Should I be wearing thongs when I train?

Stealthy

Blue Belt
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Messages
231
Reaction score
2
Location
Australia
:whip1:

In all seriousness though when Australians says Thongs they mean something to put on the feet.

I see all these references to training in Geta and while I never wear Geta I do in fact wear Thongs three seasons a year.

While saying "sure wearing thongs is great cause maybe you might get in a fight one day while wearing them" is accurate it is also barely scratching the surface of their potential.

The key problem with wearing Thongs is you can not twist your foot to re-orient it(which even when wearing shoes presents a whole new set of problems not limited to loss of traction and increased noise).

When it comes to foot placement while wearing thongs one is forced to place every foot perfectly before weighting it. This requires an ingrained forsight which includes range limitations, direction of travel, which foot is going to be placed in front of the other and when conditioning responses to unknown attacks an appreciation for the opponents ranges, weight distribution, and therefore likely direction of travel and potential attacks.

Personally I find thongs indespensible for training, what say you?

With Respect,
Stealthy.
 

Tez3

Sr. Grandmaster
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
27,608
Reaction score
4,901
Location
England
:whip1:

In all seriousness though when Australians says Thongs they mean something to put on the feet.

I see all these references to training in Geta and while I never wear Geta I do in fact wear Thongs three seasons a year.

While saying "sure wearing thongs is great cause maybe you might get in a fight one day while wearing them" is accurate it is also barely scratching the surface of their potential.

The key problem with wearing Thongs is you can not twist your foot to re-orient it(which even when wearing shoes presents a whole new set of problems not limited to loss of traction and increased noise).

When it comes to foot placement while wearing thongs one is forced to place every foot perfectly before weighting it. This requires an ingrained forsight which includes range limitations, direction of travel, which foot is going to be placed in front of the other and when conditioning responses to unknown attacks an appreciation for the opponents ranges, weight distribution, and therefore likely direction of travel and potential attacks.

Personally I find thongs indespensible for training, what say you?

With Respect,
Stealthy.

Damn! I had all sorts of things ready to write!

Flip flops as we call them aren't good for walking in, they make you scrunch your toes up, so I find it hard to believe they could be good for everyday training though using them in SD scenerios in countries where one gets to wear them a lot would be useful.
 

Chris Parker

Grandmaster
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
6,259
Reaction score
1,104
Location
Melbourne, Australia
:whip1:

In all seriousness though when Australians says Thongs they mean something to put on the feet.

I see all these references to training in Geta and while I never wear Geta I do in fact wear Thongs three seasons a year.

While saying "sure wearing thongs is great cause maybe you might get in a fight one day while wearing them" is accurate it is also barely scratching the surface of their potential.

The key problem with wearing Thongs is you can not twist your foot to re-orient it(which even when wearing shoes presents a whole new set of problems not limited to loss of traction and increased noise).

When it comes to foot placement while wearing thongs one is forced to place every foot perfectly before weighting it. This requires an ingrained forsight which includes range limitations, direction of travel, which foot is going to be placed in front of the other and when conditioning responses to unknown attacks an appreciation for the opponents ranges, weight distribution, and therefore likely direction of travel and potential attacks.

Personally I find thongs indespensible for training, what say you?

With Respect,
Stealthy.

(Sorry guys, I'm going to be serious here...)

No. Geta would be only for specialised usage, such as high-soled versions for training on ice, when actually training they would be taken off, and training would be in tabi (indoor variety) or bare feet. The best alternative (if we're talking traditional footwear) would be waraji (straw sandals).
 

Steve

Mostly Harmless
Joined
Jul 9, 2008
Messages
21,921
Reaction score
7,477
Location
Covington, WA
No idea. But regarding the usage... when I was a kid growing up in Texas, we called those shoes thongs... but now almost everyone calls them flip flops. I remember when I first tried to wear a thong swim suit. I didn't know there was a front and a back, which caused a bit of a scene. :)
 

crushing

Grandmaster
Joined
Dec 31, 2005
Messages
5,082
Reaction score
136
cartoon-thong+mabel.jpg
 

Nomad

Master Black Belt
Joined
May 23, 2006
Messages
1,206
Reaction score
54
Location
San Diego, CA
Since I wouldn't be caught dead wearing flip flops, I see no reason to train in them. (I'll not comment on thongs for now ;))

If you wear them frequently, then it does make sense to try training in them (even if it's only to kick them at an assailant as a distraction) for self-defense reasons... they will definitely behave differently than other shoes or bare feet, and could cause environmental challenges in a fight.
 

WC_lun

Senior Master
Joined
Aug 7, 2010
Messages
2,760
Reaction score
82
Location
Kansas City MO
I never wear flip flops or thoongs, so I'm okay not traiing in them. I have to say, if one of my traiing partners showed up in a thong, I'd be a bit put off.
 

Touch Of Death

Sr. Grandmaster
MTS Alumni
Joined
May 6, 2003
Messages
11,610
Reaction score
848
Location
Spokane Valley WA
:whip1:

In all seriousness though when Australians says Thongs they mean something to put on the feet.

I see all these references to training in Geta and while I never wear Geta I do in fact wear Thongs three seasons a year.

While saying "sure wearing thongs is great cause maybe you might get in a fight one day while wearing them" is accurate it is also barely scratching the surface of their potential.

The key problem with wearing Thongs is you can not twist your foot to re-orient it(which even when wearing shoes presents a whole new set of problems not limited to loss of traction and increased noise).

When it comes to foot placement while wearing thongs one is forced to place every foot perfectly before weighting it. This requires an ingrained forsight which includes range limitations, direction of travel, which foot is going to be placed in front of the other and when conditioning responses to unknown attacks an appreciation for the opponents ranges, weight distribution, and therefore likely direction of travel and potential attacks.

Personally I find thongs indespensible for training, what say you?

With Respect,
Stealthy.
I don't wear them for safety reasons.:)
 

Steve

Mostly Harmless
Joined
Jul 9, 2008
Messages
21,921
Reaction score
7,477
Location
Covington, WA
We had a woman train with us (long gone now) who would wear thongs under her gi. In jiu jitsu, we have wardrobe malfunctions and such, and they're not a big deal. I'm not talking pants all the way down, but seeing boxers or whatever isn't uncommon. Let's just say that, if you're a female trying to be taken seriously at a BJJ school, wearing only a thong and an athletic bra under your gi is a bad idea. Might want to invest in some grappling shorts and a rash guard. Just sayin'.

And, I guess to say with the OP, flip flops would be a no no, although they're very handy if you have to step off the mats and into the bathroom. One of the few rules we have is no shoes on the mats and always shoes in the bathroom. :)
 

tenzen

Blue Belt
Joined
Jul 29, 2009
Messages
207
Reaction score
2
In the old days geta would be kicked off and then you would engage. But if u want to train in old foot wear invest in waraji. Geta in training would be something used on the ice or on the side of a hill or mountain to train the hips and work balance. For modern day jjust kick off your "thongs" and go to work. Fighting or training in them could cause you to have to need a new pair because the toe piece would rip out from the sole.
 

shirobanryunotora

Yellow Belt
Joined
May 10, 2011
Messages
57
Reaction score
0
Location
adelaide sth aust
Totally not the thread I expected. I'm done here.
Hi-am bit confused about the "thank you" usage in this forum-your comment seems innocuous and provides no real/useful data to the original query yet you received some 4 thankyous-am i missing something?? No disrespect just confused-till the next rr
 
OP
S

Stealthy

Blue Belt
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Messages
231
Reaction score
2
Location
Australia
Hi-am bit confused about the "thank you" usage in this forum-your comment seems innocuous and provides no real/useful data to the original query yet you received some 4 thankyous-am i missing something?? No disrespect just confused-till the next rr

Incase the little Whipping animation didn't tip you off, it was my intention to elevate the mood with a little light humour while also opening the floor for technical discussion.

I thanked him because he reciprocated the mood.
 

crushing

Grandmaster
Joined
Dec 31, 2005
Messages
5,082
Reaction score
136
We had a woman train with us (long gone now) who would wear thongs under her gi. In jiu jitsu, we have wardrobe malfunctions and such, and they're not a big deal. I'm not talking pants all the way down, but seeing boxers or whatever isn't uncommon. Let's just say that, if you're a female trying to be taken seriously at a BJJ school, wearing only a thong and an athletic bra under your gi is a bad idea. Might want to invest in some grappling shorts and a rash guard. Just sayin'.

Was she intelligent and did she have a great personality?
 

Supra Vijai

Black Belt
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
660
Reaction score
9
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Hey Stealthy, much like you, I wear thongs (or flip flops for our non Aussie friends) 3 seasons a year - 4 if I can swing it without freezing my toes off! I agree that you stop scrunching your toes with time and you don't need to think about what your feet are doing however I personally don't like doing any sort of training in thongs.

The heel isn't attached to your foot in any way so can flap around and land awkwardly when your foot comes down from a kick, the damn things can just go flying off in no clear direction, as mentioned above the toe bit can rip out meaning you've wasted a pair for no reason, 0 toe protection and if you tend to sweat in the summer they can cause your feet to slip on the suface of the footwear itself making everything else so much harder. Personally if I'm meeting up with friends to get some training in and I turn up wearing thongs (we usually train in a park or some such with soft grass for ukemi) then I just kick them off and train barefoot. In the dojo I recently purchased a pair of psuedo waraji to go to/from training and a pair of indoor tabi to actually train in. While the toe protection on the tabi is still non existant, the other problems are not nearly as present. Just me though :)
 

Thesemindz

Senior Master
MT Mentor
Joined
Oct 26, 2003
Messages
2,170
Reaction score
103
Location
Springfield, Missouri
I wear sandals a lot when I go out, so I make sure to train in them a lot. But I also train in my work shoes, and barefoot, and in socks. I train for self defense, so generally speaking, I try to train in whatever clothes I might regularly be wearing. I also try a few moves in the fitting room when I'm trying on new clothes before I buy them to make sure I can move and fight.

Training in sandals is worth doing if you're going to be wearing them regularly. Or boots or heels or snow shoes or whatever else you will wear day to day. Should it be a significant part of your training? Maybe not. But I'd say it should be in there somewhere. Just like training with a backpack or briefcase or purse if you will be wearing/carrying one a lot.


-Rob
 

Thesemindz

Senior Master
MT Mentor
Joined
Oct 26, 2003
Messages
2,170
Reaction score
103
Location
Springfield, Missouri
We had a woman train with us (long gone now) who would wear thongs under her gi. In jiu jitsu, we have wardrobe malfunctions and such, and they're not a big deal. I'm not talking pants all the way down, but seeing boxers or whatever isn't uncommon. Let's just say that, if you're a female trying to be taken seriously at a BJJ school, wearing only a thong and an athletic bra under your gi is a bad idea. Might want to invest in some grappling shorts and a rash guard. Just sayin'.

Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill here so I won't belabor the point, but I don't see how a person's choice of undergarment, male or female, has any bearing on whether they are a serious martial arts student. You show up, you train hard, you respect the other people in the school, that's all that matters to me. What you wear under your gi (with the exception of the cup which is necessary safety equipment) isn't any of my business, whether I end up seeing it or not, and I certainly wouldn't think less of someone because they dressed differently than I do. Of course I would recommend appropriate training attire, but if they want to wear a thong and a bra, especially knowing that their gi might come off/open which is common when we practice ground fighting, that's their decision.

The karate school doesn't have room for sexism. It only has enough room for karate.


-Rob
 

Latest Discussions

Top