Barefoot?!?!

[kckbxblnd]

Since I have started Muay Thai, I have seen various styles of clothing, fighting, etc. What I am wondering is what everyone thinks about training with or without shoes and socks. I understand it can be a matter of personal preference, but what are the advantages and disadvantages of training without shoes (which is that I do) and with shoes (which is what I do when I run ) . Thanks for your input.
EM

[JIMI]

Try putting your shoes on, and kicking a thai bag (lightly though). You will feel an immense amount of pressure and twisting on your knee on the supporting leg. Shoes are a no no....Socks definately a no no......

[Gaia]

Barefoot

Our instructor gave us a choice of either barefoot or regulation wrestling shoes. Although he prefered we go barefoot to avoid injury and enhance our techniques.

[shirase]

well one of the advantages to training in your street shoes once in a while would be that youd get used to it so if the time ever came where you had to use muay thai out of your gym youd be more prepared.

[silapathai]

shoes

I too would suggest to anyone to expirement a little bit wearing shoes so that you'll be used to performing techniques with shoes on if you ever have to use them in real life.
Although I think doing most of your training with shoes is weird..I myself usually wear anklets when training but only out of habbit.

[Gaia]

good point but...

well one of the advantages to training in your street shoes once in a while would be that youd get used to it so if the time ever came where you had to use muay thai out of your gym youd be more prepared.

Good point but another concideration to your point of "if the time ever came..." is as a woman if the time ever came it would be far more likely for me to be wearing heals at that time. (appearing less likely to be able to run or defend myself) Which leads to the necessity to have highly conditioned feet when I need to kick off those heels and either kick butt or if available RUN!

[LiQuiD_PaRaDoX]

Good point but another concideration to your point of "if the time ever came..." is as a woman if the time ever came it would be far more likely for me to be wearing heals at that time. (appearing less likely to be able to run or defend myself) Which leads to the necessity to have highly conditioned feet when I need to kick off those heels and either kick butt or if available RUN!

Imagine getting hit with a push-kick with those heels...
ouch.

[Garland]

I might be way off with this, but somebody told me once that training with shoes on was 1)good for becoming acustomed to any street scenario where you'd have to kick with shoes on, and b)good for training for a ring fight because of the springieness of the canvas/vinyl, what have you...
I however, train without shoes...because I don't wanna screw up my Eccos, my newbalance, or my Bruno Magli's...and cuz my steel toed boots scuff the bags. (Really, it's just a whole lot more comfortable...and my logic is that, hey, you don't wear shoes into the ring, and if you do get into a street fight, whatever...it's not like the stiking area is your foot, unless you want it to be, i.e. with wing tips or steel toed boots, a kick with the foot may produce more damage than a kick with the shin...but then the whole distance/range thing comes into play....dur dur dur

Shoes are good padding though...you can smack a post or a tree pretty hard without really hurting yourself with a good pair of kicks on...barefoot, start calling the ICU for a x-ray.

[EmptyneSs]

when im training at my school i dont wear shoes, its all barefoot. however, when i practice alone on my heavy bag at home in the garage, i always wear my pair of vans. they are really comfortable and allow me to perform all my techniques just fine. the simple vans shoes i think are awesome, as they are comfortable, light, and allow a martial artist to move around and use kicks and other techniques just fine.

[HtTKar]

it's not like the stiking area is your foot, unless you want it to be, i.e. with wing tips or steel toed boots, a kick with the foot may produce more damage than a kick with the shin...

Savate uses your boot as a weapon.
Usually I train in gym shoes, or boots depending on what I'm doing.
At the dojo I always go barefoot so I dont destroy the mats, and out of respect. If everybody wore shoes it would really make the place filthy quick; especially in the winter. If you're just training at home by yourself, I cant see any reason to take your shoes off.