Customer Reviews Onitsuka Tiger Tai Chi™

I was looking for the best shoes suited for martial mrts. After looking through some of my martial arts magazines, I realized that Asics has been worn by the best like Bruce Lee, for the last 40 years, so I chose these and I've been so happy with them. They are flexible and built to last. I wear them indoors on a carpeted area when I practice. They are awesome. And thank you Zappos, for fast and free shipping. You guys are the best.

These shoes are so cool! They weigh next 2 nothing and they are super stylish as well they look great with any kind of pant! Very comfortable and cool!

Perfect Tai Chi Shoe - I have been playing Tai Chi for 16 years now and this is the best shoe I have ever tried. It is the best shoe for establishing an excellent root and is great for turns and twists.

Mexico 66's that I bought with these fit perfect at 6.5 (half size smaller than I usually go). These are still about a half size long. Feel slightly narrow on my wide feet but that is to be expected. Depending on how these stretch I'd get sixes next time. At the bottom of the heel it is cut in pretty far so I instantly had wear above the sole on the heel. Really soft leather though and a nice looking shoe.

These are very stylish shoes. They are nice shoes for a night out on the town. They took a little getting used to. The sole is slimmer than I am used to. They are not for using athletically. They should be used only as a pure fashion statement.

Ever so slightly disappointed - I had high expectations and was just slightly disappointed. I bought the shoes for doing tai chi, and in one practice space, (a karate studio with carpeted matting) they have too much tread for good turns. In another space, with no carpet, they are fine. A bit clunkier than they look in the picture.

I usually love Asics, but these shoes did not work for me. I bought them for martial arts (Kenpo Karate) but they are certainly not designed for any other martial art besides Tai Chi. The rubber grip is just too much traction for pivoting and shuffling footwork. They are very comfortable, but seem flimsy and do not breathe well. Thankfully Zappos makes returns easy!

These are great "styling" shoes. People complain that there is no support and that rough trails and stones hurt their feet. Really? These and the Mexico 66 were designed for wood, clay, grasstex, volcanic ash, or compacted dirt tracks! These are not shoes to run through the woods, or run on uneven surfaces, or run on your heels! In the day these were referred to as "flats". You ran on the balls of your feet. not heel and toe for 10k. These and the Mexico 66's I have are great on the indoor track I use, and look good with jeans. As I recall, they didn't last all that long (like none ever lasted through the indoor season) but you got another pair. If you're looking for a long distance, run through the mud shoe...this ain't it. Resign yourself to the multi-lacing system, gel-filled, stabilized, multi-colored, water and sweat weeping nylon "silly boots". You know, the kind I see on folks running through town, against the traffic, while checking their huge black watches, wearing sweat bands in the rain-snow-blazing heat and running in place at a stop light. These and the Mexico 66 harken back to a simpler era...they're great (and Uma Thurman ran and jumped through a lot of blood and body parts in Yellow Kill Bill Tai Chi's...and looked great doing it too!).

Continues to be a great shoe. Thin sole, flat, flexible. It is relatively narrow, so it gives mild wrap-around arch support through lacing up rather than from a physical arch. Gum rubber-like outsole has excellent traction on wood floors and other indoor surfaces. So, at base, this is an excellent, albeit somewhat narrow, all-around gym shoe. This can be a good all-around martial arts shoe...depending on your particular activity. The relative stickiness of the sole will be welcome by many, but probably not by those whose practice involves a lot of fast, weighted turns or spins. That said, I have worn this model (in white) for years. I do several hours of tai chi a day, almost all outside, and often wear the shoes as general use shoes throughout the day. I like the quasi-minimalist feel. For me, the shoe is not quite in the "barefoot" category because it is a bit stiffer than, say, my Merrell Trail Gloves 2, and its toe box is pretty standard width, not as ample as the Merrell's or similar barefoot shoes. Because I wear these for outdoor practice and general daily use, the gum sole could wear out quickly, especially at the heel. My solution has been to proactively use Shoe Goo across the rear of the sole, in the heel area, and to repeat as needed to prevent the heel area from wearing down. As you can see, I must like the feel of these shoes a lot to go through this degree of maintenance! I have generally rotated three pairs through mostly daily use. With the help of a Shoe Goo touch-up every month or two overnight, the shoes last several years. (Sorry for the length of this review, but I thought more detail might be useful to some!) Last comment or two: The leather uppers are soft and will conform to your foot and don't seem to wear out. However, they can get a bit warm in a warm climate. I find it helpful to air out the shoes after each use to minimize odor. In sum, this is a useful MA shoe or gym shoe. It is like a low cut version of a classic wrestling or boxing shoe. I have a fairly narrow foot, so the narrow last suits me fine; for others, perhaps not so. The sole is perhaps too sticky for a lot of indoor spinning turns. It also be a bit slippery on wet outdoor surfaces. Last, although I tend to dress in varying degrees of drab, I really like the color of these shoes -- and, for what it's worth, they are, with one difference, the shoes Uma Thurman wore in the Kill Bill in the Crazy 88 restaurant scene. I did notice that hers had a different outsole pattern and perhaps different rubber composition. Now, if I could only find that Hatori Hanzo sword.

The Tiger by Asics is remarkably light and flexible; just what one would want for Tai Chi. This shoe provides the security that is needed by preventing one's feet from slipping on a wood practice floor yet allows quick weight transfer and foot alignment when changing positions. The shoe was a bit grippy at first but improved with continued wear.

These shoes are ridiculously flexible and comfortable, with a fairly roomy toebox. they are not great on slick surfaces when wet (e.g. wet hardwood or tiled floors) as they slip around fairly easily, but they are great walking, driving, and tai chi shoes!

Great shoe for Tai Chi! This shoe has no support and very little cushioning- it is for Tai Chi. Totally flat on the bottom. I must say it is very fashionable!

Great service, as usual, very fast shipping. Shoe is as described; they remind of my wrestling shoes from the '80's. These have minimal arch support which is fine for me as I have flat feet. Shoes are extremely light and comfortable.

I love these shoes. They are minimalist for sure. If you need arch support, find another shoe. But if you want something light weight, with a thin sole, look no further. When walking I can feel cracks and rocks. I actually used these to run for a few months before getting vibrams. This look way better than vibrams, and offer good ground feel.

Love these shoes! They feel very light and comfortable. They are great as miminalist running shoes. They give you a sense of the ground next to acutally being barefoot. I use them to dance and run.

I use it as a minimal running shoe. Ran a half marathon, no problem-just be forewarned, it is very minimal--almost no cushioning, so start slowly and build up-your achilles tendons will thank you for your patience. Nice looking.

I use it as a minimal running shoe. Ran a half marathon, no problem - just be forewarned, it is very minimal. Almost no cushioning, so start slowly and build up your Achilles tendons will thank you for your patience. Nice looking.

My former shoes I used for my Tai Chi lessons squeaked! My instructor always teased me. So I bought these amazing Onitsuka shoes and not only do they fit to size, they don't squeak! Now I can hear my instructor's shoes -- I tell him that I was covering for him all along. Great service.

I love these shoes. Very comfortable. No arch support, which is what I wanted. I ordered the men\'s 7.5 which equated to a women\'s 9 and they fit great.

These shoes are so light weight and comfortable and perfect for Tai Chi. I love them. Have to keep myself from wearing them all the time.

The shoes arrive quickly and fit very well: great quality, at a good price, and in my size "14" - which had been a real difficulty to find. I had been using kung fu slippers, and was not getting the balance that I needed. The shoes truly helped!

I bought these shoes for my Tai Chi class. They are exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a shoe with a thin sole, where I could feel the ground, with no arch support. These are comfortable, a bit roomy width-wise, but fine. The toe box will wrinkle a little, but Tai Chi shoes do that, so I don't mind at all. They are very good-looking shoes, and great for Tai Chi.

I love these shoes! I bought them for my husband and myself. We are transitioning to mostly barefoot living. Luckily I can wear these to work, I work in a grocery store and am on my feet over eight hours a day. My husband wears them at home and out and also loves them. Highly recommend. We both get compliments on the style, too. Just wish they came in more color combinations!

Great shoe. Very, very comfortable just for walking around, but I use them for running. They're a great minimalist shoe, zero height differential between heel and toe and no arch support or heel box. The way I like it. Very flexible. Note that the leather will stretch a little. I normally wear size 11, but I think I could have gone 10.5 in these and been fine after a couple weeks.

These sneakers are a great minimalist shoe! I hate arch supports, developed heels and all the other junk shoved into sneakers that are supposed to "Help" us walk or run. These shoes have none of that junk. They have a perfectly flat sole with a good rubber grip. The leather is soft and comfortable and easy to clean. I use them as my standard sneaker/walking shoe. They are very comfortable, flexible and have great road feel. Your foot can move and flex in them freely. The sole could be a little more durable. Again, these are a walking shoes for me, but I feel that if I tried to jog 40 miles a week in these, they couldn't take the abuse. That being said, if you're looking for a comfortable minimalist sneaker, you've found them! I highly recommend the Onitsuka Tiger by Asics.