Jump to content

Achilles injury from incorrectly kicking bag


Recommended Posts

Hello:

I recently started studying Muay Thai in a group setting, and after a few weeks of 1x a week training sessions, developed achilles tendonitis. I thought it was due to all the standing on tip toes part of the art, but I did an experiment and is is definitely only after hitting a heavy bag (probably too much with my foot), that the condition gets worse.) I can throw a few dozen round kicks in shadow without any significant aggravation.

It's slowly improving as I'm not kicking things and stopped taking the class (great instructor, but at 51 I think I've aged out of group training even though I do loads of conditioning, cycle through different regular workouts, get my sleep, etc).

What is the best way to learn to hit the bag on round kicks so that I'm not slamming my foot into it. Any pointers, tutorials, videos, etc, welcome. I've browsed the net and youtube, but my searches have come up empty.

I'm not looking to compete or even spar. I'd just like the pleasure of thunking my shins into things. At my age, it may not be sustainable to do even that, but in order to find out, I have to keep my foot from thunking into things.

btw Sylvie is the Earnest Hemmingway of this martial art. great writing!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi there. I'm 43. I have not I admit, experienced Achilles tendinitis. However I believe that would affect the back of the lower leg / heel? I think your idea about the being on the toes might still be the culprit, especially the supporting leg when you are kicking. Are you pivoting on the ball of the supporting foot as you throw the roundhouse? Are your hips 'turning over'? Are you working on good flooring, so you can pivot comfortably?

When you're pain free, I'd focus on your speed and technique alone with a bag. Just working on hitting the right spot on the shin. Ignore the power aspects. Just try for light contact with your shin, over and over.  Start closer to the bag so balance isn't an issue, and kick low, then when you've got the shin 'impact region' hitting reliably, try moving a bit further out, kicking a bit higher. Save the 'thunk' for until you know your body mechanics are perfect (get your instructor to verify).  :smile:

I hope it heals soon and you find a way to train comfortably! Keep us updated!

Lucy

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Twisting: you're not too old at 51 - I started MT at the same sort of age!

It sounds from your post as though you keep hitting with your foot when doing a roundhouse. Have some time with your trainer holding pads and guiding you into hitting them with correct technique, ie with your shin, and with your foot safely out of the way. They can correct you and help you, and get the old muscle memory well set in. Then work the heavy bag under supervision so they can help you keep the technique correct. You should then stop hitting the bag with your foot and you should feel safe working alone, enjoying thumping bags. It is the sort of thing that's very difficult to get right by watching videos, I think you really do need a real person standing there to help.

Have you been officially diagnosed with tendonitis? I know from my own various foot injuries that sometimes the 'shock' of hitting the leather (or someone's hard head) can send waves down which are agonising to a mending pedal injury.

Hope you manage to sort it out soon. As Lucy says, standing closer to the bag will help. I find tightly pointing my toes away in a nice straight line helps me avoid clunking with my foot (it's probably not good technique but I am terrified of hitting the bag with my foot). Practice the move slowly and neatly until you have it safely, then start adding power and speed as you wish. I must admit that I find kicking during sparring much easier than against a bag - I don't seem to hit a person with my foot at all, whereas against the bag I do need to concentrate on making sure the tootsies are well out of the way.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Most Recent Topics

  • Latest Comments

    • Hi Warren  It was very quiet when I was there. A few local guys and 2-4 foreigners but that can change and I'm sure this gym has got more popular. You can schedule privates for whenever you want. The attention to detail here is unbelievable and I highly recommend you train at this gym. In my experience, everyone was really good training partners and I learnt loads everyday.  
    • To all the MuayThai enthusiasts who have travelled to Thailand and trained in Muay thai- I would urge you to pls fill this form to share your interests and journey insights. This will help us explore possible ways to improve muay thai gym/training program search experience for the community https://forms.gle/39pBz4wHQ2CXPWNS8 Feel free to DM me if there is any feedback or query.
    • You can look through my various articles which sometimes focuses on this: https://8limbsus.com/muay-thai-forum/forum/23-kevins-corner-muay-thai-philosophy-ethics/ especially the article on Muay Thai as a Rite. The general thought is that Thailand's traditional Muay Thai offers the world an important understanding of self-control in an era which is increasingly oriented towards abject violence for entertainment. There are also arguments which connect Muay Thai to environmental concerns.
  • The Latest From Open Topics Forum

    • Hi, this might be out of the normal topic, but I thought you all might be interested in a book-- Children of the Neon Bamboo-- that has a really cool Martial Arts instructor character who set up an early Muy Thai gym south of Miami in the 1980s. He's a really cool character who drives the plot, and there historically accurate allusions to 1980s martial arts culture. However, the main thrust is more about nostalgia and friendships.    Can we do links? Childrenoftheneonbamboo.com Children of the Neon Bamboo: B. Glynn Kimmey: 9798988054115: Amazon.com: Movies & TV      
    • Davince Resolve is a great place to start. 
    • I see that this thread is from three years ago, and I hope your journey with Muay Thai and mental health has evolved positively during this time. It's fascinating to revisit these discussions and reflect on how our understanding of such topics can grow. The connection between training and mental health is intricate, as you've pointed out. Finding the right balance between pushing yourself and self-care is a continuous learning process. If you've been exploring various avenues for managing mood-related issues over these years, you might want to revisit the topic of mental health resources. One such resource is The UK Medical Cannabis Card, which can provide insights into alternative treatments.
    • Phetjeeja fought Anissa Meksen for a ONE FC interim atomweight kickboxing title 12/22/2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu92S6-V5y0&ab_channel=ONEChampionship Fight starts at 45:08 Phetjeeja won on points. Not being able to clinch really handicapped her. I was afraid the ref was going to start deducting points for clinch fouls.   
    • Earlier this year I wrote a couple of sociology essays that dealt directly with Muay Thai, drawing on Sylvie's journalism and discussions on the podcast to do so. I thought I'd put them up here in case they were of any interest, rather than locking them away with the intention to perfectly rewrite them 'some day'. There's not really many novel insights of my own, rather it's more just pulling together existing literature with some of the von Duuglus-Ittu's work, which I think is criminally underutilised in academic discussions of MT. The first, 'Some meanings of muay' was written for an ideology/sosciology of knowledge paper, and is an overly long, somewhat grindy attempt to give a combined historical, institutional, and situated study of major cultural meanings of Muay Thai as a form of strength. The second paper, 'the fighter's heart' was written for a qualitative analysis course, and makes extensive use of interviews and podcast discussions to talk about some ways in which the gendered/sexed body is described/deployed within Muay Thai. There's plenty of issues with both, and they're not what I'd write today, and I'm learning to realise that's fine! some meanings of muay.docx The fighter's heart.docx
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      1.3k
    • Total Posts
      11k
×
×
  • Create New...