Training barefoot?

[Lung Hu Pai]

Hey everyone, how's it going? I just have a quick question. I train at home and I was wondering, is it okay to do things like stance work and squats and deadlifts barefoot? Are there any bad things that could happen from doing this? Thanks for your help, Azar.

[anerlich]

Pavel Tsatsouline recommends bare feet or thin soled shoes for heavy lifts, the idea being it develops better sensitivity and muscular recruitment.

The down sides are you might bust a toe accidentally tripping on some equipment, drop a plate on your foot, and many gyms won't let you train shoeless.

As for MA training, mix it up. Most attack scenarios involve being out in public, where most people wear shoes, but you could have to deal with a home invasion, fight on the beach, etc.

Personally I think those slip on "Kung Fu shoes" are from Satan, the worst possible footwear to train in, but to each his/her own .

[Sho]

Yeah, I pretty much agree with anerlich. If you are confronted on the street, you will be most likely wearing shoes. So, for MA training you should not forget to train also with shoes.

P.S. Sometimes there might be some nasty infections in your guan, thus having a possibility for your feet to be infected.