Where to Find BIG (Size 17+) Wrestling Shoes
Big wrestling shoes can be extremely difficult to find. About a year ago, I had an Athletic Director at a school in Minnesota reach out to me asking if I knew where they could find a pair of size 17 wrestling shoes for an athlete. This took "Rare" wrestling shoes to a whole new level, because after 10 years of collecting, the largest wrestling shoes I had ever seen were size 15.
Using the power of social media, I posted this on my instagram page, @rarewrestlingshoes.
After about a day, another collector (shout out to @annandale_mat_heat) reached out. We weren't able to find size 17, but we were able to find a pair of size 18 Asics Split Seconds. He donated these shoe the wrestler was able to have a pair of shoes that season. Although they were a size bigger than needed, that was better than them being too small! To date, these size 18s are still the largest wrestling shoes I've ever seen.
Finding Large (size 17+) Wrestling Shoes
I'm just going to be straightforward here when I say Good Luck.
A year after we found the size 18s, the same Athletic Director reached out to see if we could find another pair. And many others have contacted me for large shoes as well. I guess this story made it to a reddit thread somewhere that recommended contacting me.
Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever be able to track down a pair of size 17+ wrestling shoes. We refer to extremely rare shoes in this industry as "unicorns" because they don't exist. Anything larger than a size 16 would be considered one of those unicorns. However, I do have a few options that may meet your needs.
Options For Size 17, 18, and 19 Wrestling Shoes
Contact A Shoe Repair Shop
Some shoe repair shops may be able to build your wrestler a custom shoe from scratch.
Tough Sole Swaps actually did a custom pair of size 18s for a customer. The pair embedded below were custom size 18s and I believe sold for $280. There is likely some variance in this price depending on style and exact size, but this is the most solid bet to find wrestling shoes in a size 17+.
View this post on Instagram
I have owned a handful of shoes done by Tough Sole Swaps and they do very nice work and have pretty quick lead times on totally custom products compared to others!
Another shop I've worked with, Cronin Customs (link to his Instagram here), can build shoes from scratch. These shoes look and perform like any other wrestling shoe, and can be customized to really any colorway you'd like. One thing I will note is that these custom shoes typically will run around $500, so I'd expect them to be $600+ for something as large as a size 17, 18, or 19. I have personally used this company for everything from shoe repairs to custom shoes, so I can attest to the quality of their product.
Depending on your insurance and plan, something such as a custom pair of wrestling shoes may even be able to be written off, so that would be something to check into. If not, there's also a possibility your local wrestling club could help out. Although getting custom shoes is likely the most expensive option mentioned, this is likely the only way you'll find a pair of shoes that fits perfectly for your wrestler.
Stretching
A handful of brands make size 16 wrestling shoes. Adidas sells their newest of the Combat Speed line, Combat Speed 5s, for around $90 online. The great news with Adidas is that that typically fit a half-size big, and combats can easily be stretched. I currently wear a pair of 10s every day for practice, despite my normal shoe size being an 11. It can be uncomfortable at first, but after wearing the shoes for a week or two at practice, your feet will stretch them.
This option is typically only good for gaining a size. I highly doubt a wrestler with a size 18 foot would ever feel comfortable in a pair of size 16s.
To help alleviate some of the original discomforts, you can also try stretching them with a shoe horn. These can run you about $25, but can help stretch the shoes so they aren't as uncomfortable for the first few wears. If you're interested in this route, here's a link to amazon for the Combat Speed 5s.
If you aren't a fan of Combat Speeds, I've also been told the Adidas Mat Wizard 5s stretch easier than most shoes. I've also been told, that like most Adidas, they run slightly large. The Mat Wizard 5s can be found here on Amazon.
Contact Manufacturers
I don't know of any success stories with this, but one thing you may want to try is reaching out to shoe manufacturers. I have my doubts companies like Asics, Nike, or Adidas would create one-off wrestling shoes in a size 17, 18 or 19. I would try sellers on Alibaba or Aliexpress. These sites may take you straight to the source for overseas sellers that could handle custom orders.
Meet The Author
I'm Nolan Barger. I've been collecting wrestling shoes for over 15 years, and I'm the owner of Rare Wrestling Shoes Co. I've bought, sold, and traded more than 1000 pairs of shoes in these years and currently have around 150 pairs in my collection.
As my day job, I work for WebFX, a digital marketing agency headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I built this site to combine my love for digital marketing with my love for wrestling and wrestling shoes. My goal of it is to provide helpful information such as photos, price ranges, and more for those looking to learn more about the shoes they have or are looking for.
In my wrestling career, I was a PA state medalist and a 3x NCAA All-American for Lycoming College.
If you have any questions about wrestling shoes, please drop a comment below. I'll do my best to provide you with answers!
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hey I started wrestling my sophomore year and was a size 18 we tried to find shoes but could not find any. I have been using the Adidas combat 5s at a 16 or 17 and they aren’t too tight as they stretch very well. they have worked for me and we have bought multiple pairs.
Thanks for sharing this! Any insights where you can buy that size? I’ve even asked a few Adidas reps I know personally I’ve asked about these sizes but haven’t been able to find any for sale.
Appreciate you commenting with some info here!
I am looking for size 20 plus wrestling shoes and no football shoes. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I am a grandmother trying to help out a grand son who went from an overweight child to a 6 foot plus jock who needs shoes
Hi Sandra,
I would check out the people mentioned in the blog. I will be of no help tracking down shoes that large, but there are some people who may be able to custom make them.
Thanks,
Nolan
Check out @jay_flo78 and @bigfootwrestling on instagram they have some big shoes
Both have been in the game for years, and bigfoot is definitely the leader for size 12+, but I don’t think either have anything size 17 or bigger, and if so it’s pretty rare they do, which is what everyone reading this is looking for.
I have a freshman starting wrestling this year, he’s a size 18 and after much searching I’ve decided they don’t exist. I’m trying overseas sites that you recommended now. My question is what is the best alternative to a wrestling shoe that might work? thanks!
Hi there Lisa,
Check out Tough Sole Swaps on Instagram. On a recent post (here) they posted that they’re now doing size 18s. I’m sure they vary on price based on design, materials, exact size, etc, but I believe that pair was $280 and they were handmade from scratch. I have owned a few pair of their shoes. They do quality work and it’s the most solid lead I’ve seen on large shoes.
Other sport shoes with similar designs (boxing, lifting, and racing) don’t appear to make any size 17, 18, or 19 either.
Looking for size 18 wrestling shoes. He tried 16’s but they were too narrow. So at we are unable to find anything online. If you even have a direction for us to go, I’m all ears. I’ve tried Amazon, Wrestlingmart, ASICS, and Rudis.
Hi there Herb,
I would recommend checking out AliExpress. You can reach out to suppliers that are overseas there. That’s really the only place I can think of at this point. I’m not going to be much help tracking a pair down, they’re almost impossible to find.
If that doesn’t work, your only other options would really just be a custom pair, trying a stretching method, or just monitoring eBay daily for pair.
Sorry I’m not much help here other than what’s in the article. If you have any luck finding a pair or anything (or anyone reading this) I’d love if you could comment back. I’ve recieved at least 12 requests in the past year for these and simply put the shoes don’t really exist in these sizes.
Hello I need a size 17 wrestling shoe it’s my senior year and I worked so hard too pull my grades up too wrestle but I can’t find shoes anywhere please help
Hi Ryan,
I recommend trying to stretch a pair of size 16 Adidas. I’ve had a lot of people reach out and shoes size 17+ are like a needle in a haystack unfortunately. Best of luck this season!
do you know how to contact the person who you found the size 18 wrestling shoes for? Looking to see if they want to sell them.
Sorry I cannot give out customer data. I also know the shoes are no longer wearable as they had reached back out last year saying they were looking for another pair since they blew out.
Best,
Nolan
I am currently looking for size 20 or 21 wrestling shoes. I was lucky enough to find someone with 18s two seasons ago that we’ve been borrowing and my son’s wore them each season, but they are too small.
Hi Aimee,
In over a decade of collecting I’ve never seen a pair of wrestling shoes larger than a size 18. Size 17-18 are needles in a haystack, but size 20+ would be impossible to find I think. I would recommend reaching out to those referenced in this post like tough sole swaps now to see if a custom solution can be worked out before next season.
Best of luck – I’m hoping at some point a manufacturer of shoes sees this post and how many people are in need of them but unfortunately there isn’t much I can do here other than advocate for that.
-Nolan
Hello, after a long night of research I found your site. My son is a junior, this will be his first year wrestling. Unfortunately, he wears a size 18. I’m usually able to find him basketball sneakers instantaneously, but wrestling shoes or literally non existent in his size. I’m definitely looking for any assistance or connections finding him. I tried a link or your page for the shoe maker on Instagram but it was not present . Please, and thank you.
Hi there, I would reach out to suppliers on Alibaba and AliExpress.
The Instagram link is also updated if you wanted to check there!
Unfortunately other than the post I won’t be of any help for the “hunt” of larger shoes. I have had 5+ people reach out this season and have seen no luck. Aliexpress allows you to contact overseas suppliers, so it is likely the best bet without spending a ton of money.