My low roundhouse, is this a problem?

Question

Whenever I do the low roundhouse, part of the kick lands with the part of my shin where the lower shin meets the foor. The other part land with the instep. Is it okay for the low roundhouse to partially land with the upper part of the instep? I realize the instep can be pretty weak so this worries me that I might mess my foot up throwing a low kick in a fight.

How do you throw your low roundhouse?

Answer 1

Almost any style that you study will let the target dictate what area you kick with. This means that if you kick to the head, shin, hips, shoulders, or any 'hard' target, you should kick with either your shin just above the ankle, the heel, or the ball of the foot. If you're kicking to a 'soft' target, you'll use the instep (top of the foot). My sabumnim always taught me that if your intent is not to injure others or do heavy damage, then I should always use the instep unless it is potentially dangerous in the way of self injury, and that attacking with the ball of the foot is only a last resort as it does far more damage if used properly.

Karate teaches striking with the shin, as does Muay Thai. Taekwondo teaches instep for sport/tournament, and ball of foot for battle. Kung Fu is the ball of the foot as well, depending on the specific style, and Wushu uses the heel I believe.

Answer 2

if your in muy thai ur set! they kick with shins!(pretty bad *** guys in my oppinon) im in TKD and when i throw a low round house its with the top of my foot and aiming at the knees

Answer 3

I rarely use the top of the foot. I sometimes use the shin   coming downward as mentioned by Bushido also. More often then not though I use the ball of the foot on my low round kicks. It is definetly more difficult to make solid contact, but the penetration you get is amazing without having to think swinging thru as you do with the shin. The style I train uses low snapping kicks, and rarely do we think drive all the way through the target. We think drive into the target and then snap it back out. Much less chance of being out of position or swept if you miss, which can lead to bad stuff in self defense.

Edit for hyoudin- Just so you know most okinawin karate uses the ball of the foot for front kicks and round kicks. Just thought you might like that info.

Just my thoughts.

Answer 4

like some of the people say it depends on your martial arts. I am in taekwondo and I prefer going with the top of my foot for a low impact kick. and if your gonna throw a low kick then you are pretty much asking to get hurt if you do a low impact kick. if you do a high impact kick with the ball of you feet you are gonna get way better results

Answer 5

use your shin and come in a 45 drop your weight on impact this will give you more power with a low roundhouse.

Answer 6

its not horrible if it happens once a bit but when some blocks u with thier shin a few times u could be in some trouble, try to hit wit the upper middle of ur shin, so if they move back and block the kick u still hit with the shin rather then ur foot, check ur distance when u kick if u cant reach them with ur front kick ur to far away, and just reamber the small things dont step towards the person put across them so ur body will alow ur leg, and hip greater rotatin, stay on the balls/toes of ur feet when kicking, this will increase the spead, and power, and turn ur hips so the kick is angled down, good luck with ur trainning

Answer 7

If by instep, you mean the soft part of the bottom of the foot between the ball and heel: I don't think any style trains to strike with that area. It happens on accident, but probably shouldn't be practiced because it is all soft tissue, ligaments, etc. Of course if you are wearing shoes like most people do, it isn't terribly dangerous.

A low roundhouse or cross kick is usually going to be aimed at the hamstring, calf, Achilles tendon, or knee. The knee is the target to be careful with as the hardest. We use the shin when possible, but you need to be in pretty close to land a shin below the waist. The soft tissue between the knee and hip is the most practical target for our low kicks. I try to strike with the ball of the foot after a sidestep. If the opponent moves toward me then he is in range for the shin or knee. (You can also switch to a heel, if your opponent is closing distance at the same time.)

A traditional roundhouse kick follows through the target landing on the opposite side.(semi-circle) However, the kick has been modified probably due to the stance you would be left in by going all the way through. In our style of Karate, we call this a cross kick. It begins outside and impacts at the point of crossing the medial line. The kick returns to point whether it lands or not.

I don't ever strike with the instep. The shin is best with the ball and heel following after. However we do strike with the top of the foot on soft tissue like the hamstring. This kick is more like a jab. You can also slip it in under the armpit, just under the floating rib, or to the side of the neck if you are that skilled. I don't personally attempt that because a hard blocking style could damage the top of the foot. Those with more accurate striking abilities do.

In general, I would not use a traditional roundhouse kick in a self-defense situation. I do practice it on a heavy bag for exercise and balance.

Answer 8

Depends on what style you are practicing.  Some styles use the instep to kick.  Personally, I prefer Muay Thai which emphasizes kicking with the shin.  The instep is weak and could lead to a broken foot.

Answer 9

It's not bad to kick with your instep, but, it's a much better practice to use your shin.

If you are taking Muay Thai, have your instructor critique your technique. There might be a subtle detail that you are missing, or something he or she can show you to do your low roundhouse more efficiently.