A common instruction for proper walking says to push off with your toes. In this video I will tell you why I believe this is incorrect and I will show you exactly why, with the help of James Bond.
All of the conscious actions in walking should come from the core. The core directs the other movements. You don't need to think about or try pushing off with the toes any more than you have to think about swinging your right arm forward with the left leg or the left arm forward with the right leg. All of these movements are reflexive actions, responding to the core rotation. It would be a bad idea to try to actively push off with the toes because, even if the toes were pushing, there would be no way to time it correctly with the rest of the body and you would throw off your rhythm. Whether walking or dancing, focus should always be on the core.
This is a repost of the video that I posted last year. While James Bond was happy to offer me his services, the composer of the James Bond music was not as happy, so claimed the copyright. Therefore I have swapped out the music with something equally enjoyable.
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The Core Movement technique in this video relates to the Tai Chi Technique of Roll Back. For more information you can see my Grasp the Sparrow's Tail video. The movements we do when walking, dancing, or doing martial arts like Tai Chi are all related to the same eight fundamental core energies. That is why I think it is so important to cross train in different activities so you can really discover how your body is designed to move. This will help you move more fluidly, move with more confidence, and move with less impact on your joints.
In Roll Back, the chest and waist turn toward the flexing hip. This is accompanied by extension of the knee and plantarflexion of the ankle, all on the side of the flexing hip. This is the movement we are doing as we bring the swing leg heel down and begin to lift the rear heel when walking. The movement is generated by the core, not by actively pushing down with the ankle, and definitely not by pushing down with the toe. After the swing leg heel hits, the rear foot passively rolls forward onto the flexed toes, which are not pushing off. The energy for moving the body forward at this point all comes from the core and the leg on the side of the forward leg. The rear leg does not need to give any energy for the body to move forward. If you are focusing on pushing off with your toe, your focus is on the wrong part of your body. Move from your core and let your lower legs respond.
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