Just curious, why do you have to take off your socks in

[ps1]

If you have diabetes you should wear something on your feet.

This is an excellent point. I would suggest a martial arts shoe that can be bought through most MA suppliers.

[bushido_man96]

If you have diabetes you should wear something on your feet.

Never thought about this. Not a scenario I have encountered yet. Good question!

[masterintraining]

karate dojos usually have smooth wooden floors. if you wear socks you're gonna slip over. you can grip the floor a lot better without socks. plus, in all honesty, you look a bit stupid in a gi and socks.

wait !!!! we where are socks with are uniforms.

[wheeze]

i am diabetic but train barefooted. i do not break boards anymore with my feet as i do not want to injure them. if you are diabetic you have to be careful of how you train.

i got this way drinking 8 to 10 mountian dews everyday. not the smartest thing to do.

[legkicker]

If you have diabetes you should wear something on your feet.

You're right, and one student that moved from the weiner school I mentioned would wear some special athletic socks that I would reccomend if you have a condition in which you need to wear socks. I might also suggest wrestling shoes more so than the "martial art" shoes. This is just my opinion, though. I'm not sure how well this would go over at a more traditional Japanese/Okinawan school, though.

I originally come from a strict Shito Ryu background and I can't see my former sensei budging on the "no socks" rule. He was the kind of sensei that if one student was messing around he would tell all of us to go home and close the dojo. The kind of sensei that would hit you with shinai if you were in a weak stance....How I miss those days

[patusai]

Many good responses here already. I might add it is more difficult to grip the floor with your feel with socks

[jaymac]

If you are adament about checking your feet as a diabetic, you should still be able to train in a clean dojo without wearing shoes. If you are training on a dojo floor that is littered with sharp objects ( pebbles, debris), you may want to consider wearing protective shoes.

[JusticeZero]

Personally I train in street shoes, and encourage the people i've taught to do the same. If they don't want to wear shoes, they can't wear socks either. Socks is sort've the worst of all worlds.

[bushido_man96]

Personally I train in street shoes, and encourage the people i've taught to do the same. If they don't want to wear shoes, they can't wear socks either. Socks is sort've the worst of all worlds.

I've heard that training in shoes all of the time can be hard on the knees, with the kicking. Have you heard this, and is there any backing to it?

[jaymac]

I haven't heard that, but my knees hurt all the time. I place fault on my job though and not my training. I should quit my job and only train.