A question on Front kicks...

[CanuckMA]

You can break your toes with shoes on. I cracked a toe kicking a soccer ball with shoes on. Speaking of, ever notice that the soccer players use the side of the foot?

[delta1]

That knee up stuff is for beginners and sport stylists. Remember you are speaking from a TKD or Kenpo perspective. ...If you want to do a knee strike then do a knee strike. The chambering you've learned your entire MAs life is for little kids and schoolboy karate. ...No, the first part of the front kick is whipping the leg out, with an imperceivable chamber.

 

Well, I'm glad that you are all grown up and all, but you should learn not to make assumptions. Let me explain:

 

When you learn, say, a back fist, you first point the elbow and then strike. As you progress, it all comes up and whips out without the intermediate step of pointing. But the elbow still travels out and up as the fist whips out because you've learned the principle. More than that, you can later put it together that you can launch a wicked backfist off an elbow strike. Same with the knee pointing a kick. In reality the knee comes up and out, but not to full high chamber to telegraph your strike. But still the cocking action is there. And, you can deduce that a knee strike is a good close in substitute for a full kick.

 

As for its being for the kiddies, I disagree. No matter how far you go, or how much you grow up, you should still come back to basics.

How will you use the ball of your foot with shoes on? Why practice barefoot techs when 80% of the time people wear shoes? Toe kicks teach you the proper fundamentals AND conditioning to kick with shoes on or off.

 

I've already told you how. Go back and read again.

Using the edge of your foot with shoes on is good too. You can do this stype of kick either with a sidekick, or the more preferable and advanced front kick using the side of your foot.

 

You mean, like "front slicing kicks"?

Advanced Okinawan principles for the modern stylist.

 

While I respect the Okinawan styles, they are not the be all and end all in martial arts. And they don't teach you to let your ego get the best of you, at least not as far as I know any how.

Ball of the foot kicks are useless in real life.

 

Thanks for setting us all, and me in particular, straight. But when you kick and he moves, your well conditioned toe could easily be dislocated or broken. Also, all that 'conditioning' may be fine now. But when you really grow up (get older) and get arthritus in those abused joints I bet you sing a different tune. But, to each his own. You can point your toes, I'll curl mine, and we'll both be happy.

[kotegashiNeo]

Try this goju exersise lift only your big toe then put it down then lift the remaining toes without distubing your big toe

[Rich_2k3]

Do u think that people who have toes that can brake through wood blocks will have arthritus when there older or does it do u good.