NaamKyun.com Discussion Forum

How do you pivot, when going from horse to bow? Some do it on the balls of their feet, some pivot on their heels, some a bit of both on the young chun. I originally started on the heel, but now, I pivot on the ball of the foot (Young Chun)and then plant my heel into the ground. This sends a vibration up the leg, through body and out the arms. "Power comes originates from the earth, up through the legs, is governed by the waist, and expressed through the hands." If your sacrum is tucked, chest hollowed, and back leg not locked, you will feel the amount of force that can be generated.
So, how do you guys do it?

I learned the transition doing it on the balls of my feet, although my sifu noted that some people use their heels. Later experience in boxing, where we also work off the balls of the feet, reinforce the feeling that pivoting on the balls works better when you're moving around a lot.

Currently, from horse to bow I do it on the heels, as it gives more stability in my experience, especially when conditions change and I need to adapt.

When kicking (like in Fook Fu Kuen) I use the ball of the foot as it somehow does not work on the heel there.

Your description wants me to experiment though Bubbling Well instead of ball of the foot is a subtle difference that sort of makes sense if you take into account all the other stuff in CMA when it comes to rooting.

I was taught to pivot on the heel, though it felt unnatural for me to do so. After a few classes it started to become second nature.

I think, when you finishing your punch it is good to have your heel solid on the ground. Because If you havent then some energy can escape in springing of your ankle. Boxing and hungkyun footwork in punching is little different. Different masters prefer different pivot you can look on youtube

i mainly use the ball of my feet. but occasionally i find that when working inside drills for close quarters, i will use both. For my big hung gar practices(forms, drills, etc) i use the ball of the foot though.

Depends what you are talking about...

If you are talking about the form, the pivoting teaches you the proper structure by pivoting from horse to bow. In Gung Ji, near the beginning of the form you pivot on the toe, then the heel of the rear foot. This teaches the proper posture relative to the others..

If you are talking about application, it depends on the situation.

Are you talking about controlling the opponents step - sik ma ? If you are trying to control the opponents horse, or releasing pressure from him controlling yours .. then the pivot depends on the situation..

If you are talking about attacking from horse to bow, then I don't think you should be pivoting here, you should be stepping forward.

sei ping ma to ji ng ma: front foot steps in a bit, rear foot turns on the heel (but it remains more or less on the same spot), all power forward! difficult for beginners, second nature after a while (reading the topic, i have tried all the different ways, and i had hard time to do it the other way).

we also use high lok gwai ma (kneeling stance), especially for some low straight strikes, in this case we turn on the ball of the foot, just like in boxing.

anyway, even within our family, different people do it differently.

I would have to say mostly the ball of the foot. It seems that is the most worn out part of my shoe as well.

form horse to bow I turn on the heel. Allows me to penetrate further forward than if i turned on the ball. With the ball i feel as if i am working against myself: I'm sending energy forwards but at the same time I'm also sending it backwards (when I turn on the ball, my heel pushes back).