Hitting the dreaded Plateau

[sirdarksol]

Okay, front snap kick, front kick, whatever you want to call it:
1) You can use the arch of the foot (especially if you're wearing sneakers or another shoe with a decent covering on top) for groin kicks, or
2)you can use the ball of the foot to strike out at nearly any other area of the body, though below the belt is the most likely target.
The first can't carry a ton of power, or you've got the potential to collapse your arch (you know what a broken bone in the foot feels like, disgruntled ). The second can carry quite a bit of power, but can take a little bit longer, as you're pushing out. Still, it's a fast kick, though there are plenty of more powerful kicks.

For a side kick (where you're striking out almost directly to the side of your body), you can strike with
1)the heel of the foot or
2)with the edge of the foot.
3) (with a bit of a twist) the arch of the foot.
The heel of the foot is really strong, though is rather soft. This can provide a pushing kick that creates a strong shock in a mass of muscle. Aimed at the torso, or the thigh, you can leave a huge bruise and give your opponent a shove away that could knock the down.
The edge of the foot is quite a bit weaker, but is a bit harder, and you can put it right under the kneecap or in another exposed tender area.
The arch is similar to the edge, but can be used to aim at the back of the knee, or to strike the opponent from the side (just below the ribcage) if he has too strong of a frontal defense.

[disgruntled]

i understand what you mean about the front snap kicks, in HKD we consider all those kicks different kicks.

but i don't agree with side kick...... i do not see how you could effectively kick with the heel without buggering up the alignment of the body, which is the strength of the side kick...... it would have to be more like a back kick were the toes actually point down and the body is turned further away from the target.....

and i do not see how you could do a side kick hitting with the foot arch.... are you talking about the instep area? then it would be more like a snap/point kick.

[Hatori]

I do a kind of side-kick with the instep but it's mainly used to "jam" the opponenets leg if they're kicking you or in order to trip them.

[sirdarksol]

There may be variations in what different styles call a side kick, because the heel is one of the easiest to line up with our side kick. The hard one is the knife edge of the foot.

[disgruntled]

Originally Posted by sirdarksol

There may be variations in what different styles call a side kick, because the heel is one of the easiest to line up with our side kick. The hard one is the knife edge of the foot.

i disagree. if you are kicking with your heel and not edge of the foot you have to rotate more to line up you heal while keeping you body and butt in line. the extra rotation might tempt people to cheat and bend their body at the hip and thin instead of doing a proper rotation. and with your legs at at about a 90 degree from each other, with the toes pointed forward it would be harder to kick out you leg and tense the right muscles. if you approach it like a back kick and the toes point down, the leg is in a much better position to tense the muscles needed to give support and strength to the heel.

[sirdarksol]

I think that the difference is that, in Shorin Ryu, we are taught to twist the body in order to get the heel in line. I just went and did the kick a few times. It's far more difficult for me to aim with the edge of the foot or the toes than it is for me to aim with the heel.
This is not, by any means, a fast kick. Its best use is likely when an opponent isn't even paying attention to you (threatening another, for example), because if you underestimate how quickly the opponent is going to respond, they're going to catch your leg or just step in and whup you while you're off balance.

[disgruntled]

is there a good you tube clip of this kick or can you make one? i think i would have to see what you are talking about to understand