Extra grip in martial arts?

Question

When I started doing martial arts I was at a Dojo which put mats down on the floor but a while back had to change (I moved a long way away) to one that has a plain wooden floor and I'm finding it difficult to get enough grip on the floor because lost most of the ridges off of the soles of my feet due to an unrelated problem.

Is there anything that I can do, or any sporting products that I can use, to improve my grip on the floor as it's really inhibiting not to feel in control when training?

I've tried light weight sports shoes and they work quite well, but they get too hot and I can't do any contact sparing in them as it's not safe for my opponent.

Answer 1

There are numerous slips for your feet that have pads on the bottom for that specific reason, however I'd recommend adapting to the floor as it will solidify your footwork and train you to better use your balance, which is always highly beneficial in martial arts. If you're set on something external, though, check this -

http://www.karatedepot.com/martialartssh...

Answer 2

Get a can of Firm Grip that racquet ball and tennis players use to spray on the handles of their racquets to keep them from slipping and or flying out of their hands.  It works good just for this and if you spray just a little of it on the bottom of your feet before glass or sparring you will notice a huge difference.  This is one of the the things that nationally ranked competitors use in national tournaments when they fight on arena concrete floors and it works very well for this as well as on hardwood gym floors and I carry a can of it in my bag all the time for this reason.

Answer 3

You could probably get those grippy socks, those'd probably work good and you could probably spar with them.

Answer 4

In the winter, I like to practice my footwork on live ice. If you can keep your balance there, you can keep it anywhere. (OK, unless somebody throws marbles on the floor, but pretty much anywhere).

The sand is also a good place to check how you are doing balance-wise. You can look at the traces after you've done movements to check if you're tilting one way or the other. And it's also an easy place to learn to feel subtly how your weight is reacting to movement.

I don't know if you've ever heard of the concept of one point. That would be the hara. Basically, if you can learn to be conscious of your center of gravity while you're moving, you can increase your balance dramatically with time. Your hara would be a point below your navel, center of your body (Imagine a cross-section of it).

Answer 5

I suggest Firm Grip which John mentioned above. If you don't like the spray, you can use Mighty Grip, a powder that baseball players use. Also you can try the new Hy-gens from AWMA.com.