kicking with foot... hurts...

[IrishBeatDown****]

so i am well aware that the idea behind MT kicks is to make impact with your shin...

however, after 9 months of training.... at least 90 kicks a day... i cannot kick with my shin...

every bag, every pad, every sparring partner... almost every time i make contact with my foot... and it hurts like shit... the top of my right foot is so hard and yet sensitive at this point it is rediculous...

anyone else have a really hard time making impact with their shin?

 

[that one dude]

is the shin itself really sensitive, as well as the top of your foot?

sounds like you might be over conditioning it. i'm no expert, but you might just need to let it rest a bit and give your body a chance to recover. recovery is as important an aspect to conditioning as anything else.

again, i'm no expert.

 

[Dogmeat]

Ice and rest.

Am I reading your post right that you've thrown 90 kicks a day EVERY day for 9 months?

You need to ice out those bruises, let things heal. I just started back at Thai after a long lay off, and I made the mistake of throwing my kicks full force. I've spent the last week doing nothing but ice and massage, and now I can FINALLY touch them again.

If you have tried resting for a while, you may have some damage there.

EDIT: I'm a retard - I thought your issue was that you were not healing properly!

Yeah, you need to work on your footwork so you're stepping into the correct range. Ironically I'm also having this trouble at the moment due to sparring rust, and I've caught my instep a few times because of it!

 

[tdawg]

so i am well aware that the idea behind MT kicks is to make impact with your shin...

however, after 9 months of training.... at least 90 kicks a day... i cannot kick with my shin...

every bag, every pad, every sparring partner... almost every time i make contact with my foot... and it hurts like shit... the top of my right foot is so hard and yet sensitive at this point it is rediculous...

anyone else have a really hard time making impact with their shin?

Step in deeper?

 

[Grey_Steel]

Step in deeper?

This was my thought also. Maybe I was reading the OP wrong, but I interpreted it as he wasn't able to kick with the shin because he couldn't quite make it happen.....not because it hurt. My original thought was that he was kicking from too far away.

 

[DrBdan]

I agree with tdawg. If every kick you throw lands with your foot that means you are always throwing your kick from a bit too far outside. You need to work on your range. Next time you are training concentrate on being a bit closer than you think you should be and I bet you will find that you start connecting with your shin.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

i broke my toe when i kicked last month.

i am brittle like you lol

 

[Breakfast Bar]

When are you wearing your pads? You might want to increase this for a while--including hitting pads and the bag--until your shins and feet get properly healed and acclimated.

 

[Marvin Covar]

Step in deeper?

Problem solved.

 

[Stand-Up!]

however, after 9 months of training.... at least 90 kicks a day... i cannot kick with my shin...

You will eventually deaden most of the nerves in you legs. Ask your trainer tips on how to do that in or around your gym. Do you have steel poles with padding around them in your gym? If so, start kicking.

 

[lil_ric23]

You will eventually deaden most of the nerves in you legs. Ask your trainer tips on how to do that in or around your gym. Do you have steel poles with padding around them in your gym? If so, start kicking.

OUCH!!!

 

[yetione]

You will eventually deaden most of the nerves in you legs. Ask your trainer tips on how to do that in or around your gym. Do you have steel poles with padding around them in your gym? If so, start kicking.

Please do not listen to this advice.

It's not about deadening the nerves in the legs. The strength of the leg bone comes from increasing the bone density and tensile strength of the tibia. Your nerves will become less sensitive over time, sure, but that's not where the strength of the kick comes from. A painless kick is useless if your shinbone shatters on impact.

I've heard two completely distinct arguments about strengthening the bone and increasing bone density. The first says that repeatedly kicking bags will create the right kind of stress on your bones to strengthen them. The other says this is bullshit and the only way to increase bone density is by increasing the load the bone bears, i.e. weightlifting.

The latter explanation does sound better to me but I have no idea. I do know that this "deaden the nerves" business only leads to you not noticing that you've busted your shit.

It's the same kind of poor rationale that leads boxers to train such that they take millions of hits to the head as though that will somehow improve their ability to do so. In fact, all they end up doing is getting repeated concussions and long-term brain damage.

 

[ChachiKiller]

Please do not listen to this advice.

It's not about deadening the nerves in the legs. The strength of the leg bone comes from increasing the bone density and tensile strength of the tibia. Your nerves will become less sensitive over time, sure, but that's not where the strength of the kick comes from. A painless kick is useless if your shinbone shatters on impact.

I've heard two completely distinct arguments about strengthening the bone and increasing bone density. The first says that repeatedly kicking bags will create the right kind of stress on your bones to strengthen them. The other says this is bullshit and the only way to increase bone density is by increasing the load the bone bears, i.e. weightlifting.

The latter explanation does sound better to me but I have no idea. I do know that this "deaden the nerves" business only leads to you not noticing that you've busted your shit.

It's the same kind of poor rationale that leads boxers to train such that they take millions of hits to the head as though that will somehow improve their ability to do so. In fact, all they end up doing is getting repeated concussions and long-term brain damage.

I can appreciate trying to keep the guy from taking bad advice. Weightlifting does not work truly impact bone density. I train clients with osteoporosis. They come to me for help. I work from the most recent relevant university research on bone density. It comes from the University of Arizona and is probably a few years old. They determined no true benefit from strength training towards bone density. Calcification from impact was their recommendation. That is achieved from repeated contact.

BTW, you can not apply the concept of tensile strength to a bone. Tensile implies limited bending or stretching of an abject prior to deterioration or failure. Bones by their nature should not bend. Tensile is applied to other body tissues.

Calcification and retarded pain sensors are true with this. Like the dinosaurs that have the large head bone to withstand an attack. However, they take time and most guys are impatient and want to bang. Should consider a hairline fracture or trauma to the anterior tibialis (muscle that runs along the side of the shin). I get less hurt fighting a pro-fighter at full speed than I do a bone crunching newbie.

To the guy with the damaged leg, if you can sit down and put weights on your toes (25 pound plate) and dorsi-flex (pull your toes off the ground) without pain then it is maybe not muscle. If you stomp the ball of your foot on the ground and feel pain then you may have a structural problem. Also, take one knuckle and tap up and down the shin. See if you can find the epi center. If the tapping is light and you feel pain, have an xray done.

Wrap the hell our of it and explain briefly to your training partners that you are nursing an injury. Work on speed rather that impact. Learn to move during this time.

Sorry for the long message.

 

[ChachiKiller]

I just noticed that you mentioned the top of your foot. There is no muscle there. Nothing but skinny bones. Does it hurt if you tap it a little? Do you year shinnies when you spar?

Have you noticed any purple towards the bottom of your foot (blood pooling)? Any chance you have a shin splint and think it was from contact. I had that once. I was confused how to treat it because it happened around the same time.

Turning the hip over will change the angle of impact. If you come up at an angle against an elbow, you will lose. Come across level like chopping down a tree or mostly across.

The wrapped pole idea is good for hardening but make sure you do not have a hairline fracture. If it gets better, start hitting things easily and with more progressive power. It does not make you a pussy to get injured.

 

[Vector_X]

yup it sucks and sometimes it happens just because your opponent doesn't necessarily remain stationary. It sounds like you need some more practice at establishing range. I'm actually coming off of a broken foot I received from kicking my opponent in the head. He went down I broke my foot.

 

[Ifight4Beer]

You will eventually deaden most of the nerves in you legs. Ask your trainer tips on how to do that in or around your gym. Do you have steel poles with padding around them in your gym? If so, start kicking.

I acualey had a old guy from tyland tell me they use to heat up rolling pins and roll their shins and kick banana trees. He told me banana tree's are kinda soft

 

[DropBows]

Just wanted to add that I've struggled with this problem for a long time as well. Especially during sparring its not always easy to gauge the range for me, and I end up landing on my foot.

It's not the foot that takes the brunt of the impact, it's the ankle. All the force is channeled into the ankle and if ur not careful you'll end up like me and unable to spar for weeks at a time because of this re-occuring injury. So don't push ur luck with it.

 

[thirteen]

Before I start traing I vigorously (sp?)
rub the length of my shins to get the
blood flowing. Then, when I'm kicking
the thai bag/ thai pads etc I start off
light and build up to full power. Works
for me.

 

[elduderino31]

I know what you mean i used to have alot of trouble with this as well. I haven't been doing muay thai that long but i am getting better at it so maybe i could offer a few helpful tips.

As one of the earlier posters said stepping in deeper will help but this is only part of it.
I also find stepping at a 45 degree angle to your opponent helps. If you step up straight you often crowd yourself and can not get the turnover on the kick happening. Also stepping sideways often means you have not closed the distance enough and will hit with the end of your reach ie foot. It depends on the distance but try to step up at a 45 degree angle

Also maybe your chambering your leg, make sure you focus on getting the power from the pivot of your foot and turning your hips over. Most of the time you should be hitting with a slightly bent leg. if your leg is completely straight on impact your probably relying on the extension of the leg for your power and will hit with your foot.

Another tip is to lean your upper body slightly in the direction you are kicking, i found with my right roundhouse which is my uncoordinated leg i couldnt turn my hips over properly because i was leaning away from the kick/ backwards. Obviously for a head kick will require you to lean back a bit but a leg kick of liver kick should require you to lean in the direction you are kicking

I may be wrong in my technique as i haven't been doing muay thai too long or maybe im not explaining it well. But these tips have helped me so hope the help you

 

[Stand-Up!]

Please do not listen to this advice.

It's not about deadening the nerves in the legs. The strength of the leg bone comes from increasing the bone density and tensile strength of the tibia. Your nerves will become less sensitive over time, sure, but that's not where the strength of the kick comes from. A painless kick is useless if your shinbone shatters on impact.

He is asking why it hurts. He is not complaining of a bone pain and I don't remember telling this guy to kill off his nerve clusters so he can kick anything full force. Only a child wouldn't understand that this is a process.

Let me clarify the proper technique incase anyone is retarded. Can't believe I have to make a disclaimer. What you wan't to do is "push roundhouses and thai kicks" into the pole. You should actually make very little impact as the point it to dig your shins into the target. This has more of a push or rub feeling to it. Also, regardless of what yetione says, you will not bust your leg up. That is unless you are trying out for Jackass and go off and kick your target full force, but seriously, who would do that?

Please yetione, don't go over to Thailand and try to give them some advice.

So ok, here is another tip. Wrap twine around a wooden pole and kick into it. This works better than a pole with padding.