point 10 times. Then lower your heels. Rise all the way up and roll your heels all the way down to the floor 10 times.

Hope this helps.

This post is almost a year old but there is excellent advice in here. I have high arches and a lot of body weight so I am currently searching for the right shoe. I feel like as long as I can move around and lose some weight, then my feet will hurt less. But in the meantime, in order to lose weight.... I have to hurt my feet. Haha... catch-22 of sorts.

Do you guys have any more recommendations? Ones that have a big toe box, and can comfortably fit arch support inserts? Thanks!

I have issues with plantar fasciitis, and ended up having to go with the New Balance W1540 that have a roll bar, and I use PowerStep Pro Tech inserts. This seems to be the perfect combination for me.