Tech Fall 2.0s, the 2017 Warriors of Shoes

Sometimes you get excited for a thing, and the anticipation gets to these levels that makes it tough for the thing to be as cool as you thought that thing was going to be. It could be a movie, where the trailer has all the cool parts in it, so then you leave the theatre with this sense of being robbed of your time and money. It could be a video game, where you buy it, and the gameplay is slow, and the story drags, and you realize that you spent $60 on something you’ll never use. It could be a roller coaster, where you spend an hour and a half waiting in the line, only to find out the coaster is 40 seconds long, and not very thrilling, and some money fell out of your pocket during the ride, and it just totally sucked. That is not what happened with the Tech Fall 2.0s. This was the even more unique and exciting experience of having lofty expectations for a thing, and then having the thing completely outperform those expectations. It’s like when the Golden State Warriors brought Kevin Durant to a team that had won 71 games the year before. Expectations were high, and they followed through on those expectations by winning the NBA title in dominant fashion two years in a row. That’s what the experience of finally getting to try these shoes out was like.

Initially, these shoes were going to come out in July, but due to COVID-19 related issues, the release was delayed. It’s only human nature (at least for me) for the anticipation levels to go up due to the unforeseen delay. So then I found out the other day that the shoes are coming, and then they arrived, and I’m at peak levels of excitement. My first thought when opening the box, was that these are some of the nicest looking wrestling shoes I’ve seen. The sleak three stripes on the outside of the shoe, along with the traditional Adidas sign on the inside, make for a stunningly handsome shoe. The whole “look good, feel good, wrestle good” theory is one that I subscribe to. This is subjective, as most things in fashion are, but these shoes can’t be denied in their appearance. I went with the red, which is bright and striking alongside the white of the shoes, and the brown of the grip on the bottom. The blue is equally as striking, and each stands out in a very cool way. The third color scheme, the black stripes and trim, are reminiscent of the white and black Kendall Cross Adistar’s, but a more modern version of them. Let’s talk about something with a little more relevance though.

The feel of the shoe is great! It fits tightly on the foot, but without being too tight and uncomfortable. The outside wraps the foot nicely, and feels substantial, in its ability to protect the ankles. The ankle support doesn’t come at the expense of mobility though. Having the same material wrap the entire upper portion of the shoe allows for fluidity in motion, and the breathable mesh is the perfect combination of lightweight, and strength. The material is fortified on the inside, but without adding any bulk or discomfort. This shoe is very simple in its construction, and that simplicity allows for it to be very light weight, which is easy to notice quickly. I’ve only had these for a short time, but you can tell that it has integrity in its construction, and that these will remain durable for quite some time. Most of the weight is stored in the base of the shoe. This shoe has the same grip and base of the Varners, as well as the same construction on the bottom. If grip that wraps the side of the shoe is what you’re looking for, then this certainly provides that. The biggest difference with the Tech Fall 2.0s from the Varners, is going to be in the weight (these feel much lighter), and where they lace on the foot. These come up a little lower on the ankle than the Varners. Also like the Varners, this shoe has the lace guard built into the tongue of the shoe. The tongue of the Tech Fall 2.0s is a little thicker than the Varners as well. 

Tech Fall 2.0s are the shoe for people who want a lightweight shoe, with plenty of mobility, and the maximum level of grip. Get em at adidaswrestling.com, and use Promo Code Blood20 to get 20% off. Overall, this is a great shoe, which really delivered on my expectations. I like the look and feel of these. I like how you feel confident in your foot placement on the mat while wearing these. I like how I can tie them just at the ankle, and have excellent ankle mobility, and overall flexibility. I like how I can clean my basement and spend a whole afternoon walking around in them and still feel comfortable. A lot of things in life fall short of expectations, especially when those expectations are so high, but these came through. These are like when KD went to the Warriors, and dominated their way through the regular season and playoffs, with KD becoming the best version of himself that anyone had seen. That’s what these are. They are when something seems like it’s going to be amazing, then they are. These are going to be my go to shoe for quite some time.