Blister prevention on feet?

I have a 3 day intensive training coming up and need to figure out a way to prevent blisters. The big toe side of the ball of my feet seem to be the problem area for me. I've been getting hotspots there after only 3 hours of practice. I have wrapped my feet with athletic tape but it seems to ball up rather quickly requiring that I remove it completely or rewrap. Granted, I have very little experience with using tape.

Has anyone tried mole skin...the stuff that comes in patches that you cut to size? I was thinking that one large patch covering the entire balls of my feet might not only prevent blisters but also create some slipperiness in turns taking some torque off from a sore knee.

Any other ideas for blister prevention?

Thanks.

 

You can get anti-blister socks at your local sports shop.

 

Try a lubricant.

 

Thanks, you two! I'm almost certain socks are not allowed though. I assume the lubricant would have to be used in conjunction with socks/shoes too, correct?

 

I would think to use it before and after practice...as well as after taking a shower

 

Thank you. Just so I understand, you don't use the lubricant with shoes or socks? If that is the case, doesn't the lubricant wear off quickly? Is this a specific blister prevention lubricant?

 

I dont know about prevention apart from conditioning

To treat blisters I can share with you a drastc, but effective remedy.

You will need:
Syringe and needle
Tinc benz Co

First draw out juice from blister
inject Tinc benz Co

Scream very loudly for 20 seconds

Go about your buisness, blister free

This treatment is extreamly painfull for a very short period, but fixes the blister. I learnt it in the Army for soldiers that droped out of endurance exersizes because of extream blistering, but it must be done before the blister bursts. It acts to glue the raised skin back onto the lower skin layers

 

I dont think the OP was looking for treatment. I think the OP was looking for prevention

 

It sounds as if your feet are just very deconditioned to time barefoot on the mats. If you aren't conditioned to being barefoot and you hit the mats with a 3 day intensive training session then yes you're feet are going to bear the brunt of that. You simply won't have the thickness of skin on your feet that you need. So if your kicking and rotating and dragging your feet on the mat then it's blister time.

You can avoid some of it with tape. You will have to practice. Taping takes time to learn how to do and it's ideally done by a coach who has the skill and can communicate with you about what is too tight or too loose. It can be done with the tape lasting the whole session quite easily... but it takes time. Taping is a fine art. Otherwise it just becomes a gummy, flappy mess.

You can try mole skin... but you'll want to try it out before you jump into your session and rely soley on it to alleviate the blisters. There's no way to know for sure until you try. Normally it's used for the heel area in hiking boots to take the friction off of a hot spot. Thus no or less blister. However... when you've got bodyweight on it and your turning and torquing... then it may or may not work. Again... try it out prior to relying on it.

Obviously - avoid blisters - because they take time to heal. And they can be very painful the little buggers. Finite Monkey's method although it sounds like a medieval torture... is actually a way to deal with blisters once they've happened. I can't underscore just how much intense pain you're in for a brief amount of time. I've seen grown men reduced to tears. Just so you know.

Try to get more time on the mats in bare feet. That's really the only long term plan you have. More time in bare feet. Walking at home... bare feet... at the dojo... bare feet. In time it'll build up. Reduce the amount of time you take in the shower... avoid baths... anytime you soften up that buildup of skin it will eventually sluff off and you'll then need to recondition.

 

Thanks, all!

Slipthejab,

We always practice on wooden floors and this 3-day intensive will be on a gym floor...and it's coming up in a short 8 days!

Outside of karate on the wood floor, I feel my feet are reasonably tough. I work from home and am barefoot most of the time. Do most of my yard work in bare feet and even walked barefoot 4 miles over broken granite rocks and gravel last yr on a 3-day backpacking trip. As tough as they sound, they are not tough enough...at least for karate on wood.

I have two and maybe three more practices before this 3-day intensive. Hopefully I can figure something out before then. Maybe I'll try a different technique on each foot.

Someone else on another forum suggested that I dust my feet prior...the dust absorbing the sweat therefor keeping my skin from gripping the floor.

Thanks again. Would appreciate any more thoughts anyone may have.

 

If the friction is a problem from slightly sweaty skin then you might try dusting them with climbers chalk. Cheap and easy to carry.

 

Careful with the dust on the floor

 

@ fishnaked Your feet sound pretty tough..are you seriously concerned about blisters?

@Martial Man..what can I say...I'm generous to a fault ;]

 

They're pretty tough in the walking around sense. They're weaklings in karate though. I get hot spots, after 3 hours, in areas that aren't toughened up in my other day-to-day barefoot activities. I'm 100% certain I'd get some serious blistering if I did nothing in this upcoming 3-day practice.

I must also say that my feet have no doubt softened up over the winter. My barefoot activities are reserved to the warmer 6-7 months of the year. And even though I don't wear shoes in the house during the winter, they are still clad in socks or slippers for warmth.

 

I dont envy you

 

To clarify, is it really blisters?

Your problem sounds a lot more like peeling skin?

 

Righty...I don't get blisters during our 3 hr practices but do get some hot spots near the end. I've had blisters before so have learned how they feel shortly before developing into a full blown blister. Most people at these 3-day intensive trainings get them, I'm told.

At any rate, a poster on another forum recommended Coflex wrap available at vet stores. I tried it last night and had zero hotspots. Stuff is amazing too that it only sticks to itself. Easy to apply, pleasant to remove. Having stretch, it's a heck of a lot more comfy than the regular tape I was using and see so many others using. I don't understand why but the stuff defies logic and doesn't roll up under the foot either...at least not in the 3 hrs I tried it. So far, I'm super impressed and it's looking promising.

The dust idea sounds easier to me but I get the feeling it won't be easy to sneak to the side to redust as needed (sounds like these 3-day trainings are very formal and perhaps fairly strict).

At any rate, I'm optimistic that I have found a solution that'll work for me. Thanks to all who replied!

 

How about ice to take the heat away?

 

Not a bad idea...but don't think I need it...I hope. Just got home from another 3 hr practice with susceptible foot wrapped in Coflex and all is good! Wish I could say the same for the rest of my old feeling joints......

 

Nice! Sounds like you should be in business! Thanks for reporting back in to let us know how it was going. Nice bit of kit to have around in your gym bag for this type of thing. Comes in a wide range of colors... lol... can't see your sensei being to impressed with day-glo green foot bandages though.

http://www.vitalitymedical.com/coflex.html