Train with soft shoes and perform with stiffer ones

It is a well known fact that the recommendation for the beginner is to get the stiffest shoe possible. The reason for this is that it is very tiring to stand on small edges with big sized shoes and that the beginners seldom put the shoes high up just on friction. What is more surprising is that also more advanced climbers and some top athletes prefers stiff shoes. The best explanation is probably that once wearing a stiff shoe, you do not build up the muscle strength in the feet to be comfortable with a softer one. At the same time, Adam Ondra challeng himself with soft shoes and his 9a and harder #100, which was a vertical 25 meter route, he actually used one of the softest shoes on the market, the Speedster. It might be a good idea to start training with a very soft shoe for a month to build up more strength which probably will change your preferences a bit. In theory, the most advanced climbers stand higher up with their feet and also using smaller edges or just friction. Further more, while you are onsighting and flashing and do not have the same amount of time for exact precision, it might be better to go for the softer one. It should also be mentioned that the smaller the size, the stiffer the shoes get, meaning that especially the kids, climbing mainly indoor, should opt for the softest shoes available to get the best training. If you are 80+ kilos with Goofy size shoes, you can forgot what you just read and just go for the stiffest shoes possible :)