# Sore shins and top of foot



## MetalStorm

I did do some searching on here and didnt find too much on what I am looking for.

I had to do like 6 rounds on a heavy bag last class and find my shin and top of my foot really starts to hurt from kicking it.

I know the top of the foot is from me hitting it wrong, still working on that but with the shin I was wondering how you guys worked yours up to get conditioned to kick hard without it hurting.

I know the "conditioning" techniques like rolling stuff on your shins and everything is bad medically and have no intention of doing any of that crap so dont get the wrong idea.

I was more looking for how you worked yours up, like did you just keep hitting the bag hard and dealing with it hurting, or did you use more light kicks and over time work your way up to hitting it hard.

Any other suggestions would be great, thanks.


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## savior

Use a softer bag or kick a bit softer.. your shins will harden eventually


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## Truong

it's supposed to hurt, just keep kicking and over time your shins and foot will be conditioned...i have a bad habit of missing sometimes and landing with my foot too...it used to hurt but now it doesnt even bother me at all....just dont try to kick intentionally with the foot and you'll be good...


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## MJS

MetalStorm said:


> I did do some searching on here and didnt find too much on what I am looking for.
> 
> I had to do like 6 rounds on a heavy bag last class and find my shin and top of my foot really starts to hurt from kicking it.
> 
> I know the top of the foot is from me hitting it wrong, still working on that but with the shin I was wondering how you guys worked yours up to get conditioned to kick hard without it hurting.
> 
> I know the "conditioning" techniques like rolling stuff on your shins and everything is bad medically and have no intention of doing any of that crap so dont get the wrong idea.
> 
> I was more looking for how you worked yours up, like did you just keep hitting the bag hard and dealing with it hurting, or did you use more light kicks and over time work your way up to hitting it hard.
> 
> Any other suggestions would be great, thanks.


 
The shin is what you want to focus on.  Yes, in the majority of schools around, you'll find that people tell the students to use the instep.  While it still effective, keep in mind, that your foot only bends so far in one direction.  Even when throwing an instep kick to the groin, I tend to move in a bit closer to hit more with the shin.

As for conditioning.  Start off slow.  There is no 'quick fix' for this.  It needs to be done slow, otherwise not only will you be more sore than you already are, but injury could result.  Kicking the bag is a good start.  Don't worry about rocking the bag right away...start off slow and light, gradually building up.  I've heard of people rolling a bottle on their leg, however, this is something I have never done.  If you choose to do this, it would be a good idea to work with someone who can show you properly.

Mike


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## Truong

rolling anything thats harder then your bone on your shins is a quick way to kill the nerves but it is not actually conditioning it..so it's not a good idea because it will damage your shin bone and you will pay for it later on in life...with all kinds of problems..such as arthritis...the only safe way is to kick thai pads and banana bags..


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## MetalStorm

Thanks, Yeah I am not really worried about it hurting right now, just wanted to see what other people did when starting, mainly either if you didnt kick so hard or if you just dealt with it.

I know the beating/rolling stuff on your shins isnt a good plan and didnt intend on doing that at all, im not in a rush to have the pain go away from kicking, Its already getting better so I know it will come in time.

The foot thing I think is more of a I suck at  judging my distance yet.


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## King

My advise would be to concentrate on technique before working on power. The only foolproof way to improve your kick is to spend more time kicking. I know it sounds redundant but that's the same advise given to me. Lather on some Thai liniment and rub your shins and legs before and after your kicking drills. Works wonders for me.


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## thaistyle

The best way to condition the shin is to kick the bags.  Using rolling pins, bottles or sticks don't really help much and can do more harm than good.  Although, I do know some that have had success with this method of conditioning.  Definitely work on technique before power.  From great form comes great kicks.  Also, make sure your shin bone, not the muscle next to the shin(tibialis anterior), is hitting the bag.  Good luck!!


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## Thunder Foot

Kicking the bag is good in my opinion, *when you have a sandbag specifically for shin conditioning*. Kicking the normal banana bags isn't enough, nor is kicking the thai pads... unless you fight like _every week_ or _every other week_. You have to actively train your shin bone and the nerves around the shin. Unfortunately, an opponent's shin bone is a bit more dense than the thai pads/banana bag/etc. 

I don't know about others in here, but it sounds like most here are very conservative with their shin training. If you plan on doing any sort of full contact fighting, its important to be the one with the stronger shins, the one dealing the damage rather than receiving it. And being that, a good 60%-70% of the contact will be on your shins (I'd say), you better prepare. Unless of course, you don't plan on fighting, only THEN is bag work and pad work enough. :asian:


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## Truong

hmm thats a pretty interesting input thunderfoot care to elaborate more on this "sandbag made for shin conditioning" im not quite too sure but i think we just have an ordinary banana bag at my gym...where can i go about finding this special bag...


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## Thunder Foot

Well, its actually a leather teardrop bag that you fill with sand. Over time, the sand compacts and makes for a hard surface inside the bag... but still gives in a little bit, just enough to prevent shin splints. If sand is too tough at first, you can use a fabric/sand mixture. Then later graduate onto pure sand... and then onto even harder substances.


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## Truong

well we have an aries teardrop bag at my gym..i've kicked it before and it's really soft, but when i go to knee it sometimes it feels like the bag is slapping the hell outta my knees and i get slight bruises but its ok, no pain no gain right? lol


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## MetalStorm

Thunder Foot said:


> Kicking the bag is good in my opinion, *when you have a sandbag specifically for shin conditioning*. Kicking the normal banana bags isn't enough, nor is kicking the thai pads... unless you fight like _every week_ or _every other week_. You have to actively train your shin bone and the nerves around the shin. Unfortunately, an opponent's shin bone is a bit more dense than the thai pads/banana bag/etc.
> 
> I don't know about others in here, but it sounds like most here are very conservative with their shin training. If you plan on doing any sort of full contact fighting, its important to be the one with the stronger shins, the one dealing the damage rather than receiving it. And being that, a good 60%-70% of the contact will be on your shins (I'd say), you better prepare. Unless of course, you don't plan on fighting, only THEN is bag work and pad work enough. :asian:


 

Not sure if I plan on fighting or not yet but I do definitly want to have conditioned shins, im just not in a rush to condition them before I learn more technique, etc.

The main thing I was curious about was when it hurts to kick stuff if people would ease up on how hard they kick it, or just keep hitting with the same force and just suck up any pain or soreness from it.

Thanks for all the info and opinions.


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## Thunder Foot

Ah I see. I was giving you a solution to the problem, rather than coping with it. My mistake. As its already been said, your foot shouldnt' be hurting, because you should be making contact with the shin. If you hit with the bone, the slightly inner porttion of the shin, you'll notice it wont hur AS MUCH.


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## Thunder Foot

Truong said:


> well we have an aries teardrop bag at my gym..i've kicked it before and it's really soft, but when i go to knee it sometimes it feels like the bag is slapping the hell outta my knees and i get slight bruises but its ok, no pain no gain right? lol


Ah, thats interesting. What do you guys fill your teardrop bag with? Because I remember when I first started training my shins, the kicks hurt even with the littlest of power... but the knees at the time didn't hurt me as much. Now I've moved past sand, with harder fillings.


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## Truong

im almost sure it's sand but let me get back to you on that one...


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## thaistyle

Hey Thunder Foot, have you used the banana bags that are filled with shredded tires?  They work fairly well for shin conditioning.


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