Kicking with the foot
- Thread starter grrthetree
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I'm a black belt in TKD and I habitually kick with my instep right below where the shin meets the foot. It's just how I was taught. Anyway unless I ended up kicking someones elbow I never did feel any pain. Studies have shown that when martial artists throw strikes at targets that offer moderate resistance it actually crushes microscopic bone structures in the impact area. When it heals the bones in that area will become more dense. After this process has been repeated over and over again the bones become much stronger and the nerves deaden to pain.
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im also a tkd bb and it never hurts kicking with my instep although i am always told i will definitely break my foot doing that. i dont mean to do it but thats just the way it comes out for me if i dont consciously try to not kick with it
W
WintersMMA
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you mean like a teep kick? thats the most basic muay thai kick out there and the least painful place for me to kick. in fact its pretty much 100 percent numb as we speak
strange for me i used to hate kicking with my shins and would always use the instep. it didnt take long for me to change my ways. in muay thai when you kick someones elbow with your foot you will quickly change your ways it hurts like a fuckin bitch. now its all shins for me but with headkicks i still tend to hit with the instep
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I feel your pain all the time. Toes get snagged when front kicks are thrown. Ankles get drilled by the opponents elbows on side kicks. Insteps are bruised on forearms ect. At least your not this guy. [url=http://www.youtube.com?watch?yVqLwRO-hhc
Avoid kicking with the instep at all costs! If you're connecting with the instep for anything other than the occasional headkick, then you either need to work on your flexibility or your accuracy.
It's going to happen, tho. And when it does, you'll usually see why. Connect with something hard (elbows, shins), you'll break those small bones. Connect with something solid that won't give (thigh) and you'll cause sprains/ligament tears.
TKD guys don't worry much about this because they don't kick as hard as MT'ers do. They snap their kicks out and draw them back. MT'ers swing their leg thru the kick. So you swing a leg out, catch them with the instep and let physics do the rest. The leg tries to keep going, the foot stops... where's the force released at? The ankle of course.
Honestly, don't do it. You're asking for injury.
It's going to happen, tho. And when it does, you'll usually see why. Connect with something hard (elbows, shins), you'll break those small bones. Connect with something solid that won't give (thigh) and you'll cause sprains/ligament tears.
TKD guys don't worry much about this because they don't kick as hard as MT'ers do. They snap their kicks out and draw them back. MT'ers swing their leg thru the kick. So you swing a leg out, catch them with the instep and let physics do the rest. The leg tries to keep going, the foot stops... where's the force released at? The ankle of course.
Honestly, don't do it. You're asking for injury.
DropBows
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qft
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As a life long TKD practicioner who late had some muay thai I will always use the top of the foot for head kicks (granted U must use a point on your foot that isn't too high or two low. I use the shin for thigh shots or rib shots. Kicking to the obliques or abs I use the foot though.
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blanko
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tdk was originally designed for the korean army (modified from karate). Troops do not fight barefoot. The front kick is so powerfull when done with military boots.
IkkussSpikkuss
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Your body is pretty amaizing. If its subjected to enough trauma it will respond and toughen up. Keep kicking the heavy bag as much as possible, but start landing some kicks on the instep on purpose. When that is easy find a small round peice of wood (small smooth log). Wrap it once with rope. Hang it or cement it in a tire. Then LIGHTLY kick it with your instep/shin. LIGHTLY!!! I don't want you breaking your sh*t and complaining to me about it. Eventually you'll get this sort of lump over your instep (its small, don't worry). And the pain will be greatly reduced. (Please dont be an idiot and do this everyday. Two rounds twice a week at most)
The fact is if you fight and kick you're going to misscalculate a distance a few times and land some instep from time to time. Its gonna happen so you have to learn to deal with it.Its always gonna hurt, but you can control how much it hurts by training your nerves to STFU.
The fact is if you fight and kick you're going to misscalculate a distance a few times and land some instep from time to time. Its gonna happen so you have to learn to deal with it.Its always gonna hurt, but you can control how much it hurts by training your nerves to STFU.
The same can be said for conditioning your shins, or any other toughing up practice.
Really, you could just condition your feet for the same strikes as your shins. I personally have pretty sensitive shins, but my feet are turning into rocks. Working on flexibility and accuracy will just make connecting with the foot that much easier.
I've hit elbows, sprained toes, and both feet. I take such experiences as learning tools, and make adjustments to my technique accordingly.
And to stop this myth right now, properly taught Tae Kwon Do guys kick just as hard as properly taught MT guys. Tae Kwon Do isn't just pansy point sparring. There's a reason it's a style of fighting favored by an entire nation.
U.S. Soldier
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You can condition your instep to kick.
And what do you suggest for ankle injuries? I've never had a problem with pain on the instep or much damage there. I get it in the ankles.
Oh BS. Who cares if one nation chooses it as it's fighting style? Doesn't make it great. Take Korea's TKDers and put them up against Thailand's MTers and what do you get? A lot of gimpy TKDers. And I thought it was their 'national sport', not their 'national fighting style'.
It just does not emphasize power the way that MT does. Not even close.
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the only time i would completely say NO to kicking with the foot is when you throw a low kick, unless its a feint or just a "tap" for figuring out your opponent.
with everything else, kicking with the foot is fine. I try my best to kick with the shin, but sometimes i land with the foot, and that is ok.
plus, kicking with the foot gives you an extra 3-4 inches of range. I wouldn't suggest doing it often in a Muay thai fight though.
with everything else, kicking with the foot is fine. I try my best to kick with the shin, but sometimes i land with the foot, and that is ok.
plus, kicking with the foot gives you an extra 3-4 inches of range. I wouldn't suggest doing it often in a Muay thai fight though.
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Well, I've never thought that CC intended to land the foot, it just kind happened that way. And I do know that he has had a history of broken left feet (last incident I can recall was just before the 2006 GP. He had to have surgery to repair the foot after the loss to Mark Hunt, which may explain the wrestling shoes and the over use of the right axe kick).
I wouldn't recommend using the foot. It can provide more range and more flexibility if you use it, but it's not as hard a surface as your shin.
SHIN 2 CHIN, NOT FOOT 2 FACE!
So you're essentially saying one art is better than another? I hope not...
Not emphasizing power != Weak kicks. A good kick is a good kick, no matter the art.
NinjaKilla187
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1) Muay Thai is a TMA.
2) It doesn't have anything to do with the practioner. The MT roundhouse technique is performed differently than the TKD roundhouse. As someone that has studied both I can tell you I have never met a good TKD guy who can throw as hard a roundhouse as a good MT guy. TKD guys often kick faster, more accurately, and have a wider variety of kicks but they definitely don't kick as hard with the roundhouse.
3) There is no bone in your foot remotely as thick or strong as your tibia and fibula combined. If you are doing roundhouse kicks, using the shin will prevent you from fucking your foot up. I promise.
4) Plenty of guys get KO'd in TKD, usually on spinning back kicks, which are very powerful but not as useful outside of TKD.
1. Of course Muay Thai is a TMA. I never said otherwise.
2. Power in a kick has everything to do with the practitioner. Even if the MT roundhouse tech is different, that doesn't automatically mean it's superior or inferior with regards to power or speed. While I agree most TKD guys are in the group you mentioned (fast, varied, weaker), that doesn't mean they're doing the technique correctly, (or the correct tech for that matter) for a power kick.
3. If you are using your roundhouse kicks like a baseball bat and swinging wildly, yeah you'll screw up your foot. If you are doing roundhouse kicks correctly, using the proper technique will prevent you from fucking your foot up. I promise.
4. I have nothing to say on that. All opinion.
I would like to make clear, MT is beautiful violence and no joke. Not discrediting the tech in the least. That said, kicking with the foot is dangerous if ill prepared or executed. But done correctly, it's an advantage and effective tool.
