Shoes for martial arts

[complete]

Do you guys where any shoes when training?

During formal class, we are always barefoot but when I train on my own, I like wearing shoes, which gives me additional traction on the wood floor. Because I like light shoes, I normally wear the wrestling shoes.

Anybody else do this?

[disgruntled]

i don't do that, but i have been wanting to. what shoes do you use? and how is the best way to find good shoes without being ripped off for a specialty item?

[SuperCrew]

In class we are always barefoot, but I like to wear shoes at home, especially with the bag. The only problem is that I have not yet found any really lightweight shoes that I can justify spending the money on. Also someone told me that if you are wearing shows and/or ankle weights, it will make your kicks faster. I remembered it from a thread in here and never thought about getting the lighter weight shoes again.

[complete]

Otomix sells shoes they consider specially made for martial arts. And I've owned two of Otomix shoes but I'm more comfortable in the wrestling shoes that sells for much less in any sports store. It might be because I was used to wearing it on the mats during my high school wrestling days.

Since I enjoy kicking, I like having a very good traction and when I'm barefoot on the woodfloor, sometimes a even a little bit of dusts can make me slip. Having the shoes on, I'm more likely to not slip. I also sometimes put a little water on the bottom of the shoes for even more traction. (Similar to what the basketball players stepping on the sticky pad before stepping on the court)

[disgruntled]

stepping on sticky pads eh? here i have been licking the bottom of my shoes

what is the diff between the wrestling shoes and the otomix shoes?

[complete]

They are both light and have good traction but Otomix shoes seem to have more paddings and marketed as "martial arts shoes" whereas wrestling shoes is made for, well wrestling on the mat.

[disgruntled]

if the wrestling shoes are made for mat use, are they less durable? because i imagine that a wood gym floor is harsher on shoes than a mat

[complete]

I've owned several and they are very durable both on the mats and on the wood floor.

I just looked for Otomix shoes and they are not available anymore.... Adidas also sell one and looks like this.



Wrestling shoes look like this




The price can vary. In this case, wrestling shoes cost more but a different brand may cost less.

My personal preference for wrestling shoes was based on the fact that I can really tighten the laces for tigheter fit, and the materials have less padding, as I mentioned earlier.

[disgruntled]

thanks. ithink i will check out the adidas ones if i ever have money to burn. i think the wrestling ones would interfer with ankle mobility.

[Chapel]

I had purchased a pair of martial arts shoes rigth after I started teaching because I was allowed to. Big mistake. The extra traction on the mat ate the shoes alive. In addition to that I was unable to do any spinning kicks because my feet would stick to the ground. I went back to barefeet for training in the DoJang.

By myself I'll just wear running shoes, they hold up well enough on cement and dirt and don't weigh much.

[myrion]

I prefer wrestling shoes when I train, great durability and support for the foot, and also saves the toes from breakage while training on mats with high friction. Of course they will restrain you while doing spinning kicks, although I feel I am fully capable of performing things like spinning back kicks etc, while the whole reverse spinning kick is not a kick you want to do with shoes like these. If I go nostalgic and train more traditional with forms etc, I prefer to go barefooted, I never felt comfortable with the kind of low shoe that seems to be the standard in TKD and similar styles.

[The B]

I think training with shoes is good and bad. Its good because it simulates when you have shoes on in perhaps a real confrontation. In general though i think its a bad idea as going bare-footed conditions your feet and allow a clearer view of things such as foot formations for attacking tools like in taekwondo i.e. foot sword/ ball of foot.

[Shinobi_Kokujin]

when i train at the dojang on base we wear shoes......but when we go to the grandmaster;s dojang out in town we train barefeet there cause they got nice comfy padding

in combatives class we usually wear socks. personally i rather wear shoes or the socks, it dont really bother me none wheter its shoes or not

but its real nice for me to wear shoes cause in the caribbean we used to train barefeet on hard wood floors (indoors) on on the hot azz concrete (outdoors). that used to suck sometimes lol

[Chapel]

Sounds like that would toughen you up a bit, Shinobi.

[JaysonEmo]

Ya know i should train with shoes on because i fight with shoes on.....But in BJJ training shoes can hurt your training partner unless the are very soft.. and Shoes also tear up bags and what not on certian kicks...