Foot and ankle strength

[geezer]

If my joint structure is compromised then I'll have trouble doing the other stuff.

^^^^This is so true. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I have fused ankle joints that cannot flex laterally, so when I try to balance statically on one leg as shown, I can only correct with my knee and body. And, If the knee is locked, then I have to move my hips or body to correct. It is difficult and causes my whole body to wobble.

Yet I was always pretty good at motion sports, from skiing to wrestling, and was able to do in-line skating, ride skateboards, unicycles and so on.

Still, In martial arts I always struggled and never really mastered forms that demanded more than about two seconds of standing motionless on one leg ...for example, doing the single leg version of Wing Chun's Siu Nim Tau. But when doing chi-sau or sparring, I had no trouble. In fact I did pretty well. Why?

It's the difference between static and dynamic balance. Of course, they are interrelated and you need both to be very rooted and stable, but between the two, I'd say dynamic balance is far more important when actually applying your martial arts.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I have fused ankle joints that cannot flex laterally, so when I try to balance statically on one leg as shown, I can only correct with my knee and body. And, If the knee is locked, then I have to move my hips or body to correct. It is difficult and causes my whole body to wobble.

Not having any laterally movement is difficult for me to imagine but the first thing comes to mind is how difficult it must be. Are both of your ankles like this or just one?

 

[geezer]

Not having any laterally movement is difficult for me to imagine but the first thing comes to mind is how difficult it must be. Are both of your ankles like this or just one?

Both ankles are laterally fused in the "hindfoot" ...the part directly under your ankle (including the heel) that normally bears your weight. I can flex my toes laterally a little bit though, and that helps.

The fact is I hardly noticed the problem as a kid, since when you are very young, you're very flexible. I did notice that when I tried ice skating, even with lousy old rental boots, it was easy for me since my ankles didn't bend and splay like the other kids.

And, we did a lot of skiing in my family when I was growing up. With ski boots it's almost like you are in an ankle cast and you don't have any lateral ankle flexion. You do all your edge control with your knees. So I was actually able to get pretty good. Did some racing. Also broke my legs and messed up my knees over the years. At 64 I don't ski much anymore. On the other hand my 94 year-old Dad still skis every season. He looks at me and says kids these days are wimps!

 

[PhotonGuy]

To all my martial arts fam....I've been incorporating a lot of your recommendations for balance and strength improvements and I do feel stronger. But I wanted to ask if there are any specific things I can do to improve my toe strength and flexibility. I realize that to truly flourish in martial arts its necessary to have strong and flexible feet. Newbie asking for suggestions. Tremendous Thursday.

There is the Standing Barbell Calf Raise, the way it works is you hold the barbell over your shoulders the same way you would as if you were doing a squat. While standing with the barbell like that you rise up on your toes and then come back down. That is one repetition. There are variations where you stand with your toes on a plate. This exercise hits the calf as well as the ankle and foot.