Four Thai kicking questions

[IronFist]

1. What happens if you do a round kick to someone and they block with their shin and the top of your foot hits their shin? Would it be likely to break? I bet it would hurt like hell.

2. I have pretty low bodyfat and on one of my shins there's vein that sticks out (like how some people have in their forearms or whatever). You don't think that's a potential problem, do you? I can't really do anything about it

3. How do you guys condition the upper part of your shin? When I kick the bag it's always the lower 1/3 or 1/2 of my shin hitting the bag. I can't kick with the upper part. But when I block I always seem to block with the top part.

4. If you're doing a shin block and their kick hits your knee, will that injure you? Someone said if someone blocks with their knee it really hurts, but I feel like it would hurt the blocker more than the kicker. What do you think? What if their shin hits that soft spot under your knee cap where the doctor hits to test your reflexes? Ow!

Thanks.

[Meat Shake]

1.Yes, the metatarsals in the foot are broken fairly easily... Especially against a shin. Shins are hard.

2. Shouldnt be. Just condition.

3. Dont kick with the top part of your shin, puts too much stress on the knee. Makes a funny lever against the bag. Use a pvc pipe filled with sand and just roll it down your shins from just below the knee to just above the ankle. Turn your feet outwards and roll it down the instep. It will hurt like hell and pull off your hair for the first little while, but it works great.

4. Dont worry too much about what if's.

[Suntzu]

4. Dont worry too much about what if's.

basically........

[Meat Shake]

Just thought about it a little... Blocking with your knee shouldnt be a problem so long as your leg is bent. It may buckle backwards if it was straight... But then I guess youd be getting kicked in the knee, not blocking a kick...

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by IronFist
1. What happens if you do a round kick to someone and they block with their shin and the top of your foot hits their shin? Would it be likely to break? I bet it would hurt like hell.

there's definitely a chance that you can break it. I have busted blood vessels in my foot from that.

2. I have pretty low bodyfat and on one of my shins there's vein that sticks out (like how some people have in their forearms or whatever). You don't think that's a potential problem, do you? I can't really do anything about it

I wouldn't think it would pose a problem.

3. How do you guys condition the upper part of your shin? When I kick the bag it's always the lower 1/3 or 1/2 of my shin hitting the bag. I can't kick with the upper part. But when I block I always seem to block with the top part.

How high are you raising your leg? block with the same area you kick with, maybe a tad higher. When you block, make sure you turn your shin outward 45 degrees or so, that way you are taking the strike on the bone and not on soft tissue.

4. If you're doing a shin block and their kick hits your knee, will that injure you?

shouldn't. their shin will likely hurt more than your knee.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by SevenStar
How high are you raising your leg? block with the same area you kick with, maybe a tad higher. When you block, make sure you turn your shin outward 45 degrees or so, that way you are taking the strike on the bone and not on soft tissue.

I'm raising my leg as high as I have to. But sometimes you misjudge or don't get your leg high enough in time.

So you should turn your leg outward and block with the bone? I assume it would be safer to block with the soft tissue, or at least it would hurt less.

Hey, has anyone ever blocked with their shin and had their opponents foot like reach around and hit them in the nuts from behind?

[SevenStar]

lol, dude stop being a wuss...

raise your leg the same height every time. your elbow should be able to touch your knee. What if you think he is kicking low, and you keep your shin low for a low leg check, but it turns out to be a mid level kick? SNAP!! broken rib.


you're not tryng to teach yourself muay thai, are you?

[IronFist]

Originally posted by SevenStar
lol, dude stop being a wuss...

raise your leg the same height every time. your elbow should be able to touch your knee. What if you think he is kicking low, and you keep your shin low for a low leg check, but it turns out to be a mid level kick? SNAP!! broken rib.

What if his kick hits your foot then? I keep my toes pointed when I kick and block. I'm just wondering about little details now.

you're not tryng to teach yourself muay thai, are you?

No. I learned the basics of stand up fighting at my old NHB school. It was pretty much like Muay Thai except instead of keeping our hands up where thai boxers do we used palms on the forehead crazy monkey boxing (think like Mike Tyson's peek-a-boo boxing style).

Unfortunately, now I had to move to start my job and there's no NHB, Muay Thai or BJJ schools around here, so it's me and my punching bag in my apartment and a few friends who I have to train with. But what are you going to do?

I ask all these questions because I'm very curious by nature and I wouldn't want some little stupid thing to impede my progress in training or in combat. I can't just do blindly. It's not my personality. When I'm curious about something I ask questions and study it down to the smallest detail possible (or that time allows).

But seriously tho, I was never told to turn my shin out when blocking. I mean I know to block with my shin, but they never specified an angle or anything. Interesting.

[Khun Kao Charuad]

1. What happens if you do a round kick to someone and they block with their shin and the top of your foot hits their shin? Would it be likely to break? I bet it would hurt like hell.

Its definately possible, but in my experience, you are more likely to hyperextend (sprain) your ankle. As a matter of fact, I *really* speak from experience because I have done this COUNTLESS times over the last 12 years. I've never broken a foot bone, but I've hyperextended my ankles so much that they are not weakened.

2. I have pretty low bodyfat and on one of my shins there's vein that sticks out (like how some people have in their forearms or whatever). You don't think that's a potential problem, do you? I can't really do anything about it

Its not very likely to cause a problem. Your body will adjust.

3. How do you guys condition the upper part of your shin? When I kick the bag it's always the lower 1/3 or 1/2 of my shin hitting the bag. I can't kick with the upper part. But when I block I always seem to block with the top part.

Put on the shin pads and trade kicks with a partner, blocking with the upper part of your shin.

4. If you're doing a shin block and their kick hits your knee, will that injure you? Someone said if someone blocks with their knee it really hurts, but I feel like it would hurt the blocker more than the kicker. What do you think? What if their shin hits that soft spot under your knee cap where the doctor hits to test your reflexes? Ow!

Knees beat shins. EVERY TIME!

[Ming Yue]

2. It might break and be a big ugly hematoma. Bad shin bruises wind up making the bottoms of your feet dark from gravity draining the blood. cool.

3. what meatshake said. Try a galvanized plumbing pipe.

4. You can learn to really tense that huge tendon under your kneecap when you're using your shins to block. it will hurt him more than you regardless.

[Toby]

You MT guys spin me out. We do a fair bit of leg work in my WC class. I blocked a low roundhouse with the upper part of my shin a few months back right on the bone (like 7* mentioned) and hurt the bone pretty badly. Now, 4 mths or so later, I still have a little bump there that won't go away. It doesn't hurt anymore though. I thought it might be a small fracture or something.

Before and after that I always tried to block with the muscly part on the outside anterior of the lower leg (right next to the shinbone). It kind of helps if you lift your toes because it flexes this muscle - kind of like the same exercise you do to prevent/soothe shin splints. And now 7* says I should've been using the bone all along.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by Toby
You MT guys spin me out. We do a fair bit of leg work in my WC class. I blocked a low roundhouse with the upper part of my shin a few months back right on the bone (like 7* mentioned) and hurt the bone pretty badly. Now, 4 mths or so later, I still have a little bump there that won't go away. It doesn't hurt anymore though. I thought it might be a small fracture or something.

Me too.

Before and after that I always tried to block with the muscly part on the outside anterior of the lower leg (right next to the shinbone). It kind of helps if you lift your toes because it flexes this muscle - kind of like the same exercise you do to prevent/soothe shin splints. And now 7* says I should've been using the bone all along.

Yeah dude. I'm afraid of flexing the foot like that, tho, because if the kick hits your toes and they're pulled up you're going to have broken toes.

I always keep my toes pointed when blocking or kicking. I've seen pictures of Thais kicking and their foot is flexed back. It'd be so afraid of jamming a toe or something like that.

So has anyone other than SevenStar been taught to turn the shin out when blocking?

[IronFist]

Originally posted by Khun Kao Charuad
Knees beat shins. EVERY TIME!

Even if the shin hits that soft place where the doctor tests for reflexes? Owwww!

Anyways I'll feel safer blocking now. Thanks.

[IronFist]

Oh, say someone does Muay Thai for like 20 years and their shins get really conditioned, etc. If they stop training will the sensitivity ever come back? How long does it take?

And does it really "kill the nerves" like people say? I know that for something like Iron Forearm training in kung fu even once you get to the point where you can block a hard strike with your inner forearms, you should still be able to feel a soft touch in that area. For you guys with really conditioned shins, have you lost all feeling there, or does it just not hurt when you strike?

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by IronFist
What if his kick hits your foot then? I keep my toes pointed when I kick and block. I'm just wondering about little details now.

keep your foot pointed while striking. Keep it flexed while blocking.



No. I learned the basics of stand up fighting at my old NHB school. It was pretty much like Muay Thai except instead of keeping our hands up where thai boxers do we used palms on the forehead crazy monkey boxing (think like Mike Tyson's peek-a-boo boxing style).

Unfortunately, now I had to move to start my job and there's no NHB, Muay Thai or BJJ schools around here, so it's me and my punching bag in my apartment and a few friends who I have to train with. But what are you going to do?

at least save some money and either 1. visit some schools or 2. attend seminars. That way you will at least be able to receive SOME sort of instruction. you can get corrections, then work what you learned at home.

I ask all these questions because I'm very curious by nature and I wouldn't want some little stupid thing to impede my progress in training or in combat. I can't just do blindly. It's not my personality. When I'm curious about something I ask questions and study it down to the smallest detail possible (or that time allows).

understandable and commendable.

But seriously tho, I was never told to turn my shin out when blocking. I mean I know to block with my shin, but they never specified an angle or anything. Interesting.

that's odd... my first teacher told us to do it, as does my current coach. Consequently, when I am teaching, I teach it also. manu ntoh gave a seminar at our school this weekend, and he said to do it also.