Monday, May 04, 2015
Why wear Sambo Boots
In Judo, BJJ, MMA it has always been the case you done your
discipline in bare feet while Wrestlers would wear hard sole Boots and
Samboists would wear soft soled boots. Since my introduction to Sambo in the
1970’s on most occasions I have worn Sambo Boots even when training in Judo,
obviously I could not wear them in Judo competitions. Many Judoka would
complain that I allowed Judoka to wear Sambo boots in competitions I organised.
The complaints were they encouraged kicking and that you did not have the
control you get with bare feet. All of which is entirely ridiculous you watch
the World Sambo Championship and tell me they have no control as for kicking
they are soft soled and why would anyone want to kick just because they wear
Sambo boots?
So why did I encourage their use? Quite simply Health and
Safety, they help prevent the spread of foot complaints such as athlete’s foot
plus they protect foot, toes and ankles. As I said most of the time I would
train with Sambo Boots but on one occasion I did not and this resulted in me
nearly losing a toe. I attempted a foot sweep and misjudged it; the toe next to
my big toe caught my opponent’s leg and snapped. Not just snapped but went
round 180 degrees so facing the opposite direction, luckily enough my mother
pulled it back in place immediately, which with adrenalin pumping was painless
but the following hours and days was a different matter. The injury needed
treating every day by a nurse for a week. Some year later while teaching a
group of doorman something similar happened where a big toe was snapped in half
with the bone poking out, macabrely we took a photo.
The reason I have brought this to your attention is just a
few days ago leading Sambo referee Colin Carrott was training without boots and
yes you have it he snapped a toe with the bone poking through. All the injuries
occurred because all of us did not wear Sambo Boots if we had we would not have
had the injury.
The late great Geoff Gleeson would often comment to me that
the silliest thing to happen to Judoka was an injury in training just because
wearing protective equipment such as kneepads, ankle supports etc. was
considered unmanly. That piece of advice has stayed with me a pity I did not
heed it when I broke my toe