Kicking the right way?

[RB Coop]

Hey guys, so today i noticed one thing, loads of people kick almost the same, but there is 1 part of the kick that's different, and that's the ankle. I see some people kicking with ankle pointing down, others flexing them toes all the way up, my question would be which is the correct way? Or if they both are correct what's the difference between the kick making these small adjustments?

[Xestaro]

you're talking about the kicking legs foot, right?

I actually asked my trainer one time if I should flex my foot or relax or "stretch" it when kicking. There seems to be no hard rule (kinda like there is no hard rule which part of the foot is the right spot to hit with when teeping, it kinda depends on what exactly you're trying to do) but he demonstrated how you can use a flexed foot to hook and unbalance after the kick landed or even when it's blocked.

For example let it hook behind the opponents leg and give them a pull on retracting your kick.

[LengLeng]

I've been explained that when flexing foot you have the benefit of your shins being harder/stronger which is beneficial when it comes to blocking for example. But it also opens up the risk of breaking your feet if it lands the wrong way. 

I keep my foot flexed (or try to) during blocks for this reason and balance. Not flexing when kicking as I feel it affects speed and can cause injury if I land the kick in the wrong spot.  

[RB Coop]

Thanks for the insight guys!

[Xestaro]

On 11/11/2019 at 4:18 PM, LengLeng said:

I've been explained that when flexing foot you have the benefit of your shins being harder/stronger which is beneficial when it comes to blocking for example.

...

RIGHT! That's another thing he explained to me when I asked, that the muscles around the impact area will be engaged when you flex.