For those of you that like to train barefoot, have you tried these? http://www.paragonmartialarts.co.uk/dance_paws.htm Any good?
Personally I would need them to stop my feet getting ripped up and bloody, but I'm sure there are more interesting uses
Wooden floor... I wear MA shoes some of the time if my feet are cut and blistered, but prefer to be barefoot. I just thought these might be an alternative to shoes whilst I wait for the blisters to heal up.
Strange, my feet don't blister any more on wood, a few times at first and now nothing. I'd have thought if you trained regularly on wood you wouldn't get them either.
Ahh, well I'm in my first few months of training, so my feel are all wimpy and soft. I'm sure they will harden over time, just not enjoying the pain so much while I wait!
I know, it probably sounds like I am being incredibly wimpy. My blisters bleed Not so nice for me or the other students really. I dont see how training on bleeding raw blisters is going to help them heal. (I am cleaning them with surgical spirit every day though, in the hope it may help harden the skin!)
Oh for sure, if you are bleeding you need something, you could just tape your foot, that works well and also helps lessen some injuries, or there are these whole foot guard things that are tight on your foot with a good tractioned surface on the bottom and a small bit of padding on the top.
How on earth are you getting such damage to your feet from wood floors? :O Ive trained on wood for years and I dont remember anything like that, you have my sympathys
Not all wooden floors are the same, and I find some tougher on the feet than others. Personally I'd suggest training barefoot when you can to help condition your feet and check your foot position when kicking. When they're bleeding etc, just do as you're doing and stick your MA shoes back on. As you said, consistantly ripping open the same blisters/cuts isn't going to do you any good.
I'm new to TKD, my feet are all soft, I do sweat a lot when training causing my feet to grip the floor more than I'd like when performing spinning kicks or sliding movements.
Absolutely, I prefer training barefoot, but unfortunately must have a low pain threshold, and jumping about on the raw skin is pure agony! I thought maybe these dance paws maybe the solution for when my skin is ripped up
I have tried taping before, and it just come off/rolls up and makes training even more painful! Maybe I was using the wrong kind of tape, think it was Micropore or something. Trouble is with sweaty feet, the tape doesnt want to stay put! By footguards do you mean the WTF sparring footguards? Or something completely different?
Yeh you probably do have different tape, the stuff we use stays really well, though the way you tape it does matter a bit too. The guards are WTF approved I think, but it's not the things the majority of people wear I think. They like fit to your foot and have toe holes, grip on the bottom, thin padding on top. i only know them as feety things though.
I have a pair of Dance Paws that I use in a dancing class and they work very nicely on the old wooden floor. My feet sweat so it's harder on them (and harder on the knees) if they get stuck to the floor while trying to turn/pivot. The Dance Paws prevent that and I think would protect your feet from getting cut/blisters. Or at least, they might give your feet a chance to heal. The bottom of my Dance Paws are either the original or padded since it looks/feels like suade or moleskin. I see the website has a size chart, but you can also go to a dance supply store and have someone there help you figure out which size you need. They're supposed to be tight (they eventually stretch out) and I was surprised I needed a size smaller than I would have thought to get. I've never needed to use them in my martial art class (train on mats), but I think they would really help if you tried them. Added note--I absolutely can't stand the feeling of anything between my toes and can't/don't wear flip flops or anything like it. I was very surprised that the Dance Paws don't bother me at all. I feel more the snuggness of the elastic band holding it in place (which is okay too) than anything. Fuzzy Panther :hat:
Fuzzy, thank you so much, your response has been super helpful. I envy you training on mats for MA. I really don't mind conditioning my feet, but perhaps this might be the thing I need whilst they are healing. Shoes can be way too hot and sweaty, and tape just comes off my feet. Its good to hear back from someone who has used dance paws. Do they last pretty well?
I'm glad my review helped. Yeah, I practice Aikido and I can't picture trying to do that on hardwood floor. Ouch! I also have a blood circulation problem where if I'm wearing shoes (closed in like sneakers) and get hot from a workout or just hot from outside, my feet can swell, turn bright red, and they feel like I'm standing in a mound of fire ants getting bitten and stung. Pure misery! So shoes while training wouldn't work for me either. I haven't had my dance paws for too long, but I asked my sister, who has used them for much longer, and she said that she thinks a pair will last you a good year, if not even longer. If they're really worn they might get too stretched out and start to slip a little or get little holes in them. I'd say there a great investment and I love mine. Side tip--if you get them, you might want to put them on and wear them awhile before class the first time to help get them a little stretched out to your foot. I've heard that sometimes when people get them they'll wear them (under their socks?) to school or work all day to get them broken in. I didn't do that though and I was fine--just extra tight for first class I used them. Also since they are so snug, it usually takes me a few minutes (not too long) to get them on. Sometimes I struggle to work it on and get all my toes through the correct holes before class starts. Take care, Fuzzy Panther :hat:
Well, I have been applying surgical spirit to my feet every day, and also a special cream that prevents cracked heels/skin. Still early days, but I trained last night again, my blisters were kinda healed up and not sore..... until right after our warm up, I'm all sweaty and we start doing basics. Just three side kicks in, and my skin in ripped up and I'm sore again. So I put my shoes on, and have hot swaty feet for the remainder of the class. Even with socks on, they slip around my shoe! This is why I hate wearing shoes all the time. Dance Paws here I come! (when I can afford them, expensive buggers!)
