Turning on Heels?

[JowGaWolf]

When you walk on the frozen lake surface, you want to use "toes down first and heel down later" (non-committed) kind of footwork.

I don't know anyone that walks on the ice with their toes. Most people who walk on ice take a flat foot approach to walking which would be similar to keep your heel down when you punch. I don't know anyone who tiptoes on ice. I know a lot of people however who shuffle across ice.

 

[wckf92]

Oh FFS....OP is not asking about heels vs k1 vs ball etc. He turns on his heels...and is asking for advice on how to get better with turning on his heels.

 

[DanT]

How to get better at turning on the heels:

Do it more.

 

[wingchun100]

Yeah. My advice? Don't turn on the heels! Turning on the K1 point near the balls of the feet is more bio-mechanically efficient. I've written about this in the past. A search might find it.

I agree. If I pivot on my heels, I feel like I could get easily uprooted.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I agree. If I pivot on my heels, I feel like I could get easily uprooted.

Sounds like you are lifting your toes too far off the ground when you pivot on your heels. Either that or you are pivoting too far back on the heel.

 

[geezer]

I agree. If I pivot on my heels, I feel like I could get easily uprooted.

And maybe you would be. I'm the same way, since that's not how I train. ...But people who train with a heel pivot can get very good at it and won't have that problem. Ask Joy (Vajramusti), or anybody else from a legit lineage that favors that method.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Here's an example of what pivoting on the heels looks like when done in my system. You'll see me use both heel and toe pivots. I'm wearing indoor soccer shoes on carpet so there's a lot of friction. It's not the idea combination for any type of pivot. Because of this you will also see me lift my foot instead of pivot in order to prevent any joint damage. Other than that you can see that I'm not off balance. The video is me doing the beginning of various forms

 

[Parky]

So I'm just starting out. I'm not really that good at pivoting on the heels at same time when I punch. Is there any advice to offer to improving on turning heels? Thanks.

My advice would be to practice the turn without punching. The important thing about the turn is to do it as one unit. You don't want to turn the upper torso first, then the hips, then feet. You want everything to turn at once. Get that part down and then add the punch.

My advice...FWIW.

 

[Martial D]

I generally favour, and naturally fall back on what they call in 52 'kickstand' footwork, meaning at any given time one heel is in contact with the ground and the other is raised. This allows for both rapid stepping and angle changing and 'rootedness' for power delivery. It depends on the shot whether it's right to left or right to right.(heel planted/hand being thrown) but the heel is always in contact with the ground where the power is coming from.

Your milage may vary.

 

[geezer]

52 is interesting ...and full of paradoxes. Heck, even the name Lyte Burley is an oxymoron.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

The best fighting stance is a stance that you can spring from it. The "heel up" stance can help you to "spring".

 

[JowGaWolf]

The best fighting stance is a stance that you can spring from it. The "heel up" stance can help you to "spring".

That picture is not a good support for your reasoning.. I ran track for 6 years and the reason the starting blocks are angled that way isn't to help you "spring" The purpose is to position you into a forward leaning position which forces your legs to move faster. You will either move your legs fast enough to prevent from falling or you will fall on your face. Forward leaning running is the idea position for running fast. A sprinter's spring is not the same as a fighter's spring.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

A sprinter's spring is not the same as a fighter's spring.

The reason that you intend to spring is because you have some distance to cover. If your opponent is 10 feet away, a sprinter's spring is the same as a fighter's spring.

In fighting, it's better to keep your "toes down and heel up". You don't know when and where that you may need to "hop forward" to gain distance.

 

[KPM]

52 is interesting ...and full of paradoxes. Heck, even the name Lyte Burley is an oxymoron.

The "kickstand" footwork isn't unique to LB's 52 Blocks. Boxers do it.

 

[geezer]

In the FMA I train, our footwork is similar to boxing. We use a forward drop-step, or else a turn to get power. The front foot is flat and the rear foot plants with the ball, with the heel up. When turning into a punch we rotate on the ball of the rear foot like "squashing a bug" or grinding out a cigarette butt.

 

[Martial D]

The reason that you intend to spring is because you have some distance to cover. If your opponent is 10 feet away, a sprinter's spring is the same as a fighter's spring.

In fighting, it's better to keep your "toes down and heel up". You don't know when and where that you may need to "hop forward" to gain distance.

Maybe if you are boxing or karate point fighting. If there is any chance of grappling(or you want to hit hard) your not going to want to be on your tippy toes.

 

[Vajramusti]

So I'm just starting out. I'm not really that good at pivoting on the heels at same time when I punch. Is there any advice to offer to improving on turning heels? Thanks.

------------------------------------------------------------------Get the best wing chun teacher you can find and follow him until you become competent enough to make your own analysis.
I turn on my heels but that is linked to appropriate coordination of all my joints and balance.
BTW Ip Man turned that way, so did Ho Kam Ming,
so does Augustine Fong.I have seen Wong Shon Leung do that on video and in person.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Maybe if you are boxing or karate point fighting. If there is any chance of grappling(or you want to hit hard) your not going to want to be on your tippy toes.

The grappling art depends even more on the "toes down heel up".

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

dup, deleted.

 

[mograph]

Sounds like you are lifting your toes too far off the ground when you pivot on your heels. Either that or you are pivoting too far back on the heel.

Yep. I would let the balls/toes lightly touch the ground, sliding them as you rotate, letting them stabilize you (letting them take weight occasionally) until you get comfortable keeping your toes/balls off the ground. As you practice, you will learn how to shift your weight to stay stable with toes/balls off the ground.
Some practitioners advocate never deviating from the visible form, e.g. never letting the toes/balls touch. However, I think that such rigid dictums (dicta?) can lead to compensation in hidden ways, such as stiffening the back, for example. Instead, as I wrote, I think you should work your way up to a toes-up stance, focusing on finding a way to keep yourself stable, rooted, yet flexible and sung.