Older generations' parents threw shoes when they couldn't make the leap to catch misbehaving children. Today that form of corporal punishment may be considered child abuse, I guess.
My mother used to furiously spank us with her shoe- she wore deerskin moccasins with no sole- the trick was not to laugh because if you did she would get something more substantial to spank you with. I can still see her acting like she was wailing the tar out of us- with that moccasin.