How do I stop my feet from sticking to the mat?

Question

I'm a beginner in tae kwon do and sometimes when I try to pivot while doing a kick my foot will stick to the mat and I can't turn. Are the bottoms of my feet too supple? How can I make them slide?

Answer 1

I would agree with both stslavik and David. David's answer was going to be mine.

Answer 2

yeah normally you would pivot on the ball of your foot but if you cant try pivot on your heal it is often easier also training on mats is a pain in the a$$ training on wood is often to slippery but it is a lot easier to train. or you could buy some martial arts shoes they work aswell.

Answer 3

I used to have that problem gymnastics (feet hit that pleathery material on my way through a forward flip and get caught and WHAM! Right on my face). I started using Gold Bond powder on my feet before going to class and I stopped sticking. It's just because of the way your feet moisten on the material.

Answer 4

If nobody else in your class has problems, you probably only need to develop more callouses.

Answer 5

Either the mat is too soft, your feet sweat too much or your instructor needs to do a better job of cleaning the mat. Whenever you pivot, never let your heels touch the mat. You must pivot on the balls of your feet and never the heels.

Answer 6

pivit on your heel, not your whole foot. thats what i do and its pretty easy. just dont lift the front of your foot up off the mat too much. maybe just a half an inch or so.

Answer 7

wash them once in a while.

Answer 8

Mats do that a lot. At my school we train on carpet, not mats. We only bring the mats out if we're going to grapple or we plan on hitting the ground. It's hard to pivot on mats because they're so soft and cause so much friction that they just grip your foot. Try to put a little jump in your pivot.

To aljerado, you never pivot on your heel. You pivot on the ball of  your feet.