GrappleSock
What: The GrappleSock is a five toed elastic material sock. It has "tread" on the bottom which extends from the heel to the pads of your feet. There is no tread on the toes. Despite the material being very thin (you can see your skin when the sock is on), it seems durable. I'm not going to test my luck with the washing machine; instead I'll hand wash it.
Why: My feet get torn up on the mat; particularly the top of my feet right by my big toe. My pinkie toe also gets dislocated quite often. The guys I roll with told me to get wrestling shoes, so I did. The wrestling shoes had so much traction, I rolled my damn ankle working take downs! I decided I needed a good balance, so I googled grappling sock and this popped up.
How: It functions very well! I was concerned the sock would come off while grappling, rotate, bunch up, etc. None of the above happened, despite having been in some grueling matches. It allowed me to have slightly more traction than when bare foot, but not so much traction that my foot sticks to the mat (as was my experience with wrestling shoes). The lack of traction on the toes actually seems to work in my favor. My problem with dislocated pinkie toes occurred when I would shrimp or scramble. My foot would push off, but my pinkie toe would stick to the mat and get jacked. The lack of traction on the toes allow my toes to slide over the mat without getting jammed up.
When: My GrappleSocks arrived three days after I ordered them. They came in a small mesh bag.
I think I'm in love. I found something that protects my feet while giving me traction AS WELL AS the sensitivity of bare feet that seems to get lost when you put the wrestling shoes on. Also, I am less vulnerable to leg/ankle locks without bulky shoes. I get some shit from the guys I roll with for rocking the five toed socks, but screw it. For the performance I'll throw on some Rainbow Bright colored toe socks so long as they function like the GrappleSock.
I don't have any information on long term wear and tear, but I'll update this in a month.
GrappleSock
