The weapon doesn't make the warrior...but it helps
Make sure you've got the right gear
Empty handed
I have been practicing karate for a more than 20 years now. One thing that has always appealed to me about karate is that is literally related to empty hands (空手: Karate: Empty hand). That is not to say that I am against the idea of training with weapons. It would be absurd for an iaidō practitioner to think that way. I just appreciate that if I have no weapons near me, I still have my primary weapons with me (my hands).
The thing is, I am also well aware of the fact that a weapon can give someone a major advantage. I sometimes get gun enthusiasts telling me that guns are superior to fists, as if I don’t already know that. My usual response to that is:
It’s all fun and games until you get in a fight in a phone booth.
But that really is just me making fun of the situation.
I know that I am quite good at unarmed martial arts (if I do say so myself). I also know that I’m not too bad with a sword, and that if I had a sword I could probably beat most people (even quite good unarmed martial artists) in a duel if they did not also have a sword.
But whatever way you look at it, if possible I want to build on having a base where I don’t need to rely on tools to get things done.
Barefoot running
People who have been following me for a while will know that I quite enjoy running on the beach. Whenever possible I try to run barefoot. I’m not the kind of runner who wants to take it to the extreme by running on rocky trails barefoot, but I really do enjoy training on the beach.
People who wear shoes all the time might not realize how much they rely on their shoes. If you run on a hard surface with modern running shoes the shoes will support your feet and provide a certain amount of spring to each one of your steps. Even if you wear shoes on the beach you will find that you can’t move around in the same way as you can on the road or the trail.
When running barefoot on the beach you need to make sure you land with as much surface area as possible on the sand (heel striking especially will cause your foot to sink into the sand), you need to push down into the sand without scooping sand backwards (this helps you form a strong base to of jump into the next stride), and you need to keep your knees up and your strides long (improving running form). All of these movements are very transferable to running while wearing shoes.
Sometimes over reliance on shoes can cause us to develop bad habits that can lead to us getting injured in the worst case or simply lead to us not being able to use our full potential in the best case.
“I’m fast (or slow) because of my shoes”
Last year in March I entered the Shizuoka Marathon for the first time. The people who read my race report will know that even though I got a personal best for my marathon time, I did not exactly have a good race. One of the main reasons for this was I was not wearing appropriate shoes for the run. I wore shoes I’d previously worn for an ultramarathon without any issues, but my feet had since changed shape due to all of the beach running and as a result my feet felt like they were being crushed in a vice for about half of the race.
This was quite an important experience for me because I was running a 100 miler the following month. After the Shizuoka Marathon I went to a shoe store, consulted with the staff, and bought a set of shoes based on their recommendation. I completed the 100 miler without even getting a blister, so I considered those shoes to be one of the best models I’ve bought so far. (They were Nike Rival Fly 4’s by the way).
This year I’ll be running the Shizuoka Marathon again, but I’ll be doing so with a fresh pair of Rival Flys to see if I’m able to beat last years time. Keeping in mind that you should never do anything new on race day, I took my new shoes for a spin last weekend.
Last weekend I went to a parkrun event, ran as hard as I could, and took 20 seconds off my previous personal best. (19:07 → 18:47).
At the Shizuoka Marathon I could blame my inappropriate shoes for slowing me down. At this parkrun, I could thank my new shoes for speeding me up. But is this the correct way of thinking about things?
Pay to win?
I always seem to run faster after getting a new set of running shoes. That’s when they have the most ‘bounce’ in them. Running just feels a lot easier when you are wearing a good set of running shoes. But those shoes weren’t the best shoes I could have bought.
I was considering getting a set of those newer, high tech shoes with carbon plates in them. I changed my mind after looking at the price tag. After setting my new record one of my friends told me that if I had carbon plates in my shoes I would be even faster. That’s probably true.
I sometimes think about shoes like this and wonder if it is a kind of ‘pay to win’ strategy. Even with my new (non-carbon plated) shoes, was that pay to win? It might be a little bit. But there is also the fact that although good shoes will make a fast runner faster, they won’t make a low level runner into a high level runner.
Looking back at my run data, the last time I set a 5K PR was on March 22nd, 2025. That was the first time I wore a pair of new shoes, which I selected after my experience at the Shizuoka Marathon. My previous PR before that was 19:16. I set the previous October, meaning my new set of shoes took 9 seconds off my previous best time (19:16 → 19:07).
This is only representative of a couple of data points, but the first time I bought a pair of Rival Flys, I got a PR. The second time I bought a pair of Rival Flys, I also got a PR. But if it was literally the shoes doing all the work then I would have run a sub-19 5K last year. From this I can conclude that I am a better runner now than I was a year ago.
So is it ‘pay to win?’ Kind of. But it feels more like I replaced my equipment to something that is not putting me at a disadvantage rather than something that is giving me an overwhelming advantage.
…That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Hang on until you appreciate the ‘upgrade’
On a (sort of) unrelated note…about a week ago my laptop basically crashed and would not switch back on. I had been using my laptop for many years and it was really not working very well. I posted this Note on Substack about it to try and make light of the situation, but I wasn’t very happy at the time.
I have since bought a new computer and things are now operating better than ever. When I used my computer before I just took it for granted that pages would load incredibly slowly and it would take a long time even to simply open new tabs.
Just like my new pair of shoes, my new computer has brought me back to how things should be. Both worn out shoes and a worn out computer will slow you down. I’m the kind of person that just tries to suck it up and deal with these kinds of things as much as I can, but now that I have bitten the bullet, bought the computer and bought my shoes, everything feels like it is running as it should again. And this feels like a massive “upgrade,” even though all I’ve done is replace non functioning items with functioning items.
Life is good again! Or at least, it feels like it’s moving at the speed it should be.
Final thoughts and take home messages
There are some tools out there that can give you an overwhelming advantage in some areas. When it comes to martial arts, someone with a sword will generally beat someone unarmed in a physical confrontation. Guns also generally beat swords. But in my opinion it is good to have a base where there is no reliance on tools just in case you find yourself in a situation with no tools.
Taking the tools away can force adaptation. I became a much better runner when I started training in a way where I didn’t rely too much on my shoes. But once I got used to running barefoot I managed to address some weaknesses I didn’t even know I had. Barefoot running makes me better at running while wearing shoes.
If we are going to do anything it is a good idea to set ourselves up for success. I was running with worn in shoes for quite a long time. Once I put on new shoes I, “suddenly became faster.” Going from worn out equipment to appropriate equipment can put you back on track and feel like an upgrade. But you don’t just become amazing simply because of upgrading your equipment. It may feel like pay to win, but putting yourself at a disadvantage because of that feeling doesn’t benefit anyone.
During my time training in iaidō I met a guy who was quite showy. He always practiced elaborate techniques and once bought a sword that had silver built into the handle and other fastenings. But the flashy sword and flashy techniques didn’t make him any better. He neglected the basics and only focused on practicing flashy techniques with his flashy sword. He may still be out there practicing in that way, but every time I run into him he seems to have not advanced at all (staying in the same grade category for years). If you are going to put everything on a flashy tool, be careful people don’t only think, “flashy tool” when they see you.
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