is kicking with the insteps that bad?

**Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs** · Posted On: 12/25/2008 4:34pm

Is kicking with the instep bad?
No, but alot of MAers don't know when to use the shin, instep or ball of the foot with roundhouse kicks.

I learned it this way at it suits the best for me:
- shin = roundhouse kicks to body and arms
- ball of the foot = roundhouse kicks to the face and head
-instep = roundhouse kick to the neck, coming in under a 45° angle for above to below ( yeah, I'm a flexible guy).

**ronaldk** · Posted On: 12/27/2008 3:16pm

Originally Posted by AnnaTrocity

Ask again after you've broken your foot on someones elbow..

this.

but i don't understand tho. as a TKDer, i only used my instep to kick. initially, bagwork was a bitch, but i got used to it. i could eventually kick as hard as i wanted (although i'll admit a FULL POWER kick with the instep to the body/a heavy bag never felt quite right) without any trouble, except that one time i caught the elbow cleanly on my instep.

6 months no TKD, then moved to my MMA gym. kicked the bag hard ONCE, and it felt like someone murdered my ankle. was taught to kick with the shin and haven't looked back (it's been a year). to this day, instep kicking still hurts me like a bitch on the bag when i **** up.

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 12/27/2008 4:06pm

Kicking with the instep is like going out on a blind date with Lebell...it leads to bad things.

I last time I sparred a chunner, my leg kicks (w/shin) got him flustered, and he hurt his foot, kicking at my body (elbow) with his foot. I felt bad, he had to leave early...but lesson learned.

I think people who use the top of the foot too much, are just asking for it...myself included (I head kick w/ toe slap to face, not flexible enough for the other)

I recently started inside leg kicks w/ shin...they are the best..and I don't hurt myself any more

**TheMightyMcClaw** · Posted On: 12/28/2008 12:50am

I found over the summer that I could be a whole lot more reckless with my foot position if I was wearing shoes. Even with just my little wrestling shoes on, I didn't really have to be that careful about whether I was connecting with foot or shin, or how bent my foot was, when throwing round kicks. It was pretty sweet.
When you're barefoot, and no longer have that foot protection, throwing krotty-style body kicks with the instep is madness. They're alright for the face, but as AnnaT said, shin is still better. I won't really throw instep kicks to the outside of the leg, but I will occasionally for the more tappy, probing inside leg kicks.

**Dempsy Roll** · Posted On: 12/28/2008 3:14pm

Everyone's saying that you can injure yourself easily kicking with the instep, and I suppose that it true to an extent, but as with your shins, the instep becomes conditioned after a while. Of course you're going to hurt your foot if you've never used the instep before and you start kicking full-out right off the bat. The same is true of kicking with the shins. But after a while the skin toughens, nerves die, bones harden, ect, and it stops being an issue. I've caught an elbow while kicking to the body on several occasions. Yeah, it hurt, but not any more than when I've made shin-to-shin contact with both parties kicking. Through just over a year of kickboxing and over 40 hours of solid sparring I've yet to have any kind of foot or ankle injury that kept me out of the gym for more than a day, and that's with kicks (instep kicks) being a huge part of my game.

In my experience, kicking with the instep gives you greater range and accuracy. Kicking with the shin gives you greater speed and power. One's not better than the other - it's a tradeoff. You can opt for the more powerful shots that you'll land less often, or for the less powerful shots that you can land (almost) at will.

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 12/28/2008 3:33pm

90% of that old "nerves dying" saw is actually just learning what angle to turn your shin at and how to flex the muscle along it.

**marcusdbrutus** · Posted On: 12/28/2008 3:48pm

Originally Posted by bobyclumsyninja

I recently started inside leg kicks w/ shin...they are the best..

My least favorite thing is when someone lands that high, and it crushes the tip of your wedding tackle between your thigh and their shin. I think that's the most horrible thing that's ever happened to me, fighting-wise.

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 12/28/2008 4:16pm

Originally Posted by marcusdbrutus

My least favorite thing is when someone lands that high, and it crushes the tip of your wedding tackle between your thigh and their shin. I think that's the most horrible thing that's ever happened to me, fighting-wise.

Damn, I guess it would be. Apparently I kicked BlackieChan in the PenOr at my first NYTD. We had to stop.

**TEA** · Posted On: 12/31/2008 8:30pm

Originally Posted by O-Mega Tree O-Mega Tree

I'll go instep when I go head and leg never the body.

I'll go with instep to the head because of the slightly added range and low risk of catching an elbow, but prefer the shin for body and leg shots.

Originally Posted by maofas

I can only do while it cheating (aka wearing sneakers). Were you always able to bend your toes back like that or is it something that came with practice? Not counting footage of famous people, I've only ever seen my original instructor and two other people be able to do it.

FWIW, I was taught to kick to the body with the ball of the foot and the head with the instep at my first TKD school and we did all of our roundhouse kick breaks with the ball of the foot. I'm out of practice doing the technique, though, so don't know how well I'd be able to pull it off in sparring now.

**Lindz** · Posted On: 1/01/2009 7:57am

How do you roundhouse with the ball of the footÉ I just can`t picture it. The ball is on the trailing edge when you roundhouse. Unless you`re doing some weird inside out.