For Beginners – Some Ways to Help Prevent Foot Blisters

This article is for the beginners at the dojo where I practice at who often develop blisters on the feet and, in particular, the rear foot (typically the left foot).  I, too, remember getting blisters when starting.  This probably arose from being unaccustomed to walking barefoot and pushing off from the left foot paw area with extreme force for speed when striking.

Here’s some tips (below) to help prevent the blisters.  Typically, with time and practice, the bare feet tend to become stronger and, eventually, the tips may only be needed on special occasions of extended periods of practicing e.g. during gasshuku.

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Tips to Help Prevent Blisters in the Feet

• Protecting the feet:
  • Taping the big toe at the hinge:
    • 山田敬一 サイモン式・足の速くなるテーピング, Sept 26, 2015 (4:36 in Japanese).  Visuals from 0:22 to 0:57 (Medical or hockey tape should work fine, too).
    • Incidentally, I tape this part before a practice as a preventative measure and habit.
  • Taping the front sole of the foot:
    • Paul Shin, “How to Tape Your Foot for Kendo” (6:08mins).
  • If none of the tips in this article work, one may want to consider wearing a foot cover called a tabi.
    • This can be found on-line by searching for “Kendo tabi”.
    • This may also be helpful in case of a sticky floor (e.g. a freshly varnished floor) where sliding the bare feet may be difficult to do.
• Strengthening the feet:
  • Walking barefoot more (in areas and floors that are safe for the bare feet).
  • Practicing the footwork between practices especially if the time between practices may be long.
• Developing hikitsuke [KendoNotes_Hikitsuke]
  • When striking with fumikomi, the beginners who incur blisters tend to “push forward” with all their might using the rear foot – to propel themselves forward very quickly.
  • As explained in the article, the pressure on the rear foot can be lessened, especially if the blisters persist, by developing a strong hikitsuke.  Essentially, one’s attention, power and movement is focused:
    • Less on “pushing forward with the rear foot” and
    • More on “pulling the rear foot and body forward immediately” after planting the forward foot on the floor .

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