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| − | The '''koshi''' (literally: “middle-foot”) is the '''ball of the foot''', between the arch and the big toe. In karate, the majority of your body weight should be focused on the balls of your feet, like a cat, for optimum balance and mobility. [[Front kick]], [[Exercise kicks|front exercise kick]], [[Jump front kick|jump front kick]], [[Roundhouse kick|roundhouse kick]], and [[Crescent_kick#Inside_crescent_kick|inside crescent kick]] all use the koshi to damage an opponent’s [[Kyūsho|vital points]].
| + | #REDIRECT[[Kicks#Koshi]] |
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| − | Unlike many Korean and Korean-influenced martial arts, [[Goshin-Jutsu]] karateka do not strike with their [[Kyūsho#Instep|insteps]], as they are one of the [[Kyūsho|weak points of the human body]]. One of our contributors, Mr. Zielinski, once sparred a Tae Kwon Do stylist who charged at him with a large, looping kick, hell-bent on crushing him with his instep. Mr. Zielinski did not block, parry, evade, or counter; he merely turned his elbow to the side. When the Tae Kwon Do man’s instep struck Mr. Zielinski’s elbow, it broke with a sickening crack. The point of this anecdote is this -- Mr. Zielinski did not break that man’s foot; that man broke his foot ''on'' Mr. Zielinski. Think about that -- then, kick with the ball of the foot
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| − | To form the koshi, curl your toes back, and turn your ankle downward, to make your instep in-line with your shin, like a ballerina, as shown in the photo below:
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| − | {photo of a koshi, from the front and the side}
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| − | Failing to accentuate the koshi will cause your kicks to strike with the tips of your toes. Unless you are wearing steel-toed workbooks, these “toe-kicks” will painfully sprain or break your toes, leaving your without a leg to stand on.
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