For generations, athletes participating in judo, karate, wrestling, gymnastics and other disciplines have trained barefoot. But what does repeatedly loading the foot without footwear actually do to its structure and function?
That question was recently raised by Bassam Seddiq, Certified Prosthetist-Orthotist, Education Manager and President of ISPO Saudi Arabia, drawing on both scientific evidence and his own experience as a former competitive judo athlete.
Seddiq, who achieved a bronze medal at international championship level, posed a question that will be familiar to many rehabilitation professionals and athletes:
Does years of barefoot martial arts make the feet stronger — or could it contribute to flatter feet?
The scientific evidence suggests the answer is more nuanced than either interpretation.
Lower Arch Does Not Necessarily Mean Weaker Foot
One of the most interesting studies in this area examined male judo athletes and compared them with physically active controls.
Researchers led by Koyama found that the judo athletes had lower static foot arch measurements than the control group. At first glance, this could appear to support the idea that prolonged barefoot martial arts participation produces a “flatter” foot.
However, the same athletes demonstrated greater toe-flexor strength characteristics and differences in dynamic arch function.
The findings highlight an important distinction: foot posture and foot function are not necessarily the same thing.
A lower static medial longitudinal arch does not automatically indicate poor foot function, weakness or pathology. Static shape and dynamic performance are different measurements, and assessing one without the other can provide an incomplete picture.
For orthotists, prosthetists, physiotherapists and other rehabilitation professionals, it is another reminder that treatment decisions should not be based on foot posture alone.
A Lebanese Observation Adds to the Discussion
The discussion prompted an interesting contribution from Youssef Salam, P&O Consultant and specialist in biomechanical engineering, who recalled an observation from Lebanon involving children from a nomadic community who traditionally spent their early childhood barefoot.
According to Salam, an orthopaedic doctor studied the feet of children from the community, who typically went barefoot during approximately the first five to seven years of life, and reportedly observed no cases of flat feet among those examined.
Salam suggested that the observation highlights the potential value of allowing children to spend more time barefoot, particularly in safe indoor environments.
It is an intriguing regional example and one that fits into a much wider discussion around footwear, childhood foot development and natural loading.
However, the account should be interpreted as an observational anecdote unless the original Lebanese study or publication can be identified. It does not, by itself, demonstrate that going barefoot prevents flat feet. Genetics, activity levels, terrain, body composition, lifestyle and other environmental factors can all influence developing feet.
Nevertheless, it raises an important question for clinicians and researchers across the IMEA region: could the increasingly early and prolonged use of structured footwear be changing how children’s feet develop and function?
Barefoot Loading May Stimulate Foot Strength
More recent research adds further weight to the argument that reduced footwear support may promote muscular adaptation.
A 2025 systematic review examining barefoot and minimalist-footwear strength-oriented interventions reported improvements across measures including intrinsic and extrinsic foot musculature, toe-flexor strength, medial arch function and neuromuscular control.
The evidence is encouraging, although researchers continue to highlight limitations including relatively small study populations, differences between training protocols and the difficulty of translating structural changes directly into functional outcomes.
In other words, the research does not support a simplistic conclusion that everyone should immediately abandon conventional footwear.
Instead, it suggests that the human foot is capable of adapting to the demands placed upon it.
Minimal Footwear Provides Another Clue
Research outside martial arts provides an additional perspective.
A 2021 study published in Scientific Reports investigated adults performing normal daily activities in minimal footwear for six months and reported significant improvements in foot strength.
Together with other research into foot exercises and minimalist footwear, these findings support the concept of the foot as an adaptable structure.
Reduce external support, expose the foot progressively to appropriate loading, balance and movement demands, and the muscular system may respond.
From Foot Shape to Foot Capacity
Seddiq’s original question therefore leads to a much broader clinical discussion.
Rather than asking simply:
“Does barefoot training cause flat feet?”
a more useful question may be:
“How does repeated barefoot loading change the strength, mobility and functional capacity of the foot?”
That change in perspective is particularly relevant in orthotic practice.
Foot posture remains an important component of assessment, but it should be considered alongside symptoms, strength, flexibility, movement strategy, loading tolerance, balance and functional requirements.
Two individuals can present with apparently similar low arches while having very different functional capabilities.
A competitive judoka who has spent thousands of hours gripping, rotating, stabilising and generating force through the feet on a tatami may therefore require a very different clinical interpretation from a sedentary individual presenting with a similar static foot posture.
The same principle may apply during childhood. A child’s foot that is regularly exposed to safe, varied and age-appropriate barefoot activity experiences a different mechanical environment from one that spends most waking hours enclosed in supportive footwear.
That does not mean shoes are inherently detrimental, nor that barefoot activity is appropriate in every environment. It does suggest that movement exposure deserves consideration alongside morphology when discussing healthy foot development.
An Interesting Area for Further Research
Martial arts provide an unusual natural laboratory for studying the foot.
Judo athletes repeatedly perform barefoot gripping, multidirectional loading, rapid weight transfer and balance challenges. Karate athletes generate explosive movement and rotation through an unsupported foot. Wrestlers combine sustained contact with rapid changes in direction and body position.
The childhood observations highlighted by Salam broaden the discussion further. Studying populations with substantially different footwear habits could help researchers distinguish between anatomical variation, functional adaptation and pathology.
Understanding these adaptations could provide valuable insights not only for sports medicine but also for orthotic management, paediatric foot care, rehabilitation and preventative foot-health strategies.
As Seddiq’s original observation highlights, perhaps the most interesting question is not whether the barefoot athlete develops a different-looking foot.
It is what that foot has learned to do.
- Bassam Seddiq – LinkedIn: View Bassam Seddiq’s profile
- Youssef Salam – LinkedIn: View Youssef Salam’s profile
- Koyama et al. – Judo Athletes and Foot Function: View the research on PubMed
- 2025 Systematic Review – Barefoot and Minimalist Footwear Strength-Oriented Training: View on PubMed
- Curtis et al. – Daily Activity in Minimal Footwear Increases Foot Strength: Read in Scientific Reports