Tai Chi Shoes - Why Cotton Soles?

I did not get my first pair of Tai Chi Shoes until Ichurch hall had been used for a wedding reception
was into my second year of training. In the firstand not cleaned properly.
two years I had turned up to classes in array ofTai Chi Shoes For A Training Aid
different style footwear to train in, quite a lot ofThere are many good reasons for wearing Tai
the time big clunky shoes with nice big grips. IChi Shoes when training, but I would like to
used to wonder what that massive smile I wassuggest that they really are an aid in your training
greeted with at each class I went to in themand not just something that is fashionable to the
from the instructor.art or just to protect your feet. One of the first
I found in my learning the instructor really did notwarm up exercise we would do is the tai chi walk,
tell us what to do a lot or how to do it, or atit used to be quite funny as sometimes we would
least this was how he tried to practise. He wouldhave a race to see who could walk flowing but
show us and anything else we learnt whether thatthe slowest, the last person over the finish line so
was about Tai Chi, our own personal developmentto speak was the winner.
or anything else that could be learnt would only beTai Chi Shoes will help you grip the floor with out
through discussions about personal or another'sbeing stuck to it as normal shoes with hard or
experience. Those with wide eyes and open earssoft soles usually will. When practising the walk or
and heart to the spiritual non invasive lessons ofdoing steps in your Tai Chi Form the shoes will
this great art tended to develop the most.allow you to learn to keep your feet close to the
I was the youngest and the only student from 12ground and perhaps feel where your feet are
to own a pair of Tai Chi Shoes, the others in theabove the ground. For those that may believe in it
end adopted to take their shoes off and train inor one of the lucky few, you may well feel the
socks, then when their training advanced a bitenergy emanating between that of your foot and
they decided to be in bare feet, this is probablythe ground.
the best way if you are not going to take a tripBe careful when buying your shoes not to make
to your nearest martial arts stockists usuallythe mistake that many do. You will want to buy
many miles away.tai chi shoes with cotton soles, you may find a
The trouble with training in socks is quite oftenshop saying that they stock this kind of foot
because the floor in the halls where you practisewear but when you get them they have rubber
have been polished or have tiles you will risk slidingsoles, these are actually kung fu slippers and you
making your steps too long or for some evenmay as well wear your normal shoes. Tai Chi
falling over. You will have no real grip on the floorShoes are made from cotton and so are the
when you are finishing one of the movements, itsoles, usually the soles will have a cross type of
will not help with the following of one movementthread which aids in their durability and helps in
into the next, your mind will be thinking mostlystopping them to slide on slippery surfaces. Like
about not slipping or I am slipping.most things in Tai Chi the choice is yours.
The main issue people may find about going bareThank you for taking the time to read this article,
foot will be quite often the floor of the hall mayI hope that it has helped make up your mind to
not be clean from all the people choosing to wearwhether you should indeed splash out for a pair
their out door shoes, or from previous classof Tai Chi Shoes to aid in the development of
bookings. One member in our class actually hadyour training and your steps.
cut their foot on some unseen glass, as the