I congratulate your commitment to a new path of your choosen discipline. As an advanced martial artist myself, let me tell you that before you lays a path that is not always very easy. Walking the path of the martial artist requires more than martial arts footwear: A tremendous amount of strength, willpower and discipline. But don’t worry. If you are following a good teacher, you will build the necessary strength as you go.

Most styles from Japan are done on a Tatami mat and require no martial arts footwear. In fact, wearing any kind of shoes inside a dojo is frowned upon. In Japanese culture it’s common to remove your footwear when entering most buildings, especially dojos, temples and even the homes of other people.

But for other schools of martial arts, I recommend you invest in a good pair of shoes for your training. Some people argue that you should always train in bare feet but if you’re required to use your skills in an actual combat situation you will be wearing shoes anyway – so why not train in them? Especially if you train on wooden floors or gym surfaces, you should be wearing shoes anyway.

Enjoy your stay. I hope I can provide you with the martial arts footwear that will accompany on your personal path of the warrior.