Dry feet cause slipping

[KC1996]

Does anyone have any tips to help with super dry feet? I've seen discussions for people who's feet sweat a lot and cause them to slip, but what about having dry feet?

I practice on wood floors and I've found I just can not get a grip and it's hurting my practice. I'm not as confident in my stances and when I try to make a accelerate or decelerate quickly my feet slide right out form under me.....like trying to push off the floor and feeling like your on ice. I'm not the only one in the dojo that's having this issue due to the extremely smooth wood floors.

We're not allowed to practice in shoes, so that's out.

I've heard mention of using hair spray or liquid chalk...does this actually work and last more than a few minutes?

 

[Dirty Dog]

If your feet are slipping, it's a balance issue. The solution is more practice. Tiny tiny changes in the angle of force will affect how well your feet "stick" to the floor.

 

[Carol]

Agreed. Strength and balance.

Shoes matter little, by the way. I see this on trail all the time, esp in winter. Two people in identical boots walking an identical path, one can walk the path assuredly while the other slips or cannot do it without traction.

 

[KC1996]

Have either of you experienced either overly sweaty or dry feet causing slipping? It's easy to say 'balance and strength' if you've never had the problem.

 

[Buka]

Soak in a hot tub before bed, or soak your feet in a bucket. Get them good and hydrated (wrinkled like prunes) put a moisturizer on your feet, wrap them in saran wrap and go to bed.

The next day you'll have the best traction those dry dogs have seen in a long time.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Have either of you experienced either overly sweaty or dry feet causing slipping? It's easy to say 'balance and strength' if you've never had the problem.

I started training in 1969. I think I can honestly say I've had soaking wet feet, bone dry feet, and everything in between.

 

[Tez3]

One of the worst surfaces I've trained on is non-slip gym floors. You end up with big blisters on the bottom of your feet.
I can't think of anything that will help other than I can say your feet get used to all sorts of surfaces after a while. We rarely ever trained on mats, they were used only for grappling, throws and such like.

 

[Carol]

I train anything -- martial arts, kettle bells, jogging -- barefoot whenever possible. That means managing the associated issues whenever possible. And I hike 10-30 hours a week in all conditions....dry, rainy, muddy, icy, snowy. If you fall during training, what happens? Maybe you mess up a form. Or get bruised. Or your ego gets a little hurt. If you slip in the mountains, what happens? You could die. Or you could sustain an injury that makes you wish you were dead. That's not an exaggeration. Right now I have a 4 inch bruise on my thigh that was a result of losing my footing. When your very life depends quite literally on how you step, it becomes something to take very seriously.

The worst weather in America... by GardnerImages, on Flickr

 

[KC1996]

Thanks Buka, I'll give that a try. I have habitually dry skin in general so at this point I hope something works or helps.

 

[RTKDCMB]

I would advise that you take a close look at your stances. Whenever possible keep your lower leg as vertical as practical and keep the maximum foot surface on the floor (e.g don't lift your heel off the floor when you are kicking). Also having good strength in your thighs/hamstrings etc will help prevent you doing the unintentional splits. You may also want to consult with a pharmacist for something you can apply to your feet.

 

[Zero]

One of the worst surfaces I've trained on is non-slip gym floors. You end up with big blisters on the bottom of your feet.
.

Yeah, have trained on that too, it sucks, also when you add in ground work, it can make some real nice skin burns.

 

[RTKDCMB]

One of the worst surfaces I've trained on is non-slip gym floors. You end up with big blisters on the bottom of your feet.

It gets like that sometimes when they polish the wooden floors.

 

[Kartate_student7]

It could be balance issues, if so I recommend getting some two by four boards about 14 inches long and practicing stances and kick while on those, from my own experience it hurts and you fall a lot at first but it really does help you gain balance.