Taekwondo question

[localman]

Can a taekwondo practitioner please let me know whether you wear anything on the feet during training, in particular when practising kicks against a pad? If so, what sort of footwear? Thank you.

[DWx]

Depends on the school. Most likely not though. Some schools allow you to wear the TKD type trainers like this: https://www.cimac.net/adidas-martial-arts/footwear/cat_122.html for forms practice and line work.

In sparring you'll almost always have to wear pads on your feet; either the full boot type or the elasticated instep protector. Kicking a pad though.. usually not. Although I sometimes let the kids wear their sparring gear if its a particularly hard pad or to save time between padwork/sparring switchover.

[ninjanurse]

Nothing to add here.

[localman]

Can a taekwondo practitioner please let me know whether you wear anything on the feet during training, in particular when practising kicks against a pad? If so, what sort of footwear? Thank you.

Thank you both for such a quick reply. With kicking pad work, is your response (that no footwear is worn) the same everywhere or might some TKD schools wear footwear for this? Also, if someone did wear footwear when practising kicks against a pad (held by a partner) would this be dangerous? Many thanks again.

[DWx]

Can a taekwondo practitioner please let me know whether you wear anything on the feet during training, in particular when practising kicks against a pad? If so, what sort of footwear? Thank you.

Thank you both for such a quick reply. With kicking pad work, is your response (that no footwear is worn) the same everywhere or might some TKD schools wear footwear for this? Also, if someone did wear footwear when practising kicks against a pad (held by a partner) would this be dangerous? Many thanks again.

I'd say, on the whole, no footwear is worn. If they're wearing the TKD shoes, not that dangerous as they are very light (compared to a running shoe for example) and are pretty soft all round. So if you get caught with a kick by someone wearing them, its not that much worse than if they'd kicked you bare foot. I'd be more worried about tearing up the pad tbh.

[SBN Doug]

We allow those training shoes when soemone has foot problems of an injury, and there have not been any issues.

Footwear is required whenever we train outside to prevent injury.

[bushido_man96]

Can a taekwondo practitioner please let me know whether you wear anything on the feet during training, in particular when practising kicks against a pad? If so, what sort of footwear? Thank you.

Thank you both for such a quick reply. With kicking pad work, is your response (that no footwear is worn) the same everywhere or might some TKD schools wear footwear for this? Also, if someone did wear footwear when practising kicks against a pad (held by a partner) would this be dangerous? Many thanks again.

I'd say, on the whole, no footwear is worn. If they're wearing the TKD shoes, not that dangerous as they are very light (compared to a running shoe for example) and are pretty soft all round. So if you get caught with a kick by someone wearing them, its not that much worse than if they'd kicked you bare foot. I'd be more worried about tearing up the pad tbh.

I agree here. But, if you have some kind of condition that it would behoove you to wear some foot protection when kicking anything, then make sure to check this out with the head instructor. If you can also provide a doctor's note, this can be helpful. Usually in situations like this, an insturctor would be willing to allow it.

[shimizu]

Can a taekwondo practitioner please let me know whether you wear anything on the feet during training, in particular when practising kicks against a pad? If so, what sort of footwear? Thank you.

The only time in my classes when I wear footwear is when I'm training sparring in which case I wear protective foot-pads.

[myataschool]

Can a taekwondo practitioner please let me know whether you wear anything on the feet during training, in particular when practising kicks against a pad? If so, what sort of footwear? Thank you.

I always practice barefoot for several reasons:

• It's the traditional way to practice
   
  Less resistance on your feet
   
  I enjoy feeling targets/faces squish
   
  Can complicate the wear of some sparring gear
   
  Can make board breaks more difficult

Some people wear martial arts shoes for good reasons:

• Nail fungus
   
  Arch support via orthotics
   
  Protect a previous injury
   
  Hide foot odor

I would advise against wearing shoes in class unless absolutely necessary. I'm a firm believer that martial arts should be done barefoot. Your feet will get used to the abuse over time, and you'll enjoy actually feeling someone's face get crushed under your foot.

[JusticeZero]

That's a rather broad statement.. I'm not a Tkd stylist, I practice a kicking art, and my usual foot covering in class is a pair of hiking boots, less commonly walking shoes. I used to make a point of training kicks on an ice-covered parking lot a few times a year. I didnt last year because my latitude changed dramatically for school but we still consider cobblestone or asphalt to be an optimal trai ing surface. Different priorities for different folks really.