People trained in different martial arts often wear protective shoes or footwear. Shoes are worn for a variety of reasons, such as showing respect for the particular type of martial art and its traditions, as well as to prevent injury and increase hygiene. Here are some reasons why it is beneficial to wear shoes while practicing martial arts:
Hygiene
Fungal and skin infections spread easily in places where many people walk barefoot. This type of hygiene problem is common in locker rooms and sports locker rooms. This is also a problem for martial artists who like to train barefoot. Any student who has a skin health condition and continues to train can quickly spread the infection to other students. For this reason, it may be beneficial to wear martial arts shoes as a practical preventative measure against infection.
Personal protection
Training that takes place in temporary accommodation not normally used for martial arts classes may not be 100% suitable for barefoot training. Any room with uneven or damaged hardwood floors or even a cold concrete floor is not the most comfortable. In these conditions, it is good to wear the right footwear to avoid the risk of injury or broken toes.
combat protection
Martial arts training consists of a lot of combat time. This is an important part of training and repeating the same kicks and other actions will surely be more comfortable when the feet are protected. Most shoes are made with some degree of padding. This is mainly in the instep area and on the upper part. This shoe is thin and light, which makes it comfortable to wear. Additionally, it is even possible to continue wearing proper foot and shin guards while engaging in full contact combat.
Real self defense situations
Wearing any type of footwear during training will give it more authenticity for a real-life self-defense situation. If you even need to use your self-defense techniques in real life, it will almost certainly take place outdoors and when you’re not barefoot. Therefore, if you don’t have any experience with martial arts while wearing some type of footwear, this may put you at a slight disadvantage in a tight situation. In general, the right martial arts shoes are a very practical option to bring more realism to any type of self-defense training.