curling your toes back

[mikeb87]

i was wondering how to curl your toes back further to kick with the balls of your feet. when i mea gerri i have to angle it so that i hit with the balls of my feet and even then i still catch my toes sometimes, and when i mawashi gerry i have to hit with the back of my foot because i cant peel my toes back far enough to hit with the ball. i notice that my sensei can curl his toes back past perpendicular with the ceiling and i can barely get them to a 45 degree angle with the floor, how can i be able to curl my toes back further.

[evergrey]

Sit in seiza but put the balls of your feet on the ground behind you, with your toes bent forward. Do that as a stretch every day... it helps a bit, eventually. :}

[ps1]

It's really a matter of training. I used to prop against a wall and and plant my toes in the ground and pick up my heel. Kinda looks like a calf stretch but hits my toes instead. Then I would sit with my legs stretched out and simply pull my toes to my face 20 times each. It's not a normal thing to do. You just have to work at it.

[The BB of C]

I wouldn't suggest hitting with the ball of your foot on the Mawashi Geri. You'll spare yourself a lot of training and pain if you aim with the top of your foot, toes pointed, or the shin.

[ninjanurse]

Practice, practice, practice.

[Kuma]

I wouldn't suggest hitting with the ball of your foot on the Mawashi Geri. You'll spare yourself a lot of training and pain if you aim with the top of your foot, toes pointed, or the shin.

Some styles require it. The ball of the foot is a nice impact area for the middle kick, as it penetrates the torso pretty effectively. Less useful in a real fight in my opinion, but any kick above the waist is (also my opinion). If you can do it right it can be very effective. Lyoto Machida sneaks in the occasional round kick with the ball of the foot.

[brickshooter]

One can stretch the toe on a casual basis. If one is sitting at one's desk at work, take off the shoes and curl one's leg back while stretching the toe on the ground. I find that this safer than putting 100% of one's weight on the ligaments surrounding the toes.

In reality fighting, it all depends on the shoes. I wear formal shoes to work. Formal shoes have naturally hard capped toes. If I have to kick, the nose of the shoe will act as a nose of a hammer. On the other hand, it's impossible to curl one's toes in running shoes.

[sojobo]

Sit in seiza but put the balls of your feet on the ground behind you, with your toes bent forward. Do that as a stretch every day... it helps a bit, eventually. :}

Good advice - thats what I train with my students.

Strickly speaking however, the position is not Seiza- Seiza is sitting on the tops of the feet whilst kneeling - the position you describe is Kiza.

Sojobo

[likeke34]

unless you practice A LOT, i also wouldn't suggest hitting with the balls of your feet on mawashi geri in sparring... our dojo requires it for basics and my original sensei can actually throw it that way sparring and it hurts really bad, but it is dangerous if you're not REALLY good at it...

i can hit a heavy bag that way or throw it during a demonstration on someone, but when i was younger i have sprained my toe trying it sparring and now only do it for basics and never during a match...

[Wastelander]

I do not, personally, throw roundhouse kicks to strike with the ball of the foot--it's very difficult to pull your toes back while kicking at an angle like that, and I've messed up my toes enough that it's hard enough pulling them back for front kicks. That said, I would say sitting in kiza is probably your best option for stretching your toes, but you will still need to develop the muscles in the tops of your foot to be strong enough to hold your toes back or you will just have flexible toes that still don't bend back any further.