A question about balls....

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TheMMAchef

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Now that I have your attention.

I am 6'3 250-260 and I am an amateur Heavyweight MT Practitioner....

I do not mean to start a debate, or a discussion that will flame myself and everyone in it. I have a serious question:

What is the benefit over being on the balls of your feet in MT over having a slightly flat footed stance?

I ask because I hear constantly "Stay on the balls of your feet for movement and quickness" then I ll hear someone else say "Don't be on the balls of your feet non stop because it will zap energy and can make you off balance" Granted I realize I am not supposed to stand like a ballerina, but with the heels slightly raised off the floor.

I have watched HUNDREDS of Thai fights, and most of them seem to have their weight on their back leg, and there lead foot planted loosely with the heel slightly elevated.

Then I take it to guys in UFC Like Dos Santos, Velasquez, Overeem, etc. All heavyweights who are pretty flat footed and decent strikers (I am not giving them a to of credit just an example of flat footed guys that can crack).

I have only been doing it a year, and while I KNOW the benefits of being on the balls of your feet, I just don't seem to be reaping much benefit out of it. Can someone tell me in a constructive manner the advantages to it other than it would make you slightly more agile and explosive?

Thanks for the help!!!
 
you already answered your own question.

it is optimal in traditional muay thai in Thailand. thais don't get their energy zapped because they run miles and miles every morning before training and they pace themselves.
 
I'm quite sure mma fighters go flat footed to avoid take downs, and also have their hands lower for this reason
 
It isn't that literal. If you stand on one spot then you can be flatfooted. YOu simply should get on the balls of your feet if you move so being on the balls of your feet isn't that literal it simply means moving on the balls of your feet when you have to if you don't move then you obviously can plant your feet more
 
It depends on your style and what works for you. Most true heavyweights are simply too powerful, and lack the mobility and cardio for them to be on the balls of their feet.
And then you look at a guy like Travis Browne.

Are you a faster/smaller HW, or a bigger/more powerful one? 6'3 250 is pretty damn big
 
I alway have my back leg bent with my heel raised with a very squared up forward facing stance. The reason I do this is changing levels feels alot more fluid than than when I am flat footed, as well as moving forward feels alot more explosive by kind of like driving off the balls of the back foot. I'm not sure if I explained it properly but thats just me personally anyway I'm sure everyone has their own reasoning and different ways to stand.
 
My apologies for sounding too literal. I guess my question is what is the con of flat footed versus being in the balls of the feet for movement.

I am a bigger HW. I can movd pretty well for my size and have good agility I feel. I have a LONG way to go.

I should also point out I ONLY do Muay Thai not MMA or as a part of MMA training.

Thanks for the help and advice so far. I am not a noob or anything, I just don't fell comfortable resting my weight on the front of my feet, prob cause I'm tall and can generate a lot of power IDK....

I guess what I am trying to ask is that will being flat footed limit me in any way. Or should I just continue the way I have been taught and get used to it.
 
This is one of the unavoidable "contradictions" in stand-up movement that must be resolved from within, but then, thats what arts, in any field, are all about: resolving opposites.

On one hand - no pun intended :) - the balls contain the pivots or points of leverage for movement in all kind of directions, angles, etc*. on the other hand, you still need that range in the achiles tendon/calf muscles to start the "chain" of "muscle tension" reaction that ends in the hand when you throw a punch. Being the start of the "movement chain", the push of the foot against the floor is extremely important - in the same way, if a sound signal is then to be amplified before reaching the speakers (hands), the stronger the original signal the bigger and brighter the final sound.

So there we have our contradiction, what to do? Lose mobility, gain power/stability or viceversa? As already pointed, there are many ways to approach this, and you have to balance your requirements and tactics within the biodynamic limits.

Now, on a personal note, the way i
 
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Your weight should always be on the balls, even if your heels are down. And as a general rule, one heel is up one is down in my opinion. That gives you the best combination of mobility and balance.
 
TheMMAchef said:
Now that I have your attention.

I am 6'3 250-260 and I am an amateur Heavyweight MT Practitioner....

I do not mean to start a debate, or a discussion that will flame myself and everyone in it. I have a serious question:

What is the benefit over being on the balls of your feet in MT over having a slightly flat footed stance?
Click to expand...

I'm a bigger guy myself and I was talking with this guy on youtube who was a fighter and trainer in thailand during 80s-90s. he told me point blank that larger people simply do not have the finesse or dexterity to do muay thai and that anything over 169 pounds is just not good muay thai. Keep in mind this is something most mt or mma gyms in america will tell you because I imagine it wouldnt be good for business.

So basically of course you are not going to be able to fight or train the way a bunch of midgets in thailand do. They don't have to worry about burning their calf muscles out standing tpy toed because they arent carrying 200+ pounds.

Personall,I would look into boxing because the quality of it over here is higher than the muay thai and it wasnt an art designed specifically for people much smaller than you.
 
If you are flat footed with too much weight in the heel, you will not be able to properly rotate your hips and explode into an attack.

Being on the balls of your feet promotes more explosive movement both with footwork and attacks.

It also allows you to put more hip into attacks and achieve a further reach without leaning outward.

Developing the balance, footwork, body positioning and stamina required to effectively move on your toes will improve your entire game.

Skip knees and switch kicks almost require it.
 
Forever Changes said:
I'm a bigger guy myself and I was talking with this guy on youtube who was a fighter and trainer in thailand during 80s-90s. he told me point blank that larger people simply do not have the finesse or dexterity to do muay thai and that anything over 169 pounds is just not good muay thai. Keep in mind this is something most mt or mma gyms in america will tell you because I imagine it wouldnt be good for business.

So basically of course you are not going to be able to fight or train the way a bunch of midgets in thailand do. They don't have to worry about burning their calf muscles out standing tpy toed because they arent carrying 200+ pounds.

Personall,I would look into boxing because the quality of it over here is higher than the muay thai and it wasnt an art designed specifically for people much smaller than you.
Click to expand...

Your advice to my question is to take up Boxing instead? I'll pass. I work my ass off to train MT and I started this thread to get past a roadblock.

I will agree that smaller individuals will have an easier time with the stance but I fear you may be pigeonholing heavyweights. I most certainly train and fight as well as a Thai individual at my level would. Our culture is not one that allows for the same methods I agree.
 
wang xiangzhai said:
This is one of the unavoidable "contradictions" in stand-up movement that must be resolved from within, but then, thats what arts, in any field, are all about: resolving opposites.

On one hand - no pun intended :) - the balls contain the pivots or points of leverage for movement in all kind of directions, angles, etc*. on the other hand, you still need that range in the achiles tendon/calf muscles to start the "chain" of "muscle tension" reaction that ends in the hand when you throw a punch. Being the start of the "movement chain", the push of the foot against the floor is extremely important - in the same way, if a sound signal is then to be amplified before reaching the speakers (hands), the stronger the original signal the bigger and brighter the final sound.

So there we have our contradiction, what to do? Lose mobility, gain power/stability or viceversa? As already pointed, there are many ways to approach this, and you have to balance your requirements and tactics within the biodynamic limits.

Now, on a personal note, the way i
Click to expand...
 
Yep, being on the balls of your feet does not mean standing like your trying to make the height restriction at a Theme park. There's no problem with your heels touching the ground, just aslong as there's no weight on them.
Next time your at the gym move do some light shadow boxing and imagine the floor is made of glass, would you break the glass with your stepping? If you thing you would, your probably not moving very smoothly
 
TheMMAchef said:
Your advice to my question is to take up Boxing instead? I'll pass. I work my ass off to train MT and I started this thread to get past a roadblock.

I will agree that smaller individuals will have an easier time with the stance but I fear you may be pigeonholing heavyweights. I most certainly train and fight as well as a Thai individual at my level would. Our culture is not one that allows for the same methods I agree.
Click to expand...

Sorry I didn't mean to be rude. But that is the thing with sports. Tall lanky people are better basketball etc. If I were you I'd look at classic k1 then. You can still do know muay thai but you need to base your standards against some one your size. I used to think I was no good because I wasn't as fast as Duran. I didn't realize at the time was so small and that heavy weights fight differently
 
Forever Changes said:
Sorry I didn't mean to be rude. But that is the thing with sports. Tall lanky people are better basketball etc. If I were you I'd look at classic k1 then. You can still do know muay thai but you need to base your standards against some one your size. I used to think I was no good because I wasn't as fast as Duran. I didn't realize at the time was so small and that heavy weights fight differently
Click to expand...
Simon Marcus and Nathan Corbett say your talking shit
 
Oh boy...

Got it.... Foot planted with weight on balls of feet, heel on mat with little to no pressure. I shall experiment with this.

Much thanks a.
 
NAKMUAY18 said:
Yep, being on the balls of your feet does not mean standing like your trying to make the height restriction at a Theme park. There's no problem with your heels touching the ground, just aslong as there's no weight on them.
Next time your at the gym move do some light shadow boxing and imagine the floor is made of glass, would you break the glass with your stepping? If you thing you would, your probably not moving very smoothly
Click to expand...

Exactly this. +1
 
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