shoes or no shoes?

[Kato]

I have trained barefoot and with Karate shoes and I have to say that I prefer using the shoes. IMHO there is no real benefit to going barefoot, all it does is place unnecessary stress on your ankles and knees and leaves you open to things like planters warts. My sensei wears them and so does about half the people in the dojo. However this type of thing really comes down to personal preference and what the individual is most comfortable with.

[SaiFightsMS]

Jiggy the martial arts sneakers that I have worn are made of light weight thin leather. They have thin rubber soles. The sole is also much narrower than on standard sneakers or street shoes. They fit very closely to the foot.

 

I carry mine to class in my bag. And even when I wear heavier sneakers I have a pair designated as my karate shoes. And those are never worn outside.

 

For the most part I have allways trained on a either a hard wood floor or lineoleum over concrete. I think if I had ever trained on mats or a padded surface I would have transitioned out of the shoes.

 

One thing that often gets over looked is the tradition among the Japanese, Okinawans and Koreans of not wearing shoes inside their dwellings period. So for them removing the shoes upon entering the training hall was a natural thing to do.

 

When you look at Chinese style you will notice that many of them wear shoes. It is the difference in their culture. They do not, as a general rule, remove shoes upon entering the home.

 

 

[Jiggy9]

Thanks Sai - I know what youre talking about now!

 

 

[SBN Doug]

Another aspect, from my art's point of view, is that we also have numerous pressure point attacks where we use our toes. Can't manage that even with the thin workout shoes.

 

We do allow the thin workout shoes, esspecially if the person is physically in need of them. However, as I think Kickchick said, they must where them ONLY inside. Other shoes are worn to the Dojang and then they change. We do a lot of falling for techniques, and it would be gross if we had to practice falling where outside shoes were always worn.

[Pacificshore]

I feel that if you wear shoes 90% of the time, then why not train in them. Yes, it is important to have a pair that is designated for the dojo and no where else for all the safety and sanitary purposes. Plus in my opinion, I've seen where someone who is wearing shoes during training has less tendency to pull kicks when doing shield work.

[ZeRo]

i think it depends on what you do. if you do grappling then i dont think you need shoes. if your doing other things like TKD then i think shoes could be a good idea.

[SaiFightsMS]

Thinking of training on mats hmmm, there are some people who would do a great service to their classmates if they would ----errr ummmm wash their feet before class.

 

You know what I mean don't you? I will never forget the smell of dirty feet associated with the old gymnasitic mats when I was in high school. And there are times when you catch the kick of a sparring partner and then immediately wish you hadn't.

 

 

[spinninggumby]

I usually wear those light Adidas TKD shoes which are like $60 but I think they are a worthy investment. Training without shoes is actually easier because you can pivot and you have more grip and traction I suppose so I guess it just depends on how you look at it. Foot positioning for kicks and certain traditional drills and techniques and forms may be best performed barefoot but when street training it's good to be kind of realistic and wear your street shoes (even preferable over martial arts shoes). Also, if you can move and kick fast and well with the extra weight of those 10 pound combat boots, think of how much faster you will be when you take them off, LOL.

[SBN Doug]

Pacificshore,

 

I wasn't quite complete in my statement. I agree with you that everyone should train in shoes, on uneven ground, on asphalt, etc. so you're prepared for out on the street. I only mean inside the dojang we don't allow shoes, except in special cases.

[Ti-Kwon-Leap]

I don't even want to think about Master Shin would do to me if I walked in wearing anything on my feet!

 

_________________

 

"It is not enough to aim, you must hit."

 

-Italian Proverb

 

[ This Message was edited by: Ti-Kwon-Leap on 2002-06-18 14:19 ]