Sweaty Hands...

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[Marathon Man]

I have kind of a strange problem that I wanted advice about. It's embarrassing so I'll just get right to the point. When I'm hot my hands sweat. Its not dripping sweat but its not like you'd want to shake my hand either. I don't want to gross out other Aikido practitioners when I start.

What should I do about this?

[Sy Labthavikul]

Hi, welcome!

I think you shouldn't let it bother you, nor should you let it stop you from practicing. There are plenty of people at my dojo who get drenched in sweat as they practice, and our sensei takes it as one cue that he's doing something right that class.

If you want to be considerate, you can always simply wipe your hands on your gi, or even better, bring a small absorbent hand towel and tuck it into your gi. Whenever you sense your hands getting too sweaty, just wipe off real quick and keep practicing.

Good luck!

[Jesse Legon]

I second that. It's perfectly normal. I'm not an especially sweaty person, however in Summer, absolutely everyone, including me, sweats bucketloads and we just wipe on our gis before the grab!

[Carl Thompson]

Japan has at least two rainy seasons going on at the moment, one of which is localised under me, especially when I'm in the dojo. We can't expect all opponents to be dry to touch and easy to hold onto. It's all part of the training (that's right you're helping people by being sweaty). A lot of people keep a small hand towel tucked in their keikogi for when they get really sweaty but it shouldn't be a problem.

[mathewjgano]

I have kind of a strange problem that I wanted advice about. It's embarrassing so I'll just get right to the point. When I'm hot my hands sweat. Its not dripping sweat but its not like you'd want to shake my hand either. I don't want to gross out other Aikido practitioners when I start.

What should I do about this?

I feel your pain! If you find a magic cure, please let me know! I sweat heavily (it's my anti-grabbing defense mechanism!) and so I understand the embarrassment. Over time I've just accepted that I'm a sweaty guy (I usually am more comfortable in colder weather than most folks, so I blame my nordic heritage) and remember to bring sweat rags on particularly hot days and drink lots and lots of water to replace lost fluids. I know there are controversial surgeries which claim to treat "hyper palmer hydrosis," but I suspect that's close to "halitosis" which Listerine coined to mildly frighten people into buying more of their product for that disease-like thing called bad breath. I think most people don't mind a little sweat in a physical activity...particularly if you're well-bathed.
If it's because you're slightly nervous or otherwise a little anxious, practice deep slow breathing and see if that helps a little.
Good luck!
Matt

[Pauliina Lievonen]

What everyone else said! What you'll also realize once you start practice is that most people have rather sweaty wrists after a few minutes of vigorous practice. At which point it really doesn't matter since your palms would get sweaty anyway from grabbing them. ;)

kvaak
Pauliina

[Shadowfax]

Try being a sweaty girl. :p I sweat buckets when I'm training. Honestly we are so busy training no one really cares. Wipe them on your gi before you grab and get to training. After a while you really don't even notice it anymore. Its just part of the experience.

[mevensen]

I have kind of a strange problem that I wanted advice about. It's embarrassing so I'll just get right to the point. When I'm hot my hands sweat. Its not dripping sweat but its not like you'd want to shake my hand either. I don't want to gross out other Aikido practitioners when I start.

What should I do about this?

On one hand, you could do nothing. There's nothing wrong with a sweaty paw.

On the other hand, if it really bothers you, you could talk to a dermatologist. There are injections that can be done for hyperhydrosis if it's a real problem (Botox). Also, I knew one person who put antiperspirant on his hands. I don't recall which kind, and you would need to be careful since too much residue would be equally icky for others (if not more) .

[Max Hoskins]

Hi Mike,

It appears the aikiweb community is offering you lots of support. Nice to see!

If you really want this issue resolved, make an appointment with a dermatologist. I’m guessing he or she will label your “sweaty hand” condition as either “diaphoresis” or “hyperhidrosis”. If you prefer a noninvasive treatment that really works, ask about “iontophoresis”.

Be careful during weapons training – I’m sure you know what I mean.

Best,

Max

[ninjaqutie]

Hello. I wouldn't worry about it too much. It seems like all the men I work with in my dojo have sweaty hands. Some men sweat so bad when they are thrown they are giving everyone else a sweat bath... or I seem to be landing in their sweat when its my turn to be uke. YUCK!

I would just say wipe your hands on your gi before if you are sensitive about it. There is something that tennis players use though that you may be able to find. It is a powder that they put on their hands and it basically prevents them from sweating so they can grip their racquet better. I just use a tacky grip to prevent this problem, but others prefer different types of grips. You could always give the powder a shot though!

Good luck!

[Anja Lampert]

Firstly I second all of the fellow answers meaning that about everybody is sweating quite heavily during Aikido classes (even the girls, as I am one and yes, my hands are toally slippery during class, but wiping them on your Gi really helps!). The other thing that might help - usually you will be so busy training and breathing and taking ukemi and getting up again that there will be no time to worry about sweaty hands (or even the whole swaeting rest of your body :D ). Just remember to drink enough before you go to Aikido class, so that you don't dehydrate!

Good luck and have fun training!