I have been experimenting with different shoe types this week. I’ve been walking around in my heavy leather boots and my light sneakers. I have also practiced on the heavy bag with both. I see advantages and disadvantages with both. The boots give me great ankle support, stomping power, and grounding but they hinder movement, speed, and flexibility. The sneakers allow me to move quietly, quickly, and agile. The sneakers don’t give me that extra edge when it comes to pounding though. So I decided to once again tap into the great wisdom from all of you on this board. When it comes to self defense and fighting what do you look for in a shoe? Thanks in advance!
Here is my take.
1.) Keep shoes that allow the most flexibility in a fight.
2.) If you train for a specific type of shoe, in order for your fighting to remain effective you will need to ALWAYS wear those shoes.
Rather be flexible and be able to defend yourself regardless of what you wear.
Go with sneakers or tennis shoes. Basically anything with a rubber sole for good grip. You shouldn’t really rely on footwear to put power into your techniques. Even if the boots lets you pound “better” what if you’re getting your a$$ kicked and you have to bail. Either that or if you must get boots go with steel-toed. That’ll stop any 300 pound drugged-out-psycho. My personal favorite 
I really don’t wear sneakers much unless I’m working out. If I had to get in a fight I would hope it’s on a day that I had decided to wear my steel toed boots.
I usually wear sneakers, or boots when I’m riding. I once bought these steel toed sneakers at Sears, they look like reeboks but have steel safety toes> I call them my Fong Sai-Yuk shoes! Trouble is, you get holes in your socks from your big toe rubbing up against the steel cap, so I chucked them.
For training… bare feet
For class time (kwoon MA shoes) are the best long lasting
For grip and ankle support wrestling shoes
For fighting whatever you have on your feet at the time for we never know when we are going to have to fight
Capezio’s!
I wear steel toed boots myself. Not for in case I get in a fight, but rather because I just like them. After I got them it dawned on me that they’d cause more pain if I hit someone.
My Favorite
The Cowboy boot.
To be honest.
I was quiet succesfull using my Biker Boots.
Not flexible enough for stances, but a good kick on the shin works well.
My teacher always says that wherever you are and whatever you are wearing when a fight comes down, there is no ‘best’, what you got is what you got - so you better train yourself to be effective no matter what.
I do something you guys are going to think is funny, but I consider vital - at home, I sometimes do my forms while wearing heels. This is because I spend most of my day in business attire, and I want to be sure to train myself to be able to move in a combat manner wearing a skirt and heels.
Make sense? Lots of nights, I leave the office late and have to cut across two large parking lots in the dark, a not good place. Also, I sometimes have to go on business to different locations, not all savory - any of you that live/work in a metropolitan area know that big business may “have offices” downtown, but so does every lowlife freak and junkie. If I am attacked, and I can’t keep my balance wearing business clothes, what frikkin good is my kungfu then?
What you are wearing when a fight starts is what you have to work with. Where you are is where you are. You can’t say to your attacker “oh wait, I have to put on my steel-toed boots, and can we move off this nasty driveway? There’s broken glass on it!” etc. At the higher levels in my kwoon, we actually go outside in the parking lot and spar. Going full-speed on asphalt is a whole different experience!
JasBourne is right, I practice at home wearing steel toed boots. Since that is what I wear the majority of the time, that’s what I will probably be wearing if I get in a fight. I also practice wearing jeans and a leather jacket since that is what I wear alot too. In the summer I switch over to my tennis shoes, shorts, and the same shirts I wear year round. It just depends what you wear and you want to hope you know how to move in them.
Badger
Adidas Sambas for training.
Man, I’d never like to fight Jas…
as big as my feet are, i’m lucky i don’t kill people just walking around. never mind what shoes i’m wearing.
Originally posted by DelicateSound
…Man, I’d never like to fight Jas…
Same here. Mainly because she is a girl and I can’t hit girls. If I do, I’d do everything to stop them without hurting them.
Making assumptions and underestimating your opponent is the best way to get killed.
its not the shoe… Its my foot that makes it so good
Van’s least combersome, most foot like. skater shoes, most like kung fu shoes.
Van’s least combersome, most foot like. skater shoes, most like kung fu shoes.