Ankle flexibility

[Taekwondo14]

Hello guys I was just wondering, whenever I do my high kicks i have a hard time keeping my foot flat enough so I acidently kick with the tips of my toes...would some kind of ankle stretches help this or what would? can you think of anything im doing wrong? Thanks a bunch guys. Oh and my instructor said he doesnt know why I cant keep my foot flat when doing high kicks

 

[granfire]

general flexibility.
There are numerous stretches for the ankles...some involve phone books, or you kinda wedge your foot behind the other leg and bend it...

might just be a lack of control. You can see how bad it is when you do the kicks - as high as possible - in slow motion.

 

[Taekwondo14]

okay so when i kick high my foot just goes back to L instead of being flat so my toes connect. I try to make it not happen but it does -.-

 

[Cyriacus]

Which High-Kick are you referring to, and which part of your foot are you striking with, since the solution to this will vary, depending on where exactly this is happening.

EDIT: If its a High Section Roundhouse/Round/Instep Kick, i already know how you can fix it. If its a Heel Kick of some kind, then it gets a bit tricky. Or a Turning Kick with the Ball of the Foot.

 

[StudentCarl]

It's not clear which kick(s) you mean, and that would help us answer you. My master would have you give him your foot in his hand and put it the way it should go. Moving your foot would tell him whether your issue is flexibility, coordination, or both.

 

[Taekwondo14]

That's exactly what it is, a high roundhouse instep kick. Tell me plz

 

[Cyriacus]

That's exactly what it is, a high roundhouse instep kick. Tell me plz

Easy Fix. Pivot around on the spot, and chamber your leg as if your just about to kick. Then, grab the top of your foot, and pull with your hand, whilst pushing with your foot. This will strengthen your Hamstrings, Quads, and Ankles, as well as get you used to the angle. Its also a great balance exercise.

Be careful with this though. As a beginner, your Muscles wont be as used to strain, so if it starts to hurt at all, stop. It should be uncomfortable, but not painful.

 

[andyjeffries]

Maybe it's the way I'm reading the comments, but it sounds like it's not ankle flexibility or hamstring/quad/ankle strength that's the problem.

It sounds to me like it's either calf strength or an inability to tense the calf while the quadricep is tensing. These are on opposite sides of the legs and is a bit subconsciously counter-intuitive.

I would say concentrate on tightening your calf (to point the foot), lift your thigh and just practice extending your leg out at lower heights (knee/thigh level) and then pulling it back. Don't do it fast just stand on one leg and keep doing it - changing the angle of the kick between front kick and turning kick and everything in between. The key is you're training your body/mind that it's normal for you to keep your calf locked contracted/tense (so your foot is pointed) while your quadricep/hamstrings are responsible for straightening and bending your leg.

After a while (couple of weeks) raise the height to waist, then a couple of weeks chest, then a couple of weeks head. You'll find your leg muscle strength for high kicking improves this way and you should be able to maintain the tension to keep your foot position.

Doing this (keeping the foot pointed) is harder at high heights purely because so much more of your concentration goes in to getting the kick high that it's easy to forget to maintain that tension. Note - it doesn't have to be bodybuilder-shaking tension just enough to keep the foot pointed straight.

Good luck.

 

[Taekwondo14]

Maybe it's the way I'm reading the comments, but it sounds like it's not ankle flexibility or hamstring/quad/ankle strength that's the problem.

It sounds to me like it's either calf strength or an inability to tense the calf while the quadricep is tensing. These are on opposite sides of the legs and is a bit subconsciously counter-intuitive.

I would say concentrate on tightening your calf (to point the foot), lift your thigh and just practice extending your leg out at lower heights (knee/thigh level) and then pulling it back. Don't do it fast just stand on one leg and keep doing it - changing the angle of the kick between front kick and turning kick and everything in between. The key is you're training your body/mind that it's normal for you to keep your calf locked contracted/tense (so your foot is pointed) while your quadricep/hamstrings are responsible for straightening and bending your leg.

After a while (couple of weeks) raise the height to waist, then a couple of weeks chest, then a couple of weeks head. You'll find your leg muscle strength for high kicking improves this way and you should be able to maintain the tension to keep your foot position.

Doing this (keeping the foot pointed) is harder at high heights purely because so much more of your concentration goes in to getting the kick high that it's easy to forget to maintain that tension. Note - it doesn't have to be bodybuilder-shaking tension just enough to keep the foot pointed straight.

Good luck.

i think thats what it is thanks!

 

[StudentCarl]

Here's one approach:
1. Get on your knees with your feet straight behind you and stretch your ankles so you put your insteps against the floor.
2. (Best on a padded or deep carpeted floor) Bending at the knee, practice kicking the floor with your instep.
3. When you think you have the feel, do it on a bag. At the beginning, put your foot against the bag in the correct position and draw it back for each kick. Start with small kicks and start low... then work your way up.

 

[Taekwondo14]

With low or mid section kicks its fine but when i have to try real hard to kick someones head then i cant keep my foot flat

 

[StudentCarl]

With low or mid section kicks its fine but when i have to try real hard to kick someones head then i cant keep my foot flat

Flexibility shouldn't affect your ability to flatten your foot, but here's how to find out. Get someone tall at your school to partner stretch with you, where they use one arm to support your leg and one arm to help you keep the foot flat. If you can do it in the stretch, then it's a practice issue. If you find something too tight when your partner helps you stretch it in the correct position, you'll know what to focus your stretching on. Aside from that, just keep practicing on a bag, working to increase the height that you can kick with correct position. Some things just sort out with practice. Have fun!

 

[andyjeffries]

Here's one approach:
1. Get on your knees with your feet straight behind you and stretch your ankles so you put your insteps against the floor.
2. (Best on a padded or deep carpeted floor) Bending at the knee, practice kicking the floor with your instep.
3. When you think you have the feel, do it on a bag. At the beginning, put your foot against the bag in the correct position and draw it back for each kick. Start with small kicks and start low... then work your way up.

I think this advice is well-intentioned, but misguided. Taekwondo14 has said throughout he has a problem with a high roundhouse kick, not just a roundhouse kick. This advice would be good if he was having a general problem with ankle flexibility. However, as it's specifically a problem with high kicking, I think your points 1 and 2 won't help and I think point 3 is counter intuitive. The reason is that in doing 3 the calf and hamstring both contract together which is the natural way of it working. The problem comes from the non-natural way of relaxation of the hamstring and contraction of the calf.

Sorry, but I wouldn't recommend your advice for the above reasons...