Ball or Heel?

 (recently posted on Facebook by Mr. Ron Chapél)

It is important in the martial sciences we have a clear understanding that the ball of the foot is for mobility and the heel is for stability. Both have a specific relationship with the rest of the body in general, and the hip joint/femur specifically.

Consider the biomechanics of walking in bipedal anatomical movement. Think of an inverted pendulum that swings from the top, and that “walking” is essentially a series of “swings” or “controlled falls.”

As your walking gait strides forward, you firmly plant your heel on the ground establishing a specific relationship anatomically between the leg and hip joint for “stability” – while simultaneously “pushing off” or rotating onto the ball of the rear foot for stored energy release and “mobility.” Moving rearward reverses that biomechanical function. Additionally, moving rearward while walking shifts the body into “anatomically disassociated” or loose connectivity to move “less efficiently” in momentary violation of the basic “most efficient” forward locomotion design and capability of the human body.

Once you understand this, then you should realize that the act of “pivoting” on the heel violates, (in general) anatomical mandates of stability. When applied to martial arts postures, personal preferences for activity are acceptable in some disciplines. However, in martial science, specific anatomical mandates must not be violated. Moving in martial stances and postures should follow the appropriate physics associated with everyday anatomical mobility and stability extrapolated to martial postures and mobility and you may not replace them with personal preferences or ill-informed teachings.

All movements utilizing stances are specific to the activity, including the whole-body posture in general, and weight distribution, hip, legs, and feet specifically. A lack of understanding or a change in any part of the posture may make any other part moot and dysfunctional whether the desired outcome is stability or movement.