Leadfoot

[Ken Meeks]

Thursday evening's class was a quality workout; sucking wind and sweat. What made the drills more effective was getting the lead out of my feet. The beginning of class I felt like I was a walking in a diving bell suit. But after we were instructed to step into the cross punch instead of lunging forward, the light bulb went off and I realized that my feet were dragging, and thereby leaving me out of position and off balance...not good for me.....very good for my opponent.

When the realization struck, I felt a bit like a rookie rock climber who tries to pull their way up the rock with the little arms v. pushing their way up the rock with the bigger legs.....the relevance to this observation, as I am sure you are wondering, is that I always forget about my feet....

Once I started moving off the balls of my feet it was much easier to move into position for the next strike and my kicks and punches and ducking and absorbing felt much more fluid and effective. .........the downside to this was that I realized my level of fitness has much room for improvement.

I also realized how much boxer's move their feet to be effective in the ring. I use boxer's as an example because only punching is allowed....so, why are the feet important? But how often have you heard an announcer state that one of the fighter's must be tiring because he is getting "heavy feet" or "slow feet." So, if a good boxer needs foot movement for effectiveness, then an effective punch must require footwork. And on the defensive side, ducking and absorbing punches must also require effective foot movement............hmmm, so I need to have a little chat with Phil about helium filled shoes.

[Joseph Bronson]

Great post! I always enjoy your thoughtful insights.