Disadvantages for flat-footed martial artists

[8Limbs]

Hey everybody, I am interested in practicing martial arts, but I've been wondering if having no arch in my foot will bring about difficulties in learning kicks and stuff, and so if anyone has any answers/advice I'd appreciate it alot.

 

[Kacey]

I had a student for several years who was completely flat-footed, and he didn't experience any particular problems. He was 12 when he started, and 15 when his high school homework got to be too much for him - I don't know if his age had any effect on his ability to not have problems with it, but I remember that he was less flat-footed when he quit than when he started. This was in TaeKwon-Do; different martial arts may have different effects/concerns in this regard.

I also remember my yoga instructor describing her instructor's instructor - after a lifetime of yoga, his arches had raised to the point where the footsword (outer edge) of his foot didn't touch the floor - his footprint only showed toes, ball of foot, a gap, and then his heel.

 

[Blindside]

Hey everybody, I am interested in practicing martial arts, but I've been wondering if having no arch in my foot will bring about difficulties in learning kicks and stuff, and so if anyone has any answers/advice I'd appreciate it alot.

Its not exactly rocket science, wear shoes with arch support.

Lamont

 

[Yari]

Hey everybody, I am interested in practicing martial arts, but I've been wondering if having no arch in my foot will bring about difficulties in learning kicks and stuff, and so if anyone has any answers/advice I'd appreciate it alot.

The problem, if it arrises, is that if the musculare part of the foot and leg i not use to a flat foot. You can experience that the blood cirkulation isn't as good as it's supposed to. Since the foot doesn't move in the intended way the muscels dont support the blood flow correctly. You might feel that you legs are tired. And it depends on how old you are. your body addapts much easier when your young, or if it is use to activity or not.

This is not always the case, you'll have to feel your way through. But using a support in a shoe is a good idea.

/Yari

 

[Adept]

I myself am quite flat footed. Having never been normal footed, I can't say how my training would have been different if I was, but I can say I haven't experienced any problems with my training that I could attribute to my flat feet. It doesn't seem to have ever been an issue.

 

[Sam]

I myself am quite flat footed. Having never been normal footed, I can't say how my training would have been different if I was, but I can say I haven't experienced any problems with my training that I could attribute to my flat feet. It doesn't seem to have ever been an issue.

exactly the same for me.

 

[Grenadier]

A couple of my former students (from a decade ago, Shotokan Karate) were flat-footed. Neither of them had any problems performing any of the kicking techniques, and their feet did not hinder their movement.

 

[Blindside]

Being flat footed doesn't hinder any movement or effect my kicks. However after a couple of hours of moving around barefoot on a hard flour, my arches will start to hurt.

Lamont

 

[splazzatch]

I am slightly flat-footed and I have never had any problems but I don't know if it would have been easier for me if I had arches.

 

[aplonis]

Way, way back, all the way to 1975, my TKD instructor was Kent Bole in Kalamazoo MI. He had the flatest feet I ever saw. And he never wore shoes to train. I don't know if they hurt him or not but he never said a thing about it.

The way it seemed to us in the class was that his feet were like suction cups to the floor. He was tall and thin and with those flat feet he could not be moved.

As happens, Kent Bole was a steel worker who daily walked the girders on tall buildings under construction. One day he wanted a Korean flag to hang from the central girder of a high school gymnasium for a tournament or something (I forget exactly what). What I cannot forget is how he walked up to one of the nearly flush wall girdrers and with bare hands and feet grasped the edges, planted his feet on the vertical face and actually walked up up it with only smooth round rivet heads for traction just like an an orangutan without a pause to the central span. Once on the central span he walked out to the middle...25 or 30 feet above the hard wood floor...hung the flag and came back down exactly the same way.

 

[stoneheart]

My feet are severely pronated (flat-footed). My wife even jokes and calls them Fred Flintstone feet!

In my training, I've found that long periods of training barefoot tires me out more quickly than my classmates without my affliction. It's also harder for me to rotate my supporting foot when kicking so that the heel of my supporting foot points towards my target. Training is not impossible, but it is more difficult.

You could train in a style that wear shoes. Many Chinese arts do.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Guess it depends on which martial art you study and how good your balance normaly is. I would tend to say that it might be a slight problem in some arts but nothing that can not be over come with hard practice

 

[llewis823]

I am very new to MA, and am about as flat footed as you can get. I find my feet tend to "suction" to the floor (and not in a good way!) and also that certain exercises, etc. tend to "kill" me feet. But am trying to overcome it with practice and hard work.

 

[TheOriginalName]

Hey all.....

Firstly let me say - stop thinking about training in an MA and just do it.
I only started about 3 months ago now - and i think it was the best decision i've made in a long time.

The second thing - martial arts are not about comparing yourself to everyone else. Each MAist has different strength and weaknesses. Some like to kick, some like to punch, some like to kata and some like to spar.
I think this is why it is refered to as an art and not a sport. It is different for everyone.

I wouldn't think that flat-feet will effect you much - as everyone else has pointed out - but if it does i'm sure that your instructor will assist you overcoming the hurdle or if it can not be overcome (and that i thinks is very unlikely) i'm sure you and he\she will be able to work around it.

So my advice - get off the pc and get into the Dojo - you'll never regret the decision.

Cheers from anther guys who enjoys his insanity

 

[tntma12]

I am also flat footed, and had many people try to tell me early in my training that I would have problems in the future due to this, but have never experienced any problems in my training. I feel if you want to do something bad enough, nothing should hold you back.

 

[CoryKS]

I've got pretty flat feet, had to get a waiver to join the Marines. It hasn't been a factor in my training. But then again, I don't have anything to compare it to.

 

[Lynne]

I've noted some disadvantages. Balance is one of them - I tend to wobble around when doing side and hook kicks.

Also, certain drills hurt my feet. If I run laps in the dojang and then have to do squat thrusts my feet hurt terribly. Shuffle drills are a bear because you have to stay on the balls of your feet. Bunny hops hurt as well because of staying on the balls of the feet.

Luckily, we don't run often enough to cause shin splints, hip or back pain. I can't run outside of class because of my flat feet for those reasons.

The biggest problem is soreness after class. I feel like someone beat my feet with a baseball bat sometimes. The first six weeks of TSD were painful. But my body has gotten stronger and it makes a difference.

There are good reasons flat-footed people are not allowed to join the military. We can't run and run.

*I see Cory was able to join the Marines with a waiver.

 

[Lynne]

I've got pretty flat feet, had to get a waiver to join the Marines. It hasn't been a factor in my training. But then again, I don't have anything to compare it to.

Shinsplints, hip and back pain are very common when flat-footed people run a lot.

I imagine that in the Marines you are doing quite a bit of jogging with heavy backpacks and so on. If you haven't experienced problems, you are one lucky guy!

 

[CoryKS]

Shinsplints, hip and back pain are very common when flat-footed people run a lot.

I imagine that in the Marines you are doing quite a bit of jogging with heavy backpacks and so on. If you haven't experienced problems, you are one lucky guy!

The most common injuries I saw in boot camp were shin splints and stress fractures. Oddly, I got tendonitis. Go figure.

 

[Lynne]

The most common injuries I saw in boot camp were shin splints and stress fractures. Oddly, I got tendonitis. Go figure.

The shin splints and stress fractures may have to do with under- and overpronation. I overpronate - my feet roll to the outside. Your feet may not wobble aound as much. Heard of the tendonitis problems, too.