Bruising

[KnOxViLLe]

I play my pad barefoot, and I've noticed I've started to get some bad bruising on my ankles mostly and a little on my calves. Is this bad? Should I be concerned? I don't want to wear shoes cuz I don't want to tear my pad....

~*~KnOxViLLe~*~

[Pyrochaos]

I have no idea how that happends. But I did wake up the other day and my whole left foot/ankle area was bruised. It doesnt hurt though. Do your ankles hurt when you play? Or do the bruises hurt when you push on them?

[Frosty555]

I don't really understand how bruises can form on your ankles/calves... on the bottom of your feet I could understand but it seems a little strange to be elsewhere.

Back in my early days I had many weirdities happening to my feet. I've gotten many a blister on the bottom of my feet, hurting toes and arch, strained muscles etc. However, with practice you learn to play in the least-impacting way, and your body will get toughened to the beating .

It sounds like you play flat-footed, that is, your hit the pad with your whole foot and heel. That would cause the shock of impact on the pad to go straight up your ankle. You could try attempting to play on your balls of your feet (ensure your heel doesn't hit the pad). It requires much more exertion in your calves though, at first you'll probably get tired faster. That's in general the way to get faster/better anyways. Now, you don't have to be on your tip-toes. That's asking for sprained toes. Just make sure your heel is up off the ground by just a little.

Good luck!

[ryanddrfreak]

why not wear socks