Freet 4+1 barefoot shoes for parkour

Parkour is one of the most versatile way of movement. It's also very intense, and usually our feet do most of the job, so a pair of proper shoes is essential. But choosing the right gear is a hard task, since we usually seeking for the precise feeling of pure barefoot, the safety of good running shoes, and durability as well. In this review i'll write about Freet shoes, in the most honest way i can.


I've been training parkour for quite a couple of years now, and tried many kind of footwear. I started with regular running shoes, but they were stiff and heavy, so after a while i tried the Feiyue martial arts shoes. Many tracers recommend those, since they're flexible, fairly comfortable, and relatively cheap (i use them as a comparison, since many of you probably already know them). But i also trained a lot without shoes, and i loved the feeling so much, that i never liked putting my shoes back on. And last spring i had the opportunity to try the Freet Stride 4+1 out for the first time. It was a different world! I already wrote about it here (i recommend checking it out if you're interested), so now let's just stay with parkour!

Firstly, these are absolutely minimalist shoes! If you don't know how to jump, land, or even run properly, you're on a good way to destroy your joints. But if you do care about technique, they'll help releasing the full potential of your body, and they're probably safer than most running shoes.
You'll feel everything under your feet: cracks, stones, rails, loose surfaces, etc. But at the same time, they somehow let you do harder stuff than with Feiyues. Or at least it's my experience: landings are many times smoother with these, i can easily do jumps i'd never dare doing in Feiyues, but interestingly the sole of Freets is thinner and even harder.

Their flexibility is excellent! Doing precisions, rail balancing, climbing, etc. are surprisingly easy, my feet put themselves just where i imagined. However if i accidentally ruined a precision jump by not landing exactly on the balls, it did hurt a lot on sharp edges! Again, technique is key!

The other important thing for us, is grip. Well, i must admit, they aren't very good on some surfaces... Especially during their first few days while the treads are sharp, they feel a bit slippery even on concrete! Feiyue's soles are so soft, they flow around every crack, but these are made of a little harder compound, so you won't stick to everything as good. Or at least not for a couple of days, because once they got a little worn, they'll feel great again! On natural surfaces (ground, rocks, wood, etc.) they're probably the far best i've ever tried, also on rails or other, relatively clean surfaces. But if the concrete is a little crumbly, they'll just scrape down the upper layers.
However, these harder soles also mean that they're a lot more durable than those yellow rubber ones... They just won't give up after a few bad cat leaps, or some weeks of running.
Also, these shoes have roughly the same amount of grip in every direction, what is really useful for horizontal wallruns, changing directions, etc.

After all these technical things, let's see how they actually do their job!

Running is just as easy as barefoot, without being afraid of stepping on sharp stuff.
Jumping is really powerful with them, probably because of the wide toe-box, and the relatively thin sole. I'll measure it, but i think these definitely increase jumping height.
Landings are smooth, the feedback from the ground is really quick. But i wouldn't recommend too high impact movements, barefoot shoes are not suitable for that anyways.
Wall-runs aren't their speciality, but again, with correct technique it can't be a problem.
Balancing is super easy, you can even grab the rails with your toes if you want to.
Climbing is awesome, you'll know everything under your feet.

Stability is also a good point. Feiyue's soles are curved, so you need to be aware of your ankle all the time. It can be a useful feature, but in extreme situations when every little thing matters, it's bad, or even dangerous. Freets have pretty naturally shaped soles, so you won't roll your ankle (at least not because of your unstable shoes).
This stability also plays a significant role in accelerating! Since their front part isn't round (or even worse: pointy), they let you to put all your power into running, and you won't have to worry about "balancing". I've been wearing Feiyues for years, and never even thought about it, but this foot-shaped toe-box do make a big difference.

And the most important thing in my opinion, is the overall feeling when you move: they feel like gloves on your foot, every movement is smooth, precise, and really powerful. They're agile, you'll just run and forget about everything behind you. And i think, this is the best feeling in parkour.


But after all these positive things i have to share the bad ones, too.

Most of their models have their soles made of two different compounds. And we tracers all know, what happens to these glued treads after a few slip-offs... It's not that bad, i usually lose only the two smallest pieces, but still... it could be avoided. Fortunately not every models are made like this, and newer ones are coming with single-piece soles.

Climbing on rails can by tricky. Nothing serious, but you have to keep in mind, that your big toe lives a different life from the others. So QM and vertical pole-climbing is a new challenge. Not necessarily harder, but different.

The first few precision landings were a bit strange, because i somehow managed to step with one feet on the other's edge. I guess, it was just a bad habit that came from the old shoes, it never happened to me since then.

If it rains, don't even try to run up on trees. Trust me, it won't work ;)


All in all, i love these shoes, and can honestly recommend them to every tracers. Probably wouldn't be the best choice for really high drops on concrete, but who's already on that level, knows it.

Oh yes, one more thing: the price. Feiyues are really cheap, that's why many of us use those. Freets have a lot better quality, so you can guess, they're quite expensive just to destroy them in a few months. But (and here comes the smooth advertisement :D) this code gives 30% discount on every products from the official website:
Gyorgy
http://freet.uk/

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask me! I also started a test/comparison video-series, what i'll expand in time, you can watch it here:

Thank you for reading, train safe and have fun! ;)

Freet footwear - First impressions

Anyone who has seen my videos or knows me personally can tell, how much i love being barefoot: at home, on training, even during everyday activities. Simply this is what i like, it gives me freedom, comfort, and also challenge. But unfortunately sometimes the "challenge" part is too hard, so i must wear shoes. I've had tries with regular running shoes, or with Chinese martial arts/parkour shoes (this one was quite good), but still, i rather left them home.

But this spring i had the chance to test the Freet shoes from the UK, which seemed exciting even for the first look! In this article i'll write about them, trying my best to be as honest as possible. I waited several months with this review, because i think it doesn't make sense after two uses to shout out how good or bad something is. This is not a "scientific" test yet, just some storytelling :D

Their main feature isn't a difficult question: their nose is different from regular shoes, because the big toe got a separated socket! The reason for this is to let our feet work as they're supposed to: not squeezed with the pointy shoes, not closed in a stiff box, but freely, using our great anatomy. (Other brands have five-fingered versions too, of course everything has its advantages and disadvantages)

The company have many different models, so it doesn't make sense to write about the specific looks, but they seemed to be very good quality products when i first grabbed them. Nice seams, good quality materials, it isn't that trumpery category at all, what i've experienced even with many expensive shoes.
The sole is thin, very flexible, and what is really important: it has zero drop (no heels). This is essential for proper running and walking techniques.

The Stride model has a quick lace system, which is a very good idea in my opinion. It's flexible, so it won't squeeze your feet, but strong enough to give a good fit. And it doesn't get loosened up by the undergrowth! :)
Of course it has a bunch of technology names too for shock-absorption, breathing, blah blah blah... They all sound cool, but firstly we don't know how the shoes feel without them, and every brand has their own stuff. So let's just stay with the practical side!

Most people will probably use them for long-distance running, but i can't tell much about it. The longest run i've ever done with these was about 10km. I rarely run longer distances: for me, cycling is the endurance sport, parkour is where i use my feet. And that is closer to sprinting than to long-distance. But in respect of shoes there isn't really a big difference: what is good for sprinting, jumping, climbing, hiking, that will be good for running "slowly", too.

Taking them on for the first time was a bit strange, but i learned its trick quickly.
My first impression was that "they want me to run". They feel like gloves on my foot, which are soft, breezy, very comfortable, but i still feel the power on my soles.
In the first couple of days i felt them a bit slippery on concrete, but after the sharpest treads got some wear, i already felt the rapid movements a lot safer. On natural surfaces (ground, mud, wood, grass, rocks, etc...) they have very good grip, often a lot better than barefoot!
I was a bit worried that since i wear them without socks, they'll cause blisters or any injuries from longer trainings, but nothing! They fit very well on the foot, their inside is made pretty nicely: i couldn't reach even the thought of any injuries, no matter the rain and mud, or heat and dust.
They breathe very well, it's actually windy in there while running :D
Of course i don't get as much information from the ground as without them, but i've already had some experiences with other "barefoot" shoes, and these give the best ground feeling so far.
They're also really lightweight, the biggest difference from barefoot is that it doesn't hurt when i step on sharp stones. The model in the picture is size 46, and weighs 475g. Meanwhile a pair of Feiyue, what i used to believe crazy lightweight, is 695g.

The advantage (or most of the time, disadvantage) of parkour is, that it gives so huge torment for shoes, like probably no other sports. I've been wearing them for more than half a year, and they turned out a lot better than i expected or ever experienced! In a similar period of time other shoes got holes or cracks on their soles, slits on their nose and sides, tears on their seams... But i was training through all the summer without getting any signs of injuries. I do hundreds of jumps in a training, they get a lot of landing, climbing, sliding, but i have no problem with them. It was autumn already when they started to show some signs of dying.

I wear size 46 with regular shoes, and with these as well. Just perfect, for this kind of movement this is what i need, to fit just right. But for longer runs or hikes, or even casual wear i'd recommend a size larger, to have all the toes as free as possible.
The Stride model has an additional removable insole (i don't use them), so it can help finding the perfect fit. And of course wearing or not wearing socks also makes a difference.

But that's enough of compliments, let me write the negative things what i've found so far!
The first one is the sole. I don't know why they think it's a good idea, but many brands make their soles from multiple pieces. In this case, half of the treads are made of a different coloured material. Regular runners probably never found it a problem, but during parkour i often meet with sharp things, and a bad move or some slide can start ripping them of. It doesn't disturb me, i can't even feel the difference when they fell off (i only lost the two smallest one), but it could've been avoided by giving up the cool colourful soles for durability. Fortunately not every model got these kind of soles, and this issue was also considered during the planning of newer ones.
The other problem is, that i somehow managed to rip the sole apart at the slit between the big toe and the large toe box. It was mostly accidental, and even if i did the same thing again, it never happened since then with other models. I asked the company, there were only a few similar cases in their history, so i was just unlucky.
In the picture you can see, that the left one is a bit messier: torn seam, fluffy lace, missing lace hook, and even a rivet is damaged. Well, these are all because of a crash, when i landed on the upper part of my feet on a bench... :D
What isn't really a problem, but sometimes i need to pay a little attention to how i walk in deep grass, because of the slit between my toes. But firstly it wasn't hard to learn after those many years of barefoot training, and secondly it's so romantic when it takes me flowers! :D
If i don't wear socks for them, after a few months they can smell a bit, but it's easy to wash them, so not a big problem.

All in all, i love these shoes! If i go home after a 3+ hours long training, or from a whole day of walking, i still don't have the urge to kick them off finally. They're only a layer of protection on my foot, and this is exactly what i look for in shoes. Every movement is very precise with them, they're very quick, it's really good to run and jump with them. I even wear them in places where i could be barefoot!

I can recommend these for anyone who is looking for comfortable and healthy shoes, even if sometimes people give strange looks when they see them. (Most of them like it!)
But it's important to never wear them without learning the correct techniques, because that could cause injuries. After a lifetime of wearing padded shoes it's a good idea to start wearing them gradually.

And for those who are really interested in them, this code gives 30% discount on every products from the official website:
Gyorgy30
http://freet.uk/

I'll continue making further tests and reviews, but feel free to ask me anything about them!

Also, here you can see the playlist of tests and comparisons: