A question about balls....

[Forever Changes]

Haha, sure bud.
Merry Christmas

I'm just saying what I heard that snubnose or one of those other muay thai snobs say in regard to marcus. I mean, for a muay thai fighter he is pretty known for fighting mostly non thais and this does not suprise me because at 175-185 he is very big for a muay thai fighter. Are you saying that he is of the same calibre as the lower weight classes that fight in lumpinee and those other stadiumks etc?

I think the same in regard to Corbett or he would not be doing kickboxing right now and not dominating like he did in muay thai rules. Don't get me wrong I enjoy watching him fight but every muay thai guy from thailand has told me some variation on this.

 

[Inquisitus]

Oh boy...

Got it.... Foot planted with weight on balls of feet, heel on mat with little to no pressure. I shall experiment with this.

Much thanks a.

A suggestion. Skip rope or something to make your calves stronger and vary the rhythm. It will make it easier to do this.

This really helped me in being "light-footed" in kickboxing and dance.

 

[TheMMAchef]

I have been neglecting jump rope latelymdue to recent recovery from back issues.

Its not hst i feel incapable of the stance, its just whenever i throw certain combos i feel off balance sligtly. I am trying to be ligter on my feet and working hard on it as I do not want to be a lumbering tank as a heavyweigt. I want to be as big as I am and be able to use speed and goot footwork.

 

[Phlog]

I'd say the benefit of being on the balls is being more mobile, mainly forwards and backwards. I think there is little wrong with planting your feet when throwing power shots, when the opponent has to defend or be destroyed. I definitely aspire to be more mobile than I am, but I'm very methodically paced and near flat footed.

You need a massive amount of leg condition to be a balls of tour feet, mobile hw. Not sure my achiles can take it.

 

[TheMMAchef]

I'd say the benefit of being on the balls is being more mobile, mainly forwards and backwards. I think there is little wrong with planting your feet when throwing power shots, when the opponent has to defend or be destroyed. I definitely aspire to be more mobile than I am, but I'm very methodically paced and near flat footed.

You need a massive amount of leg condition to be a balls of tour feet, mobile hw. Not sure my achiles can take it.

Great point my friend. I have had aches in my tendons when going too long standing lie that. I am having success with being flatfooted but just bearing my weight on the front of the feet. With my heel coming up a **** hair off the floor. It is proving well.

I pride myself on being pretty mobile for a HW even out of shape. I cannot wait to see what it will be like when I am fit.

 

[BigInJapan]

I have been neglecting jump rope latelymdue to recent recovery from back issues.

Its not hst i feel incapable of the stance, its just whenever i throw certain combos i feel off balance sligtly. I am trying to be ligter on my feet and working hard on it as I do not want to be a lumbering tank as a heavyweigt. I want to be as big as I am and be able to use speed and goot footwork.

Just an idea: Maybe start working on taking tiny steps when throwing in combination. Also if you feel off balance, rework how you're throwing the combo. Take it slow and with each punch or whatever focus on where your center of gravity is and where it should be

I'm always conscious of not overstepping the boundaries of my center you know what I mean? Over extending to throw a punch could get you knocked out.

 

[wang xiangzhai]

I have been neglecting jump rope latelymdue to recent recovery from back issues.

Its not hst i feel incapable of the stance, its just whenever i throw certain combos i feel off balance sligtly. I am trying to be ligter on my feet and working hard on it as I do not want to be a lumbering tank as a heavyweigt. I want to be as big as I am and be able to use speed and goot footwork.

Being off balance after throwing combos is very common, and it usually means -as its been already pointing out by several posters - that one

 

[TheMMAchef]

Being off balance after throwing combos is very common, and it usually means -as its been already pointing out by several posters - that one

 

[TheMMAchef]

Sorry I didn't mean to be rude. But that is the thing with sports. Tall lanky people are better basketball etc. If I were you I'd look at classic k1 then. You can still do know muay thai but you need to base your standards against some one your size. I used to think I was no good because I wasn't as fast as Duran. I didn't realize at the time was so small and that heavy weights fight differently

You do realize K1 is a (defunct) organization and not a fighting style? There are a lot of fighters in Glory World Series that J am sure could hold their own in Thailand. Guys like Spong, Zimmerman, etc. Have a tremendous Muay Thai base. Although Along has more Dutch Kickboxing, which focuses on hands more than MT or AK.

 

[Forever Changes]

You do realize K1 is a (defunct) organization and not a fighting style? There are a lot of fighters in Glory World Series that J am sure could hold their own in Thailand. Guys like Spong, Zimmerman, etc. Have a tremendous Muay Thai base. Although Along has more Dutch Kickboxing, which focuses on hands more than MT or AK.

I dont believe I said that. I recommended checking out old k1 because that's probably the highest level of guys that size doing kickboxing. Who would spong or zimmerman fight in thailand?

 

[Forever Changes]

Btw I used to do alot of the calf raise machine 180-200 lbs and never had problems with joints or tendons playing soccer or doing muay thai.

 

[Steve08]

Your weight should always be on the balls, even if your heels are down. And as a general rule, one heel is up one is down in my opinion. That gives you the best combination of mobility and balance.

personally, I like to mostly take those stances immediately before punching (rear heel down slamming to lead heel down for rear straight, lead heel down slamming to rear heel for lead hook etc), and have both heels up otherwise. So I guess I combine the two. I could be wrong but wouldn't heels up would allow you to throw kicks and knees a little faster?

 

[a guy]

personally, I like to mostly take those stances immediately before punching (rear heel down slamming to lead heel down for rear straight, lead heel down slamming to rear heel for lead hook etc), and have both heels up otherwise. So I guess I combine the two. I could be wrong but wouldn't heels up would allow you to throw kicks and knees a little faster?

Not really. Having both heels off the ground is just not a very good way to stand. It's bad for balance. You should only have both heels off the ground when you're doing something that specifically requires it. As long as the weight is on the ball, you're good.

 

[shpboris]

IMO, this is a trade off between better mobility and power.

 

[TheMMAchef]

Thanks guys tons of info!!! Love it!

 

[Zabit 145 Goat]

You can be flat footed when you're away from your opponent because it does expend more energy to be on the ball of your feet. However, you want to be on the balls of your feet because this allows for proper pushing technique, power, agility, the ability to slip, block , evade, move and basically box lol. So you'll see boxers flat football for moments but as soon as they are near their opponents or about to engage they're on the balls of their feet. Its super important which is why you have to spend a lot of time getting that in your muscle memory and also conditioning you body for it with skipping , ladder drills and what not. I'm speaking for a purely boxing perspective. In MMA and muay thai there are other variables like takedowns, grappling and kicks so its not taken at face value .

 

[Eisenhans]

Now that I have your attention.

I am 6'3 250-260 and I am an amateur Heavyweight MT Practitioner....

I do not mean to start a debate, or a discussion that will flame myself and everyone in it. I have a serious question:

What is the benefit over being on the balls of your feet in MT over having a slightly flat footed stance?

I ask because I hear constantly "Stay on the balls of your feet for movement and quickness" then I ll hear someone else say "Don't be on the balls of your feet non stop because it will zap energy and can make you off balance" Granted I realize I am not supposed to stand like a ballerina, but with the heels slightly raised off the floor.

I have watched HUNDREDS of Thai fights, and most of them seem to have their weight on their back leg, and there lead foot planted loosely with the heel slightly elevated.

Then I take it to guys in UFC Like Dos Santos, Velasquez, Overeem, etc. All heavyweights who are pretty flat footed and decent strikers (I am not giving them a to of credit just an example of flat footed guys that can crack).

I have only been doing it a year, and while I KNOW the benefits of being on the balls of your feet, I just don't seem to be reaping much benefit out of it. Can someone tell me in a constructive manner the advantages to it other than it would make you slightly more agile and explosive?

Thanks for the help!!!

Generally, flat-footed = more punching power and balls of the feet = more mobility. However, ask 20 strikers about the how and why and get 20 different answers.

 

[shincheckin]

Now that I have your attention.

I am 6'3 250-260 and I am an amateur Heavyweight MT Practitioner....

I do not mean to start a debate, or a discussion that will flame myself and everyone in it. I have a serious question:

What is the benefit over being on the balls of your feet in MT over having a slightly flat footed stance?

I ask because I hear constantly "Stay on the balls of your feet for movement and quickness" then I ll hear someone else say "Don't be on the balls of your feet non stop because it will zap energy and can make you off balance" Granted I realize I am not supposed to stand like a ballerina, but with the heels slightly raised off the floor.

I have watched HUNDREDS of Thai fights, and most of them seem to have their weight on their back leg, and there lead foot planted loosely with the heel slightly elevated.

Then I take it to guys in UFC Like Dos Santos, Velasquez, Overeem, etc. All heavyweights who are pretty flat footed and decent strikers (I am not giving them a to of credit just an example of flat footed guys that can crack).

I have only been doing it a year, and while I KNOW the benefits of being on the balls of your feet, I just don't seem to be reaping much benefit out of it. Can someone tell me in a constructive manner the advantages to it other than it would make you slightly more agile and explosive?

Thanks for the help!!!

short answer: use both

detailed answer:
i had quite the debate with this personally. Im takling for MT, as with MMA and Boxing I think the general consensus is, on the balls of your feet.

Theres 2 ways to do things, the way its generally taught most places in the West is on the balls of your feet. Nothing wrong with that, its a great way. There is no wrong or right. This is how I was originally taught.

Before my old coach moved back to his home country, he taught me the flat footed way, he has around 60 fights in thailand or so. He was teaching me "another way" not the right way or the wrong way, just another way. It was difficult for me at first but I eventually learned it. Once he left I had to switch gyms and trained with a coach who prefers on the balls of the foot, and more agile style of fighting. Flat footed is a much more "grounded" style of fighting. They both work, depends on what suits you. Lastly the best thing to do would be to utilize both. My coach went back to thailand and started training at another gym, they taught him on the balls of the feet. He now utilizes both, as do I. I think this is the best way. Sometimes you will want to be flat, others on the ball, depending on the situation and what your trying to accomplish.........teep a guy off you? flat footed, come in with some boxing and create a angle and follow up with a kick? on the balls.

I made some videos about it discussing kicking technique, I also learned here through sherdog, that kicking more flat footed, is also used in karate.

in this video you can listen to me discuss it a bit more, as well as some examples of at the end of both styles being used.

 

[5000 others]

Best answer is, don't answer 4 year old threads.

 

[MaxMMA]

I'm not sure when people started saying it was cool to fight on your heels, even the front foot. Yeah obviously you can't walk around on tippy toes but your weight should be on the front of your feet not the back.

At the very least the ball of your foot should be the first thing on and off the ground when you step.

Learning proper rope and sprinting technique can help you better utilize the balls of your feet.

When you push off or land on the ground with your heels you are not engaging the muscles of your legs. You're basically using your bones for shock absorbtion instead of your muscles.