I design wrestling shoes for a living. What do you wish brands understood better?

Hey everyone, figured I’d introduce myself a bit.

I’m Connor. I wrestled growing up, coached for several years, and now I design wrestling shoes full time. I’m the guy behind Nidrogen and Funky Flickr Boyz footwear.

I spend a lot of time talking with athletes, but honestly some of the best feedback I’ve ever gotten has come from random conversations in rooms like this. Wrestlers notice details that never show up in surveys or product reviews.

So I’m curious:

• What’s something wrestling shoes get wrong? • What matters most to you? Grip, weight, durability, ankle support, feel? • What’s the best shoe you’ve ever worn and why?

Not here to sell anything, just genuinely interested in hearing what people think and learning from it. I’m always happy to answer questions about shoe design or how they’re actually made too if anyone’s curious.