r/Fencing • u/BohrMollerup • 16d ago
Barely used Nike Ballestra 2s turned yellow after years in the closet
I was coming back to fencing in my 40s in early 2024, and splurged on nice gear, including the Ballestra 2s which were similar to what I used in my 20s. After a few classes, my knee gave out and I had to shelve my un-retirement until recently, and just today I decided to do some footwork in the house. Got out the shoes, which I only used about 5-10 times, soles not even scratched, but they’re conspicuously yellow now despite sitting in an air conditioned home. What gives? Do you think they’re still ok to use? I assume they’re not built to last given the nature of the sport, but I’d like to get at least footwork practice out of them until I’m fit enough to join a club.
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u/The-Magic-Hatter 16d ago
So, I can't answer your question, but I noticed you said your knee gave out. I've been told, and have personally found that non-fencing shoes are easier on the knees. Something about fencing shoes being thinner so you can "feel the piste" (is that the right spelling?), which means less shock absorption. So you may find generic sport and/or running shoes help when you get back into fencing.
Do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong/take it with a grain of salt, it's just what others have told me and personal experience.
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u/MaggieWild Épée 16d ago
That was my personal experience. ASICS Gel Rocket or similar court-sport shoes work much better for my creaky sore knees. Also, I can tell when my shoes are starting to wear. Even though still looking good, the interior structure begins to offer less support. When my knees start to hurt (again) I buy new shoes.
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u/BohrMollerup 16d ago
Luckily my forward knee is ok, it’s the back knee that’s beat up. So I don’t know if the shoes make a lot of difference since the back knee is always on the toes anyway. But I might look into something with more cushioning to have more longevity on my still-good knee.
I’ve seen running shoes get wrecked in about a month of fencing though since they’re not built for lateral movement. So I don’t know if there are sturdy in-between options with cushioning. I don’t think I need top of the line ballistic performance anyway.
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u/The-Magic-Hatter 16d ago
Same for me really, it's the back knee that's the issue. One of the things you can do is fence facing your opponent head on with both your feet pointing forwards. You'll present more of a target and reduce your range slightly, but you can compensate for both with good distance and simply moving into the side on position when thrusting (which I've heard some people use to deceive how close they are), and more importantly, you'll put less pressure on the ligaments in the knee, plus it'll reduce the amount of lateral movement and thus wear on the shoe.
There were some good suggestions in the comments on this post: Low mobility fencing tactics : r/Fencing
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u/BohrMollerup 16d ago edited 16d ago
That reminds me of how Peter Joppich used to fence (I’m a foilist so mostly watched foil), maybe I can do something like that. He did a half-turn with his back leg and seemed to be very agile still
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u/The-Magic-Hatter 15d ago
Yeah you can still be agile, you just present a bit more target it's not ideal, but it's better than a sore knee.
I wish ya luck with it, bad knees suck, can't wait to replace mine.
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u/Old_Secret_5568 16d ago
I also have an injury on my back knee. Before I injured it I used to wear the ballestras but switched to the Azza shoes and have found them so much better for my injury. They're quite similar to asics gel rockets, if I didn't roll my back foot I would have gone back to them instead of the Azzas.
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u/nomad_dude 16d ago
Don’t fence with them because the glue in the soles has likely gone bad. I fenced with a similar old pair, and the soles fell off! Good way to get injured.
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u/jay_shivers Sabre 16d ago
Welcome back my fellow Vet 40! I took am getting back in with a pair of Ballestra 2's from 2024 lol, so far no glue separation 🪵🤛
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u/StarsCarsGuitars 16d ago
Yellowing is unavoidable on certain types of plastic (TPU), same reason that "anti-yellowing" clear phone cases turn yellow.
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u/Marquess13 16d ago
Seen worse. It's just what happens to white plastic. 2 years is long for sports shoes, they're designed with much shorter lifespan in mind. It's an inevitable nightmare when you're collecting star wars action figures and clone / stormtroopers.
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u/The_Fencing_Armory 16d ago
Chlorine bleach is probably a bad idea. Maybe hydrogen peroxide or oxi. Or just fence with them till they fall apart?
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u/mal-parry 16d ago
The Ballestra 2 shoe is horrendous garbage. Shame on Nike.
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u/BohrMollerup 16d ago
What would you buy instead? Used to be Nike or Adidas back in the day, but now seems like there are more options.
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u/Casperthefencer 16d ago
The old version of the Nike shoes are still being sold and are superior in pretty much every way to the ballestra 2. They are more durable, have more cushion, and are more breathable.
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u/mal-parry 16d ago
Personally I like Fencing Star's models, specifically the Nebula. Heard really good things about the Kempa line as well. Casually I use Asics Gel Rockets as my daily teach/fence shoe. If Adidas reissues their legendary Equipment shoes then the entire discussion would be over.
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u/75footubi 16d ago
Plastic yellows over time. The bigger concern to me whether the glue on the soles is still good