My arthritic big toe joint in my right foot is really holding me back. I have got to find a way to tape it up for classes. Without support, I can’t kick because the whiplash effect hurts a lot. I can’t do a proper cat stance because of it. I can’t put any weight or torque on it. It justs really sucks when it is acting up like that.
I think it’s time to complain to a doctor about it. When it becomes painful like that, I don’t know if it is causing more damage, or just pain. If it is just pain, then maybe I can block it somehow.
Anyway, when they “taught” us the Ju Roku, they went way too fast for us to grasp much of it. That is par for the course though. Eventually after repeating the lessons over and over it starts to sink in.
When we come back in January, we are setting our sights on grading to orange. My goal is to be blue by next fall. But I won’t be anything until I can solve the toe problem.
I am adding this after I posted this article. Karate practice is always in ones bare feet. The reasons for this are many. Socks are too slippery on the gym floor. Shoes would wreck the gym floor and are not standardized and also one can’t teach in shoes the proper form for your footwork.
On the other hand, you will almost never be barefooted in a street fight. It is good to practice your katas in shoes outside of the dojo just to get a feel for the real thing. Hopefully, you will never have to use karate in a real situation in your life, but it pays to note the vast difference between bare feet and a pair of shoes.