Instep kicking

[Uchiha_Anbu]

I'm not masochistic enough to properly train my shins and when I kick I naturally range myself to hit with the instep. Will this damage my ankle? I use the ball of my foot aswelll. Because with my shoes on its the equivalent of the tip of my shoes.

[Uchiha_Anbu]

someone, anyone?

[cakegirl]

What kick are you training? Roundhouse? When you say you're using the ball of the foot as well, is your ankle at 90 degrees to your leg and your toes pulled back? Or do you kick with your foot extended in line with your leg?

This info will help us to answer your question.

Cakegirl

[yenhoi]

Kicking pads with your shin doesnt hurt (unless your doing something wrong) and makes your shins stronger. If you dont practise using your shins (and other parts of your body..) then you will be sadly limiting yourself and inviting attack to those areas.

If your going to kick with the top of your foot, hit with the hard part and dont kick hard things (like shins.) The ball is fine with round kicks, oblique kicks, and straight kicks, just train them correctly so you dont end up breaking your toes or doing something to your ankle (making impact wrong.)

[Nick]

...

I thought the point was that it hurt so it dulled the nerves in your shins... you can't really make your shins any harder.

Later...

[yenhoi]

Well... the muscle covering the shins might get better at tensing quickly, and at least make some growth due to the constant minor damage. At some point it will stop and your right, your shins cant get much harder then that.

[Toudiyama[NL]]

Kicking with the shin isn't what hurts (unless you kick a very solid heavy bag) , it's the blocking with the shin that hurts like h#%l

If you are afraid that the oponent will block shin to shin then maybe use the part between the shin and the instep for lowkicks, less nerve-endings there ( unless you hit the point of an elbow)

[Uchiha_Anbu]

Yea I'm using round kicks to a heavy bag and hitting it with the instep of my foot. Is the instep a viable weapon? Will this result in long term damage? I dont train at any institution, and I dont know anyone that owns pads. Also what do you guys think about the kind of damage to the opponent from the different parts of the foot? We all know about the results of a hit from a shin. But what about the ball of the foot and the instep?