Bare Feet & Taekwondo

Many martial artists prefer to practice & fight with their bare feet. Below are suggestions on how to toughen up and take of your bare feet in order to avoid injuries, blisters, cracking skin and more.

• Advantages of bare feet versus martial arts shoes
  • Better spins because bare feet tend to be more "slippery" than shoes
  • More "feeling" and thus more control
  • Less weight to slow you down
  • "Real" masters use bare feet :)
• Disadvantages of bare feet versus martial arts shoes
  • More potential injuries because your feet lack any protection and/or padding
  • More potential pain during breaks if you miss
  • Bare feet can be rubbed raw
  • Who walks around in bare feet in real life? :)
• How to toughen up your feet in order to avoid injuries and sore feet
  • You should walk around barefoot at home as you need to slowly toughen the soles of your feet.
  • Run on the beach without shoes. Toughens your feet and is a great calf & leg workout.
  • If you are really tough (or is that crazy?), try running bare foot on your local track. Start at a moderate pace & go for only a short distance initially and then slowly build up the pace & distance over time.
• Essential martial arts foot care "gear" - use only in case of emergencies :)
  • Band-aids - Cover any cuts on your feet
  • Neosporin - Antibiotic cream for cuts
  • Sports tape - Bind your toes if needed (i.e. for sparring)
  • Blister pads - Moderates the impact of blisters
  • Foot cream for dry and cracked feet - Use if the skin on your feet are cracking & splitting
  • Athlete's foot cream, powder or spray - Helps to get rid of this itchy fungus
  • Ankle braces - Support for weakened ankles
• Here are some additional suggestions on how to toughen your feet from other websites
  • http://walking.about.com/cs/blisterschafing/a/blistersbegone_2.htm - Although I have doubts about the soaking your feet in tea suggestion! :)
  • http://www.livestrong.com/article/504327-how-to-toughen-your-feet-to-minimize-blisters/
• Exercises to strengthen your feet
  • http://www.barefootrunner.com/injury-prevention/sole-care-part-1-four-foot-exercises/
  • http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/rehabilitation-exercises/lower-leg-ankle-exercises/strengthening-exercises-foot
• Basic martial arts foot care - Intense Taekwondo training can damage your toes, skin and the soles of your feet. Here are some suggestions on how to take care of your feet & soles:
  • Consider taping your toes in order to avoid dislocations. I popped out (dislocated) my big toe during sparring when it got caught in the "crack" between the mats. Now I always buddy tape my big toe to its neighboring toe (?? index toe :) with sports tape.
  • Don't kick with your toes. Duh! This basic mistake often results in broken toes. Try to use the top or ball/heel of your foot.
  • This blog post discusses foot care for the barefoot martial artist - http://kickasssuec.blogspot.com/2010/09/while-back-april-09-i-wrote-post-called.html
  • http://foot.com/site/sports-center/martial-artist-jennifer-lawler
• Stretches for your feet
  • http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/flexibilityexercises/a/footstretch.htm
  • http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/5-Foot-Stretches-to-Prevent-Injuries.htm
  • http://www.livestrong.com/article/339437-running-stretches-for-feet/
  • http://sportsmedicine.about.com/b/2007/01/05/new-stretch-decreases-plantar-fasciitis-pain.htm

• Toe dislocations
  • http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/foot-heel-pain/dislocated-toe-1
  • http://www.ourhealthnetwork.com/conditions/FootandAnkle/ToeDislocations.asp
  • I stated this above but it is worth repeating. Consider taping your toes in order to avoid dislocations. I popped out (dislocated) my big toe during sparring when it got caught in the "crack" between the mats. Now I always buddy tape my big toe to its neighboring toe (?? index toe :) with sports tape.
• Jammed toes and/or turf toes
  • http://www.ehow.com/how_2273509_cope-jammed-finger-toe.html
  • http://www.thetoedoctor.com/sprained-toe/
  • http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/turf-toe-symptoms-causes-and-treatments
  • http://guilfordortho.com/turf_toe.htm
• Blister treatment - Here are some sites that discuss the best way to treat blisters:
  • http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/understanding-blister-treatment
  • http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/health-tip/HT00355/rss=1
  • http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/musculoskeletal/foot-injuries1.htm
• Toe nail issues
  • Toe nail fungus & ingrown toe nails - http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/nail-problems
  • Ingrown toe nails - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00154&return_link=0
  • Toe nail fungus - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/nail-fungus/DS00084/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
  • Torn toe nail - http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/nail-care/tips/treat-a-torn-nail.htm
• Treatment for Athlete's Foot - itchy, burning fungal infections that usually occur between your toes.
  • http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/athletes-foot/DS00317
  • http://www.medicinenet.com/athletes_foot/article.htm
  • http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/athletes-foot-topic-overview
• Torn or worn skin
  • How to treat skin abrasions and road rash (when an athlete "rubs" off skin in an accident) - http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/abrasions.htm
• Fallen arches & flat feet
  • http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-are-fallen-arches
  • http://walking.about.com/od/medfoot/a/flatfoot.htm
  • http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/25650.html
• Heel pain
  • http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00159
  • http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003181.htm
  • This site has LOTS of different reasons for heel pain - http://orthopedics.about.com/od/findingthecaus1/a/heelpaincauses.htm
• Treatment for feet with dry & cracked skin
  • http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/daily/regimen/daily-foot-skin-care-regimens3.htm
  • http://shoes.about.com/od/foot_pain/a/cracked_heels.htm
• More serious foot injuries in martial arts (i.e. fractures)
  • This is a good article ("Secrets to Treating Martial Arts Injuries") from a podiatrist (foot doctor) that discusses martial arts foot injuries - http://www.podiatrytoday.com/article/4121
  • For more on foot injuries, please visit our Taekwondo Injuries page.