Foot Probleme

[JJ521]

Hey guys,
i just started Muay Thai and i thinks its by far one of the best things ive ever started, ive only been doing it for about 3 weeks or so. But now i think its already starting to take its toll on my body.
At first i was fine, with just a few muscle aches, but now my foot REALLY hurts. i can walk on it, thats no probleme, but its when i start doing leg kicks again the heavy bag that its really bad.
the pain is right on top of my foot, about where the ankle is. basically where you are suppose to kick with. It hurts either when i twist it at a weird angle, kind of hard to explain in writing. My trainer said i had a "tweak" but i didnt know what that was. i was hoping you guys could share the knowledge and possibly tell me wat is wrong, what i can do to fix it, and how i can prevent it.

Thank you.

 

[oddball]

err, basic fix, not sure if this is it - are u gauging the distance between u and your target right? and did i read this right when u said ur hitting with the top of your foot? I think that means that you're not close enough to your target, your hit should be solidly on your shin (for me, i think this is at least 2-3 inches above the ankle). another thing u can do is get one of those... I forget what they're called, but the wraps that go on your ankles could provide a bit of support?

 

[Thunder Foot]

It sounds like your ankle is in pain due to improper kicking. Many of the Thai bags are heavier than other conventional arts, so you have to excercise caution when kicking them. The Thai round kick is supposed to utilize the shin as the contact point, not the instep. Also maybe you shouldn't kick the bag as hard until you've built up your shin's condition. Its important that you take good care of your shins, and slowly work your way up to near full power kicks. :asian:

 

[Hannya]

If its what I get, swelling and bruising on the top on the foot, its from your foot slapping against the bag while kicking. This hurts a hell of alot more than conditioning the shins imo. I fixed it by pointing my toes outward when throwing the kick, same thing like when you throw your knees. Just make sure your always kicking with the shin, the kick is probably the hardest to learn just keep goin easy until you get it down.

 

[thaistyle]

Well it definitely sounds as if your foot is hitting the bag more than your shin. Which as everyone has said, can be easily corrected. This can be very painful at times especially if you do it over and over. You have to be careful because the small bones in the top of the foot can be easily damaged. This doesn't mean that you have damaged or broken one but a bruised bone can hurt like mad and it takes a while to heal. If it gets too bad and hurts to walk, you better let a doctor check it out. Remember in muay thai, the shin is used as your major striking surface in your round kicks. Typically, the only time the top of the foot is used is when kicking to the head and the it's part lower shin/ankle and little bit top of the foot. Rest it and then try to correct your kicking technique when you resume training.

 

[JJ521]

Thanks a lot everyone!
all of your insite really helps. Its good to know that i was hitting the bag wrong

 

[thaistyle]

Hitting the bag with the top of your foot is a very common mistake. I know that I had this problem when I started muay thai training. It was just a matter of too much distance between myself and the bag. Easy fix.