Softpad on hardwood -- safe for a fat guy like me?

[jsweet]

I just bought DDR Ultramix 3 with a Konami softpad that I use on a hardwood floor. I'm absolutely loving it, playing about an hour a day or more.

One problem though: I'm 5'9", 230 lbs, and pushing 30 (i.e. a fat old guy ), and as a result my feet hurt really bad whenever I start a session. After about 20 minutes, I'm warmed up and the adrenaline is flowing and I don't really feel the pain anymore, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm not damaging my feet. Today I've got lingering soreness in the middle of my right foot from doing a double session last night, so that's got me extra worried...

Two questions:

1) Has anyone here ever heard of a person doing serious damage to their feet from playing too much DDR, e.g. like a stress fracture or something? The game warns about not falling down and injuring yourself, but I don't see any warnings about playing too much or playing if you are overweight. I've seen posts on this board about people cutting or hurting their feet from a fall or from doing a slide improperly, etc., but I am more concerned about long-term damage from repeated stress.

2) I gotta imagine that softpad on hardwood is the worst-case scenario in terms of shocking your feet. Is that correct? I know that for gameplay, the $300+ metal pads are the best, but I was wondering: Are those also the best for your feet? I suppose they would be because then you can wear sneakers? Or would a foam pad like those Ignition thingers be better? Or, depending on the answer to question #2, should I even consider that as a factor when I go to replace the Konami pad? Are my foot concerns much ado about nothing?

Early on I learned to stop stomping my feet and use a light touch whenever possible, and that helped some -- but in the end, Force is still equal to Mass times Acceleration. Take my mass, multiply it by the acceleration it takes to do the gallops in the ending of Sakura even on Light difficulty, and that's inherently going to be a lot of force, no matter what my technique is!

I'm sure a bunch of people are just going to say, "Lose some weight, lardy!" Touche. I'm sure I will lose some weight playing DDR, but since I'm not really planning on changing my diet, I suspect I may not lose all that much. I'm not doing it for weight loss, I'm doing it because it's really fun! So I really hope I'm not damaging my feet....

[eTom]

I really doubt you could cause serious damage to your feet playing DDR, unless you are stamping your foot down really hard for a stupidly long period of time.
As for mats, why dont you try an Ignition or something? They have a layer of thick hard foam inside them that would make it much more soft, if you only want to use a normal soft mat for now why not put some towels under it or something? I know it sounds silly but its worth a try and if anything it will stop your feet from killing.

Im sure your gona lose loads of weight playing DDR, so im guessing the foot ache wont be much of a problem because you will be lighter

Anyway, let us know how it goes!

[jsweet]

[Joshua B]

Hi jsweet. Your self-effacing humor is really funny! I'm four years older than you and I've never played on a soft pad--just the arcade machine and the Cobalt Flux metal platform at home--but I am sensitive to my body's signals. I think you're right to think about what's best for your feet and your ankles. Playing on a metal platform in a good pair of running shoes might be best.

[psisarah]

I wouldn't be so worried about your feet as I would your knees. If you haven't felt the pain yet, I can almost guarantee you will soon if you keep playing on a hard surface. I would recommend investing in an Ignition-style mat while you're breaking yourself into the game, you can pick up a third party mat for less than $70. If you decide you want to stick to DDR, maybe then you can consider a metal pad; yes, it's still a hard surface, but the arrows on the pad have some give to them so there's less exurtion to your feet/legs.

If you want a super-cheap alternative, I would suggest buying some foam to fit under your pad and just duct-taping it in place. It should help reduce the pain.

Keep in mind your body is starting to get used to the physical activity too. When I first started playing DDR, I could barely walk for a week because my body was not used to the stomping and galloping, at all. If you take some precautions now it will help your body get used to the activity, and keep you on the DDR bandwagon.
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[Quad]

Hey...
As someone else pointed out... I would trust your body's signals. Any kind of repetitive motion can hurt your joints. While this may not be permanent persay... it could persist and warrant some sort of thearpy depending on the extent. Don't take my opinion as that of a doctor, but just of one that has studied at least generally the area that you are discussing. I would try to find ways to reduce your stress. An ignition pad does sound like a good option, being flexible and providing a certain level of shock absorption. You way find that another hard pad or "arcade style" pad actually gives you the same problem. However, wearing the right footwear on a metal pad could be of benefit to you if you decide you want to invest in such a pad. I guess what I'm trying to say is... don't overwork yourself.. and see your options if you think that this is something that you want to stick with in the future. It is best to figure things out now (while I'm assuming you are playing at a less-challenging level) than later (when steps will become more advanced and cause more complications)

Quad

[kahuna]

2 words: Good shoes.

I'm a fat old guy too 210 pounds, 6'5 and 32 years old. I've done the plywood mod to a softpad too. My advice, go to a fabric store or walmart's fabric section and buy yourself a sheet of thick vinyl to cover your pad in. It will protect your pad wheil you use your shoes on it, and a good pair of shoes will absorb enough shock to protect your body.
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The oldest DDR player in Grand Rapids

[XohshitztonysbackX]

I weigh more than all of you but yeah ... Still can play that soft pad.

[Neo Raven456]

1) About the foot damage... When I first started playing DDR heavily I had also started running Cross Country. And because of the damage I had done to my right foot from DDR put me out of cross coutnry for a week or two. What happend was I ended up pounding a new curve into my foot because I'm right dominant and I end up pivoting all my turns on my right side.

The doctor prescribed a certain hard insert that while I wore in my running shoes and everyday shoes pounded the old curve back in. Now that I've upgraded from a soft pad on hardwood just like you, to a metal pad, wearing shoes with the insert is still comfortable and keeps from damaging my foot.

Also playing on a metal pad without shoes in no bueno, it hurts a lot when you miss. I was stubborn enough to do this for a couple days after first switching because I was so used to no shoes it felt bad when I wore them.

Numba 2) I believe metal pads are best for your feet because of the fact you need to wear shoes. Make sure to get shoes that have good support for them because of your weight, and as you mentioned simple physics proves the amount of stress your feet will endure.

And finally no your foot concerns are much warranted and you should pay close attention to them. The foot is a very adaptable thing and my best advice would be to consult a doctor (foot specialist) and ask for his advice given your foot shape (i.e. do you over-pronate, under-pronate, etc... such factors would alter which shoe type you would look for)

Just like the others, I'm no doctor but I've had a couple run-in's with feet problems.
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[jsweet]

Cool, thanks very much for the responses. Sounds like an Ignition pad is in my near future. I also may try the suggestion of using vinyl to allow shoes on a soft pad. Thanks!!!

[Canaduh]

[MadFlava]

I picked up DDR not too long ago and Im also an old person of larger build.. Im 40, about 6 foot tall and weigh 235ish.

Let me give you some advice, one old person to another. Don't throw money away on an Ignition. Step right into the CF and either play with shoes or get some martial arts shoes.

I play DDR 6 days a week, at least an hour a day and also work out at the gym 6 days a week doing an hour to an hour and a half of cardio. My feet are doing fine.

I started with soft pads and I think they stink. They just aren't of the quality that the CF is supposed to be. Granted, I dont have my CF yet (Ordered about 2 weeks ago) but in the 6 weeks or so Ive been playing DDR, Ive gone through 2 Ebay softpads, a Gamestop soft pad and I'm on my second Ignition pad. My CF can't get here some enough. From what I've seen, the CF can take the abuse and not fail and with all the pads I've gone though, that more than justified the purchase.

[crushing the plains...v2]

[ezaphlix]

If you're going to go the shoes w/ soft pad route, I recommend simply putting on socks over the shoes. You get the comfort of shoes without the unecessary spending on further pad mods.

[mthegreatone]

well if you want to slighty ease the pressure off your feet, i'd put a rug on the hardwood and then place the dance pad on the rug. it softens the pressure SLIGHTLY. it helps to slightly lose a little bit more weight before actually getting into DDR. when i first started doing DDR i intentionally worked out and lost around 20-25 pounds just for the sake of being able to do ddr for long periods of time. it'll especially do a large number on your ankles when you're slightly overweight.

in any case, i've been doing ddr with a softpad on hardwood for about 3-4 months. there's nothing wrong with it when you do other exercises that pertain to the same muscles being worked on. example, i usually do an hour or two of running a day. i'm still a little bit overweight, but thanks to running my feet significantly become a lot less sore when i do ddr. currently i can't afford a metal pad, especially a pricey CF but i just adapt with what i already have. a konami pad should last you a while. 4 months ago isn't even when i started doing ddr. i've went thru 2 softpads and an ignition ripoff before finding out how good a konami soft pad was.

[willowjoy]

I also have hardwood and needed something to reduce noise (I live in an apartment) and also ease the shock on my aging knees. My setup may work for you as well. I have a couple layers of puzzle foam mats underneath an area rug (this is handy as they stay there all the time.) My dance mat on this is comfy and doesn't travel too much, and best of all I dance at all hours and have never gotten a noise complaint.

I got my mats at Home Depot, but have also seen them at WalMart, Toys R Us, and Costco. Here's an example of what I'm talking about (mine are all dark grey):

http://www.ourmats.com/sp2424.html

HTH!

[mthegreatone]

is there any chance of being able to slice open a softpad, and stuff one of those foam pads in it and then duct tape it back up? it would definitely be a cheap alternative to an ignition especially if you can put a foam mat in a konami softpad, seeing how reliable they are.

[slvrshdw]

you dont have to even cut up the pad

just do that clear plasic/wood mod and just put it:

plastic
pad
foam
wood

like that, all done
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