Grappling Arts' Use of Feet

[Zapatista]

I'm looking into different grappling arts (mainly BJJ or JJJ, or maybe Judo or Catch Wrestling) and I just have a question for those who do any of those arts and that is this: While grappling, is there a lot of foot rotation when trying to submit somebody?

What I mean by that is, are there times where the toes of the foot (and that little ball too) on the mat/ground and you have to push and rotate off that foot?

The reason I ask is because I have Plantar Faciitis which is a form of tendonitis in the foot (the bottom of it) and doing something things really hurts my arch of my foot (where the tendon is stretching). I tried Hapkido, but the rotating while punching really upset my foot so I figure most striking arts are out of the question, and I'm just curious to see if the grappling arts are too.

I realize it will be based on me and "nobody can feel it for me" it's just that I'm not going to be able to cover all the techniques for any art in the few free sessions that are offered so I'm not going to be able to experience to see if I have any pain in my foot.

Thanks for your time.

[bushido_man96]

You will need to use your feet for movement and leverage in grappling, so I would think that you may feel something there. This just in my experiences, however. You may just want to give your foot some time to heal before embarking on any endeavors.

[elbows_and_knees]

yes, there is a lot of it. A guy I trained with for years ended up getting a bad case of Plantar Faciitis and had to stop training both bjj and muay thai due to the pain. His doc prescribed orthotics and other things, and he's improved some,but not enough to allow him to train again.

that said, I don't know if your case is as bad as his - try out a few classes and see how it feels to you.

[Zapatista]

thanks for your replies. I have orthodics that I wear in my shoes (they don't fit in my workout shoes, so I run without them and it makes a difference)

I can't wait for it to heal before training because, as far as I know, it is a permanent condition. I have an incredibly high arch in my feet (the highest that the doctor I went to had seen in his career). I'm currently overweight (6' 3", 250 lbs., very little is muscle) and I've been running and lifting weights to try to lose the fat and gain muscle, so that might affect my foot.

For the next 2 or so years I only really have the summer to take martial art classes (I'll probably try the park district 'cause it's cheaper and a good judge on the amount of pain involved) so I have a while to get in shape and see if my foot bothers me less.

Thanks for your replies.

[bushido_man96]

I hope it works out for you. Best of luck to you in your training!

[Zapatista]

thanks. There's a guy that goes to my university that's into BJJ and he's gonna get a mat, he's invited me to roll with him, and so I'll use that as a guideline to see if I can deal with it.

Thanks again for everybody's post.

[bushido_man96]

That's cool that you will have someone to work with. Another thing you could do is try to augment things that do irritate the use of your foot. Try to find a different thing to do what you want to do. Don't just give up on it; see what you can come up with. This is part of makin the art your own.

[ps1]

Yes!! You need to have that mobility. But you can still learn the basics and some strong ground self defense without too much of it.

In regards to your friend in BJJ, make sure it's more than just rolling. Be sure you practice and learn technique also. Rolling is just one component of training.

[bushido_man96]

In regards to your friend in BJJ, make sure it's more than just rolling. Be sure you practice and learn technique also. Rolling is just one component of training.

Good point here. I remember reading Machado's book on BJJ, and reading about how he taught some of his classes, and worked positions and techniques, etc. It made me wish I was there.

[P.A.L]

most of the times you can start the rolling from a sitting position, and still do a great work out. for me, 20 min good bjj practice is equal to 40 min kata practice(not sparring) if not more.