All of us have seen the various ways that practitioners turn. Some turn on the heels, some on the toes, and some on the center of the foot. In addition, the weight ratio is different, such as 100/0, 70/30, 60/40, etc.
Is there a “best” way for turning? Are the weight ratios really that important, and if so, what are they? What happens when both are combined and what does that do when we encounter force?
First, “no”, there is no “best” way. There are pros and cons for all manner of turning so it ends up being the practitioner than can or cannot use their preferred way to its fullest.
In that, however, here is why I prefer turning on the center of the foot, as well as having a 100/0 weight ratio.
When we think about engaging force, one of the elements must include our opponent making the first move. In that, he/she will be driving into us, thereby forcing us to make a choice as to how to respond:
- We can move forward “into” the attack, thereby decreasing the distance and not allowing the full force “of” the attack to see its complete extension. Simultaneously, our own countering force will be added to the incoming force, thereby doubling the impact with half the effort
- We can side-step in order to avoid the force while simultaneously placing us at an angle in which to counter-attack through his/her least protected area
- We can also step backwards and out of range of the attack, but this can take us too far, forcing us to regain the ground we just lost
Theconcept of turning first starts from the viewpoint of avoiding a direct blow from the incoming strike. Even if we did not have an arm to defend our counter-attack, simply turning would get us out of the path “of” the attack itself.
Once this concept is established, we explore how to use the torque and momentum of the turn in order to add that power to our own responses. But in the turn, this is where things start to get a little “dicey”.
The goal of turning is to first get the body out of the path of an incoming attack. If I turn on the heels, it will have the tendency to spread my legs a bit more than usual. When that happens, I lose a great deal of adduction in the knees, but I “need” that adduction in order to keep me grounded/rooted for stability.
Additionally, if I turn both feet simultaneously, then my entire structure is moving. What happens if my opponent initiates a fake such as starting to come in, and then after turning in response to it, he pulls away? This is a common “hit-and-run” tactic in order to draw me out and put us on the defensive.
Therefore, we turn on only one foot at a time so that the other is always providing a solid foundation that we can respond from. In addition, we turn on the center of the foot vs. the heel or toe in order to keep the knees adducted (which, again, is the sole reason why we do not get bounced backward when meeting real force).
As for weight distribution, our legs must always be mobile yet strong, pliable yet mobile such as when exploding forward.
To accomodate this, the ratio of 100% on the front leg and 0% on the rear legs affords many opportunities for wedging into the opponent’s structure, which thereby drives him off balance vs. me.
In combination, this action of turning on the center of the foot while also moving 100% of the body’s weight to the other side will assist you in truly absorbing force and relocating it to the side, while you attack their least-protected areas.
