Foot Pivot

[Bradley Walker]

This is how I understand and even practice the foot pivot.

The foot pivot is actually like walking with a heel toe shuffle. You practice by walking with a pivot using the x step.

Walk forward.
Step behind with your left leg (typical X step)
Turn your hip backwards (typical X step)
Step forward with you right foot facing back away from the target 45 degrees.
Land this foot on your toe only (heel up). Weight near the big toe.
Continue forward with your upper body and put your weight on your forward toe.
Fall to your right heel.
Pivot on your heel 90 degrees.
Land back to your right toe when your foot is pointing forward 45 degrees.
Continue forward.
Follow through will your trailing leg and step forward.
Continue walking.
Do it again.

Think of James Brown when he heel toes from side to side (Prince used to do this move too).

You have to practice this until you do not have to think about it all. It will just happen.

[black udder]

That's a great explanation, but I still can't do it. Not even slow. As soon as my weight goes towards the heel, I feel like I'm gonna fall over. Feel like I lose all my agility and control.

I'd love to see if you can get a video doing that slowly. It'd be great to understand how people do it

[sleepy]

Nice description, Bradley!

I think another great example of excellent foot pivot is Steve Brinster. You can see some good videos of his form right here.


sleepy

[Bradley Walker]

Nice description, Bradley!

I think another great example of excellent foot pivot is Steve Brinster. You can see some good videos of his form right here.


sleepy

Exactly.

[sunspot]

by doing this does it put more stress on the knee.

[Bradley Walker]

by doing this does it put more stress on the knee.

I do not think so.

Look at Climo then... he does it the same way. Contrary to popular belief, he doe NOT pivot on the toe. He lands on the toe, pivots on the heel and follows through on the toe.

http://www.discgolfreview.com/resources/analysis/kenclimo.shtml

[tumpsi]

by doing this does it put more stress on the knee.

I do not think so.

I do. I've always pivoted on the ball of my feet. Every now and then I try to pivot on my heel, and it does stress my knee much more.

[black udder]

I think the way the majority of guys are doing it, there is no additional pressure on the knee. I pivot on the ball of my foot and can't seem to find a way to pivot on the heel without pressure on the knee.

I'm guessing that the secret somehow involves moving the weight to the heel of the foot. If you do that, then the whole leg becomes like a baseball bad in the ground. If my memory serves me, many of these folks also have a pretty straight leg when the pivot as well.

I've never found a way to make it feel natural. It seems like something you "just do" rather than something you pick up.

[tumpsi]

I said it adds MORE pressure to the knee. Only time will/would tell if it's too much. Propably not too much.

[black udder]

I said it adds MORE pressure to the knee. Only time will/would tell if it's too much. Propably not too much.

If you're responding to my comment - I'm thinking you misread it.

I said:

1) I don't think it adds more pressure when done right
2) I can't pivot on the heel without it adding a lot more pressure.

Basically - I don't know what they're doing, but I can't believe that some of the top pros in the game are doing something "bad" for their bodies if there was a better way to do it.

[Bradley Walker]

The foot pivot is hard to learn if you do not do it intuitively.

[black udder]

that's why seeing you (or somebody) go through it slowly on video would be interesting I don't know that it's something I'll ever be able to do, but I'm one of those folks that loves to know how things work, whether I use it or not.

[Blake_T]

when people have really f'd up (non-existent) pivots i will sometimes teach them to set down on their heel and then roll to the ball of their foot as the weight shift.

it's pretty easy to get a strain-free pivot that way.

[Blake_T]

on a side note, i also believe that most people have crappy pivots because so many players use a back right to front left runup, which makes jamming much easier to do.

coming straight on or even going slightly left to right makes it easier to pivot.

[Bradley Walker]

coming straight on or even going slightly left to right makes it easier to pivot.

Hmmmm...