I often get asked about mat shoes. When I train in a live dojo, there are usually a few students wearing them. This causes the other students to question whether they are a necessity or not.
Mat shoes are special shoes made for training martial arts. They are usually thin and mold to the foot. Sometimes people will dedicate more traditional shoes (like a cross trainers) as their mat shoes by only wearing them on the training mat.
My recommendation is to train barefoot unless you have a special case that necessitates shoes for a time. Then there are a couple shoe options that are best.
Training barefoot will help you improve balance and perfect the techniques much faster. You will also learn to sense/feel the space around you. Not only does this mean you are safer to train with, you are also less likely to trip yourself. How to train will directly impact how you perform, if you should ever need your self-defense off the mat and “on the street”.
The primary case for wear shoes is while recovering from an injury to the foot. For example, one of my student’s broke her toe. When she’s out of her medical boot, I recommended she train in shoes until the toe is fully recovered. This means if someone accidentally steps on her, she should be fine.
The biggest issue with wearing shoes is that mat shoes come with an expense. Like all shoes, the best ones come with a significant investment. Because of this, many people try the dedicated-shoes approach. Unfortunately, now if they step on someone, it really hurts. I’m sure they never mean to be mean, but it causes a ripple effect where one person in thick, heavy or padded shoes causes others to get them because they are getting stepped on (or have near-misses), and soon many students are missing out on the benefit of training in barefoot.
To reinforce this, I’ve read several articles on the benefits of running barefoot. That means outdoors. A mat is much safer than any outdoor surface. And hopefully your home is as safe or safer than the mat, if you are training there.
Of course, the exception will be times when you are not training in a safe place. Maybe you are attending a workshop outside. Or choose to use your backyard for virtual training to enjoy some beautiful fall weather! Or if you are in a gym or on business-grade carpet. If that’s the case, make sure you shoes fit will and can be tied snuggly so you don’t lose them when kicking or disengaging (a.k.a. running away).
In conclusion, if you can, I highly recommend that you choose to train in bare feet whenever possible.
See you on the mat! Shihan Carolyn
