A few roundhouse kick questions?

[Lord Lupin]

I have just recieved a punching bag for christmas and I was trying to practise roundhouse kicks on it but when i impact it i feel a pain go through my foot like a shockwave.

I am curious could it be something to do with my technique (which i am a bit rusty on because i havent done martial arts for a few years) or maybe is it that the bag is too hard because it is a boxing type one.

could someone please clear this up for me?

[Lord Lupin]

one other thought
could it be that my feet and ankle area are not conditioned and the nerves are not deadened yet and that it why i am feeling this pain?

[gungfuhero]

In Tae Kwon Do (as well as several other arts) practitioners are taught to make contact with the instep from the begining without any conditioning or nerve deadening.

[WhiteSon]

I know what you mean, and the answer depends on where the pain is. You should never feel pain in you ankle, hard bag or soft. I have felt this pain before, and it definitely represents a flaw in your technique. Talk to your instructor and fix it now before you do damage to your ankle. If you feel stinging pain in you instep from when your foot slaps the bag, don't worry, this is inevitable at first. Like you said, when you condition your nerves for long enough, you won't even notice.

[Kyoshu]

try not to kick with the tip of your foot.

Kyoshu

[Monkey]

Try using side kicks. Side kicks are good. A leading side kick is the most powerful kick I've seen but it's also one of the easiest to do once you understand how to move your hips into it.

Anyway dont kill your nerves thats silly. Perhaps just examine your kicking tecnique and look at the angle that you are hitting the back at and then maybe compare it to other people who dont have any problems.

ANother thing you could try is wearing shoes. I mean its not like you are going to be in a fight barefoot, right? It wont hurt the bag, it'll probably just hurt your legs less. Personally I always train with shoes but thats just me.

But it may be an ankle injury so be careful!!!

Maybe see a podiatrist first.

[G'breel]

Try keeping your feet flexed and pointed. The idea of using shoes seems like a good one. Also, mix it up a little and hit with your shins. Don't go hard at the beginning but focus on your balance, pivoting on your supprting leg and fully turning your hip into your kick. LOL.

[thekuntawman]

many bags are not well made. there is more to it than stuffing a bag. i believe that a bag should be stiff so you have to beat on it to soften it up a little, but the bag you choose should be able to dent or bent a little when you lean it over a thing like a chair or something. if it is too hard, you wont get any use from it, i would recommend you to take out the stuffing and stuff it again with teared up rags and sand.

your fist or shin should be strong enough to bend that bag when you use full power if you are a grown man.

also the technique to using the shin against the target is to _hit_ with the inside of the shin, and shield with the muscle on the outside of the shin. when you hit you foot should past the bag enough that even if you let it flap, it does not slap the bag. your hit should land 45 degrees to the front of the bag, not on the side of the bag. if you are hitting the side all the way on the side, you are reaching to far in and when you landed you will be to close to follow with your hands. plus it is easier to grab the leg. his important places to hit are on the corner of his body, not under his arms. your body position should not be directly infront of the opponent also. you should be at an angle to him, which will help you to hit at this angle i am talking about too.