What kind of shoes are good for overall MA wear? As well as sparring and forms. So nothing bulky and we work on a hardwood floor.
I have shoes.
I don't have shoes but I want some.
I don't really like shoes.
I'll wear anything that's comfortable and doesn't smell too bad.
What kind of shoes are good for overall MA wear? As well as sparring and forms. So nothing bulky and we work on a hardwood floor.
They cool.
Stupidity - the number one sexually transmitted disease.
Last year I bought a pair of workout shoes called 'Discipline' from a company in Mass called Discipline Footwear. Theyre actually really good quality workout shoes and have held up pretty well. I bought a pair of their black low-tops online. Here's a link to their site: http://www.disciplinefootwear.com/
Not to be a salesman, I don't personally know anyone who works there or anything like that, but they make a good product.
But really, you don't need to spend much money to get a decent pair of shoes to work out in. I treated myself to the Discipline shoes cause i hadnt bought real MA shoes in years and would just go to like a walmart or kmart el-cheapo type store and buy a ****y pair of Keds type canvas/rubber shoes for like five bucks and then absolutely destroy them training. After a week or so their so dirty and worn that they don;t really look so funny and if anyone makes fun of them thats a great excuse to spar them. Buy them that cheap and you just chuck them every few months when theyre toast and buy a new pair.
The black chinese slipper shoes are only good for chi gung, tai chi forms, chi sao or bumming around the apartment, for which theyre perfect. But they s#ck for any hardcore training, I'm always amazed when people in my wing chun class or at tournaments insist on wearing them, and then they slip and slide or the shoes go flying off when they kick.
But really, its good to train in all kinds of shoes, whatever you happen to be wearing cause thats what it will be like on the street.
hi there
i wear those thin white wushu shoes, that like a lot of people wear. i think they're awesome, but i think i got em too big. i've had them for like 2 or 3 months now and they've stretched out a bit, and they're pretty loose on me now, i can fit a couple fingers in the back when i put them on. do any of you think i should buy them a size smaller? are tighter shoes better for martial arts do you think? i'm writing this now b/c i just like sprained my ankle from coming down from a kick bad, and i think it's b/c my feet are slipping around in my shoes, or maybe it's b/c i suck, i dunno, either one, but any advice would be helpful
thanks in advance!
-matt
Gotta have tight shoes, especially for landing spinning and jumping kicks.
I have gotten so used to tight shoes, I buy my sneakers a half size too small. Makes me feel like I have more control over my movements.
So yeah, tighter shoes = less injury.
ok , so i noticed that taekwondo ppl wear shoes Sometimes and othertimes barefoot. can anyone explain when and why? Also i notice in cma schools ppl tend to wear flexible shoes as opposed to bulky more often than not. do you think that it should be a point to train in flexible apparatus , not just shoes but clothing in general, Or should martial arts training be more consistent with our everyday attire as in jeans sneakers and such other pedestrian attire?
just for practicality sake. coz i know that some ppl out there who train still dont get the idea of buying street clothes that wont restrict/impede thier movement.
what say you all?
I think you should have experienced doing your MA in a variety of clothes, foot-wear and environments.
Often footwear is also personal.
In my studies I trained, barefoot on Tatami flooring and certain wooden floors where shoes were forbidden.
As well as wearing street shoes in the park and my KF-Shoes in the Dojo(Gym hall).
It becomes easy to start to rely on certain surroundings and clothing like Keiko-gi/Do-gi, floor mats, certain shoes and so on.
Once you start to rely on certain things or take them for granted you have already given yourself a dis-advantage that might cost you dearly.
For example:
I don't like shoes that give me ankle support during training as I feel your ankles should be tough/healthy enough on their own.
As for what footwear to choose, the one that prevents your feet from slipping or sticking too much to the training surface.
Just my 0.2 cents worth.
I train on concrete, in white street clothes. Some people train barefoot so they can get a better sense of the floor. Others wear shoes to preserve the soles of their feet, or because they don't want to get used to having to be barefoot. I wear shoes in hopes of postponing the day when I have to have shoes hand-made for me. They're basic New Balance cross-trainers; there's no real choice involved there, I just wear what's available. (Is it the right size? OK, i'll take it.)
"Freedom is the ability to move in any direction the mind can imagine" -Mestre No
i'm inclined to think that if the difference between success and failure is the type of shoes you're wearing, that's a big problem. i see some sense in training in jeans and sneakers occassionally. but how far does that logic go? should we train in business suits and dress shoes as well? they feel totally different to sneakers, the soles are different (making hip rotation and footwork different). what about sandals? they don't really feel or move like sneakers, or dress shoes, or kung fu shoes.
so how far does that rationale go? (not trying to be argumentative. i've been wondering for a while now.)
stuart b.
When you assume, you make an ass out of... pretty much just you, really.
Traditionally (if I can use that woerd here since MA shoes are a rather new invention) MA shoes are pretty light. If you look at kungfu shoes they are little more than slippers. Modern MA shoes (mostly designed for TKD & Karate) are also rather light. Lately, many shoemakers have been moving towards more tricked out shoes - you know us Americans - we love our sports shoes, the more expensive and flashier, the better. So we are seeing a lot of innovation in MA shoe products, even from the big companies like Adidas. Shoes are an industry to themselves, ask Dr. Scholls. But when you cut back to the essence of what you should wear on your feet when you train, traditionally speaking - martially speaking, shoes should be minimal. After all, a warrior can't be to attached to his gear. It's not about the gear.
Gene Ching
Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
Author of Shaolin Trips
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The type of shoes you wear can affect your stance development, positively or negatively. I personally spend about 30% of my practice time in business attire, for various reasons.
How many of you guys wear shoes? They seem to be more popular these days.
its safe to say that I train some martial arts. Im not that good really, but most people really suck, so I feel ok about that - Sunfist
Sometime blog on training esp in Japan
I choose not to wear shoes. Nothing against them, they're just not for me.
I will crush my enemies, see them driven before me, then hit their wimminz with a Tony Danza. - Vash
i sometimes ejaculate in other people's shoes. sometimes my own.
where's my beer?
Shoes are good. They keep you clear from nasty skin infections.
"Extra inch, extra power." -Tarm Sarm