KickChick Posted June 18, 2002 Posted June 18, 2002 The ideas of distance to the target and making contact are also something worth considering. The distance is more difficult to control when you have a shoe on. The feeling of making contact with the bare foot during training is better for providing physical feedback to you when you kick. We use some different muscles of the foot and ankle when wearing nothing on the feet. These small muscles help control minor adjustments in balance when standing on the floor. To appreciate the role of these small muscles, try standing on one foot for several minutes. You should notice that you make very minor adjustments with your foot/ankle to keep your balance. This is similar to the way a cat uses its tail for balance when walking across a thin wall or tree branch. "Sticking" to the floor may sometimes be a problem when training barefoot on mats. But this is often much more of a problem with shoes on. While the shoe may offer some additional support for the ankle, the added sensitivity in the nerves of the foot while training barefoot may further reduce risk of injury from slipping or sticking.
Ti-Kwon-Leap Posted June 18, 2002 Posted June 18, 2002 Great points KickChick! Balancing barefoot on padded mats is even more difficult. Before each class I stand on one leg at a time for several minutes to get my "land legs" acclimated to the training to come. As far as shoes are concerned, If anyone has ever tried doing roundhouse kicks on carpeted floors while wearing sneakers which tend to grip like velcro, well you learn to pick the pivoting foot up ever so slightly or risk painfully twisting your hip, ankle or leg. Ouch. _________________ "It is not enough to aim, you must hit." -Italian Proverb [ This Message was edited by: Ti-Kwon-Leap on 2002-06-18 16:37 ] Ti-Kwon-Leap"Annoying the ignorant since 1961"
Martial_Artist Posted June 24, 2002 Posted June 24, 2002 Personally, I think you should train both ways. Barefoot, to condition your foot for martial arts. Shoes, to further that conditioning. I don't know about anyone else, but I have yet to get into a street fight barefoot. Usually I am fully dressed. However, I once had a fight in a locker room when I was totally naked...but that's better left alone. You can't be complete without doing a bit of both. Your feet have to know how to move and balance on their own, ie barefoot. And they also have to know how to do that with shoes on. So a balanced training program is best. 2 cents "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.Imagination is more important than knowledge.Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." Einstein
KickChick Posted June 24, 2002 Posted June 24, 2002 Yes I agree Martial_Artist ... I mentioned that very same thing in my post earlier on first page. I do believe training should be done on all terrains (outside on concrete, grass, sand) and styles of footwear or clothes (or not! ) Wow .... enrollment would sure climb wouldn't it? _________________ KarateForums Sensei 1st dan Tae Kwon Do (ITF) Cardio/Fitness Kickboxing Instr. [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2002-06-24 14:05 ]
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