Shoes on the mat?

[MisterMike]

Does your school train with shoes? Are they worn inside or outside the school? Why / Why not?

I've trained in Japanese and American style systems and have always been barefoot, even outside.

Are shoes something for "modern" "street" systems? Are there traditional systems that use shoes?

 

[loki09789]

I train with shoes and without (though less without) because you may have to apply your skills in both conditions. Shoes are an extra layer of safety during training because we use sticks and training knives and such so they help.

I do find that shoes can tear up a heavy bag faster than Barefoot (BF) contact though.

BF training can create an increase in balance challange/development because of the lack of shoe stability too.

As far as footwear goes, I prefer x trainers over the specialized shoes/slippers that you can get or wrestling shoes because of the tendency of these shoes to grab the floor and create more knee/ankle torque that can cause problems over the long run. Again, I wear sneakers and the like 'outside' so I stay with them for practical reasons as well.

 

[MisterMike]

Thanks Paul!

You know what, after I posted I noticed this HUGE thread/poll on shoes a few lines down in this forum

I gotta learn to search better

 

[AaronLucia]

Well, in my Ninjutsu classes, some wear shoes, some do not. If the total emphasis is 'combat training' then i guess u should train in what u'd normally wear daily. As for me, i like tabi..

 

[Andrew Green]

If you consider 3000 year old arts like boxing and wrestling "modern street" systems

Shoeless training is a result of eastern philosophy saying "No shoes indoors" except kung fu, which is usually done shoed. TKD seems to be picking up on the benefits of not destroying your feet as well.

 

[Zepp]

If your workout is on one of those cushy blue mats, do you really need shoes to protect your feet?

(Our workout, BTW, is usually on a wood floor, and most of us go barefoot.)

 

[loki09789]

The Japanese "Shoeless" practice is cultural not just Karate. The rice mat floors and raised construction of the buildings were to try and keep the living/working spaces as sanitary as possible in a Tropical/Semi Tropical type of rain environment (mud, Animal dung mixed in with the ground water ..... yuck).

The rice mats are fairly delicate as well, so going shoeless is a way of prolonging the life of the floor matts.

As far as protecting the feet for me, it isn't from down below, but from above. If I drop a stick/training knife on my bare foot it hurts worse than if I am wearing shoes (like leather armor for the feet in a way).

The absolute thing to remember is that some of these cultural customs people associate with Martial arts are probably just culture or customary and not exclusively Martial arts. Bowing in Japanese cultures is customary, maintaining eye contact is a tactical element but the actual bow is part of everyday life for Japanese people.