Kung Fu Shoes

[Jeff Bussey]

So what do you guys think of training in those traditional kung fu shoes that are slippery on tiled floor vs. running shoes vs. barefeet?

Do you see any benefit for either one?

I started training in the kung fu slippers for about 2 years and then went to indoor soccer shoes. I'm just wondering if you guys think that the slippers could make your horse stronger because you're not relying on the grip from other soles.

J

[Ernie]

hmmm let me see what year is this 2004 right

train in what you walk around in :D

if you live in the 1800 and in china the i guess you have wear whats out there

while were at bring back the horse and buggy ;)

[taltos]

I personally agree with Ernie. Train in what you normally wear.

However, for the sake of not destroying the mat and costing even more money for upkeep, we compromise with softer soled shoes that won't destroy the mat at my school.

-Levi

[YongChun]

Even the Wu Shu guys in China wear modern running shoes and workout clothes while some on this continent try to immitate the people from old day China with slippery slippers and silk pajamas.

Wear what you might fight with is best unless you expect to get attacked mostly while you are having a shower or a bath. In that case train by taking a bath fully clothed and with steel toe boots. If you are studying some African art should you dress up like Tarzan did?

Ray

[old jong]

We have no uniform at my place and we wear normal shoes.I would hate to disguise as an old times chinese guy to practice Gung Fu.

[Jeff Bussey]

Hey guys,
Basically that was my opinion and why I switched to indoor soccer shoes. Plus they're black and match my kung fu pants :D

[anerlich]

I DETEST "Kung Fu" shoes. IMO only stillettos and roller skates would be worse to train in. I often wondered if they was some cruel joke foisted on clueless Gwailos by Asian teachers of last century.

Same with the pants and those jackets with the frog buttons, which used to rip ALL the time at the schools where I was forced to wear them. Why is this practical training apparel? At least jiu jitsu gis have practical value.

Let us not forget that one of the 1986 Cologne antagonists blamed his poor performance on this very footwear.

I don't particularly care for TKD type "martial arts" shoes either, though they are light years ahead of the kung fu slipper. Wrestling boots IMO are the bomb, though I always go barefoot for BJJ to promote foot sensitivity.

[Vajramusti]

Old time kung fu shoes? UGH!

Indoor soccer shoes, wrestling shoes, fairly flat bottomed light
racketball, hand ball, tennis shoes are good too.

Adapting to available equipmment and making mish mash of wing chun principles are quite differnt things. Dont have to use teak for a kwan either. T shirt, sweat pants are great for working out too.

Boxers can use their fists on the street-grapplers can take care of themeselves too withour working out in street clothes. We constantly tend to confuse development training with the multitude of possibilities in application. if the mind is devloped- adaptation follows.

I am flat footed, with high instep, and extremely wide feet- as wide as long almost--- from climbing coconout trees asa kid. So fiitting shoes is quite a challenge. Whoever models clothes and shoes forgot aboout me- so individuation is the key. Uptoa point...
old paroclialism though-- change your gi and belt please to something else before class.

[Ernie]

I am flat footed, with high instep, and extremely wide feet- as wide as long almost--

ah ha Joy is part duck thus his grounding power is so great

[AmanuJRY]

I'm with the idea of 'train in what you wear'.

I like indoor soccer shoes but I normally wear 'skate' shoes, like vans or etines, etc.

But I am fond of my recently purchased Asiacs. :D

[Ernie]

http://www.onlineonair.com/savate/listings/20.html

here is a fun ugly shoe
savate shoes have a re enforced to so you can kick people full power in the nuts :D

[chisauking]

Just like every thing in life, there are always swings and roundabouts...

The old gungfu slippers are very comfortable for training your kicking and footwork -- especially chum-kil with all the twisting and turning. It allows you to kick faster and more importantly if you are training on adhesive type of floors it helps prevent damage to your joints because it doesn't grip as much as modern day trainers. This is the same reason why many sport centres have wooden floors -- by reducing the friction of the floor it lessens the risk of damage to the joints when people are running around and changing directions quickly when playing a sport.

The down side to the slippers is when you change back to your normal shoes \ trainers, you will find that you can't kick as fast due to the increase in weight of your footwear. Also, as Willy Cheung found to his cost, because the slippers has very little grip, you can't stand very well when someone is trying to wrestle you down.

[kj]

Originally posted by Jeff Bussey
So what do you guys think of training in those traditional kung fu shoes that are slippery on tiled floor vs. running shoes vs. barefeet?

Do you see any benefit for either one?

I started training in the kung fu slippers for about 2 years and then went to indoor soccer shoes. I'm just wondering if you guys think that the slippers could make your horse stronger because you're not relying on the grip from other soles.

J

They are very unpopular, and as usual I'm odd man out. Yes, we wear them, yes there is benefit, and yes they challenge and develop the horse and stability in different ways than street or popular athletic shoes. They also better facilitate our grueling flavor of stepping and footwork exercises. The shoes are consistent with and benefit our way of practice, so we wear them for functional reasons, not because they are part of some "costume." :p

With the cotton soled ones, I can even get by on some tougher types of surfaces, sometimes even carpeting without undue compromise in the exercises.

Having said that, I also practice in street or business footwear sometimes. There's a reasonable chance that's what I'd be wearing if, God forbid, ever called upon to utilize my kung fu outside the training hall. If I were still of an age and concern to wear high heels (and I am not), I'd practice in those too now and again just to cover the practical ranges. Different footwear can dramatically impact my posture, stability, mobility, and can even change my tolerances and limitations so, IMHO, it's important to learn how to adapt.

Granted too, not everyone practices in the same fashion that we (me and mine) do; on that account I agree that kung fu shoes would not be appropriate for everyone. Unlike Red Ball Jets, they weren't designed to make you run faster and jump higher.

Since it is so compelling to label people I guess this makes me an confounding blend of traditional and non-traditional. :)

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

P.S. Kung fu shoes also make terrific, lightweight travel slippers. ;)

[kj]

Originally posted by Ernie
http://www.onlineonair.com/savate/listings/20.html

here is a fun ugly shoe
savate shoes have a re enforced to so you can kick people full power in the nuts :D

What do you mean "ugly shoe"? That is what I wear for buisness casual.

Regards,
- kj

[Ernie]

lets all wear loose socks on a waxed floor yeeeaaaaaaa

or better yet brand new dress shoes on ice whooooopieee


sorry just being silly:)

[Ernie]

Originally posted by kj
What do you mean "ugly shoe"? That is what I wear for buisness casual.

Regards,
- kj

but it looks better in the high heel version:p

[Jeff Bussey]

http://www.onlineonair.com/savate/listings/20.html
I wouldn't want to take those laces to my braces
:D

[kj]

Originally posted by Ernie
lets all wear loose socks on a waxed floor yeeeaaaaaaa

or better yet brand new dress shoes on ice whooooopieee


sorry just being silly:)

Works for me. In my part of the country you need to be capable and confident on ice. ;)

Regards,
- kj

[Ernie]

Originally posted by kj
Works for me. In my part of the country you need to be capable and confident on ice. ;)

Regards,
- kj

you need to move , wear non polar bears live ha ha

[Jeff Bussey]

Hi Kathy Jo,
Appreciate the honest answer.
There probably is something to those shoes cause you constently have to squeeze inwards to just stand up straight.
BTW, I do have a pair for slippers ;)

J

[Jeff Bussey]

Hey Ernie,
What's wrong with Polar bears? We've got lots in Canada, here's one outside of my home.



http://back.boom.ru/WallPapers/13/0152.jpg

[anerlich]

It allows you to kick faster and more importantly if you are training on adhesive type of floors it helps prevent damage to your joints because it doesn't grip as much as modern day trainers.

I'm not sure they allow you to kick much faster - certainly not faster than barefoot. The lack of traction could arguably slow your kicking ability. Also, after wear, the horrid things tend to fly off tangentially as you kick - or worse, come half off, loads of laughs if you're in the middle of sparring.

Swings and roundabouts all right - I've seen people get injured when their "KF" shoes slipped at an inopportune time. Pulled hamstrings, twisted ankles, etc.

If your KF can only be trained in a certain type of shoe witout injury, you need to change your KF, not your shoes.

[YongChun]

In Canada we always have to wear these kinds of shoes for sparring because of the severe winters:

http://www.rubylane.com/ni/shops/bluedolphin/iteml/rl283#pic1

[chisauking]

If your KF can only be trained in a certain type of shoe witout injury, you need to change your KF, not your shoes.

I was only refering to certain aspects of training. I challenge anyone to perform chum-kil properly and to benefit from the training using trainers on carpet or a very rough surface. It's not about being limited to training in a certain type of shoe, but commonsense should dictate that if you can't train properly with one type of shoe, you have got to change it for something more suitable. As most quality wing chunners would know, wing chun is a very subtle art -- the slightest of details can make the biggest difference. If you don't or can't drill the forms properly, especially chum-kil, you will have missed the essence of the training.

For me, I train and fight in my Dr. Martins. Under normal usage most people would find it differcult to even wear down one pair of docks in a year -- I normally wear down 3 pairs!

[CFT]

I'm using badminton shoes, pretty light weight, grip is OK. Find that they do occasionally slip on the wooden floor when I adduct.

But shouldn't we be training on concrete floors, with a light sprinkling of dust and grit? And we can just throw our energy bar wrappers and drink bottles on the floor for that authentic street feeling.

I remember watching a programme about Filipino escrima practitioners recently. They just practiced on bare ground in their village; stones, rocks, glass all around.

[KingMonkey]

Kungfu shoes are silly on a number of levels.

[anerlich]

I challenge anyone to perform chum-kil properly and to benefit from the training using trainers on carpet or a very rough surface.

I guess I win!

I've done Chum Kil in hiking boots on the dry bed of the Murrumbidgee river - rough, uneven and extremely adhesive. and I benefited from the experience. Surely everyone trins their forms on a variety of surfaces, gradients, on stairs, etc.?

My lineage uses small steps rather than slides and pivots, proecisely for this sort of adaptability.


commonsense should dictate that if you can't train properly with one type of shoe, you have got to change it for something more suitable.

My point exactly - that's why my kung fu shoes are now landfill.

[Jeff Bussey]

Hi chisauking

I challenge anyone to perform chum-kil properly and to benefit from the training using trainers on carpet or a very rough surface.
I've got to admit that I do chum kiu on carpet with my indoor soccer shoes.
I found that when wearing the kung fu shoes, alot of times it was easier to shift and move around on most surfaces but that was because I wasn't really lifting my feet. That all changed was I got the soccer shoes.

[chisauking]

I've got to admit that I do chum kiu on carpet with my indoor soccer shoes.
I found that when wearing the kung fu shoes, alot of times it was easier to shift and move around on most surfaces but that was because I wasn't really lifting my feet. That all changed was I got the soccer shoes.

Each to their own. In general, once you have ingrained and developed the attributes of the form, it can be adapted for any environment. For my lineage, where we perform chum-kil deeply rooted to the ground, girly gungfu slippers is still king, at least during early stages anyway.

[AmanuJRY]

Shoes, regardless of what kind, are a layer between your body and the ground. IOW, they are a consideration in the process of 'grounding'.

The most raw, uncomprimised, condition would be to be barefoot (as Andrew has mentioned), but how many of us go about day to day, doing all the things we do, barefoot?

The next consideration is the surface on which we would be 'practicing/performing'.

As shoe types are different and surface types are different and the combinations of the two are vast, how can we believe that only one method of training this aspect will serve all possibilities?

Is that not like saying 'if I practice only a jab, then I will be able to throw any kind of punch'?

[lawrenceofidaho]

What about bowling shoes?

If you trained in a gym that had hardwood floors, wouldn't they have all the advantages of Kung Fu slippers, yet none of the disadvantages?

(I mean the kind with softer soles, not the old fashined kind that look like tap dancing shoes.)

Seriously.......