Heel down?

[guird]

I didn't encounter this when I was starting, but I might be able to offer some explanation.

There are many ways to generate power in Martial Arts. When we turn our heel as we punch, we generate power by the turn of the body helping the momentum of our first. When we keep our heels on the ground, we lose this power. However, when we don't have power we must focus on technique and find a different way to generate enough power to make the technique effective.

I imagine that when you are doing formal practice, you keep your heel on the ground so that you can work on technique.

Again, I didn't encounter this as a beginning karateka, so someone may have a better answer.

I don't understand what you mean by 'power' and 'technique' in this post. Isn't technique about using your body to it's maximum potential to generate power(and move with speed, and keep your guard up and all the other things you want to do in a fight)? If keeping the heel down makes your punches weaker, wouldn't it then simply be bad technique to keep the heel down?

How would practicing bad technique allow you to focus on technique?

[Wastelander]

I didn't encounter this when I was starting, but I might be able to offer some explanation.

There are many ways to generate power in Martial Arts. When we turn our heel as we punch, we generate power by the turn of the body helping the momentum of our first. When we keep our heels on the ground, we lose this power. However, when we don't have power we must focus on technique and find a different way to generate enough power to make the technique effective.

I imagine that when you are doing formal practice, you keep your heel on the ground so that you can work on technique.

Again, I didn't encounter this as a beginning karateka, so someone may have a better answer.

I don't understand what you mean by 'power' and 'technique' in this post. Isn't technique about using your body to it's maximum potential to generate power(and move with speed, and keep your guard up and all the other things you want to do in a fight)? If keeping the heel down makes your punches weaker, wouldn't it then simply be bad technique to keep the heel down?

How would practicing bad technique allow you to focus on technique?

It's not "bad" technique. It's "different" technique. Although I know some people who would disagree, power is not the only marker of an effective technique. I have found that punching from the heel tends to develop short power more than punching from the ball of the foot, so it works very well at close range. In addition, you are more at risk for tripping or being taken down at close range, and having your feet planted solidly on the ground helps you maintain your balance better than lifting your heels of the ground.

[hansenator]

Typically--not always, but typically--the issue you describe can be resolved by shortening your stance.

Shortening the stance does help to a degree, but it becomes a pretty short stance. I think what I really need is more external rotation at the hip. I suppose enough practice will help but I have to take it easy or it will bother my knee.

Can anyone suggest a good stretch or mobility exercise for this?

[DaveB]

First thing to note is that if you get more power from one method over the other, it most likely means you have trained it more or are just more comfortable with it than with the other.

The main difference between the two methods is that 'heel up' gives you a little extra reach while 'heel down' makes you more stable.

Consequently 'heel up' is more natural when you are attacking. When you are in pursuit of your opponent that extra inch or two can make a difference. It also changes the focus of your punch, moving the peak of your power slightly further forward as well.

'Heel down' on the other hand is more geared towards the counter attack. Now you are not so much moving forward with a big lunge to make distance, rather you are turning yourself into a sharp heavy rock for the advancing opponent to break himself on. Your power output is less important as it is magnified by the opponent's own momentum. The focus of the punch is closer to you as the opponent is closer to you.

As well as being more stable the flat heel forces you to not over extend your body weight which is of vital importance in combat. The karateka never over-shoots!

As a training device you are forced to focus on rotating the hips and you are aided in keeping your weight low.

Both methods are valid and important but heel down is more in line with karate strategy/philosophy.

If heel down is significantly less powerful for you, I suggest getting slightly closer to the target. That and practice more.

[hansenator]

The mechanics are a bit different on heel down punching and it uses the hip muscles differently. Once I started figuring it out I was pretty happy with the power.

Allowing the heel to come up does make it easier to rotate the hips. When I punch heel down, I can't do it from the "correct" front stance I was taught. I have the have the foot turned almost all the way to the front or I'm not able to turn my hips to face the front.

[DaveB]

The mechanics are a bit different on heel down punching and it uses the hip muscles differently. Once I started figuring it out I was pretty happy with the power.

Allowing the heel to come up does make it easier to rotate the hips. When I punch heel down, I can't do it from the "correct" front stance I was taught. I have the have the foot turned almost all the way to the front or I'm not able to turn my hips to face the front.

For any technique a balance must be struck between our innate abilities or lack thereof and the traditionally taught form.

Ultimately what matters are the mechanisms of the stances and techniques, not the external form. So long as you are ingraining and learning to apply these then your stance is correct.

[sensei8]

The mechanics of "heel up/down" vary as often as the day differs from the night. Are we discussing boxing punching or are we discussing karate punching?

In either, do what you've been taught by those who have taught you "the correct way" per your styles methodology. If that doesn't suffice, then do what works FOR YOU!! After all, in the end, it'll be you and not anyone else that will have to execute accordingly.

The MA is about discovery!!

[mal103]

...The MA is about discovery!!

Very true to remember, the Sensei will show you the way but you must find your own way, it is annoying when someone says "this way, not that way", the best way is the one that works.

[pers]

I have a few takes on this.

1. When something is in front of you, and you are actually making contact, stances may tend to shorten, and shorter stances will see the heel coming off the ground.

2. I think that the heel flat on the floor aspect of stances in technique has become an aesthetics thing that has carried over into forms, especially competition. I think it has come out from the traditional approach of seeking to perfect things, even when one cannot be perfect, and along those lines has come the refinement of technique, and not just for power and speed, but for grace and elegance, as well. A long front stance with the back foot flat on the ground looks nice. Whether its any more or less practical for generating power than a Boxing stance with a lifted heel for power is a different debate altogether.

But these are my two cents on the matter.

I tend to agree with what you say here regarding the basic forms where the heel is low , we were told to imagine having a sheet of paper between our hills and the floor , in other words your hill should not be touching the floor as such .

reason being that when you are on the ball of your foot your muscles are supporting your body weight but when your weight is on the hills it is your bones and joints that are taking your mass , making your movement and energy transition slower and less efficient .

the way I was taught hills must not take the weight of your body , ball of your foot should , but that doesn't mean your hills should be way off the floor , just off the floor like having a sheet of paper between them in traditional basic and slightly higher in free flow.

[bushido_man96]

I agree that if the heels are taking the weight, then you aren't in a very good position athletically. The term "back on his heels" usually means someone is caught flat-footed or such, and couldn't react well to a move.