Simple Stepping Dilemma

[Seth Halsell]

A rather lengthy discussion took place at Arma Orange County, CA yesterday. The discussion was over something that one of our memebers said about simple stepping. He said that when ever you simple step (and by simple step it is meant the step where your leading leg advances forward while the back leg remains in the back but advances as well. There is no passing.) that the lead leg advances forward but that when it advances forward that you step heel to toe. That your heel lands first and that the toes then are planted. This sparked a rather in depth discussion between the members as there were some members that believed that when you advance forward using a simple step that you should land on your toes with the lead leg because it was argued that should you need to traverse off to the sides you are able to do so on your toes.

That being said I wanted to ask other members what they thought about this and also it would greatly help our group if anyone could find some historical evidence that addresses this issue of simple stepping. I have been looking through the manuels myself since the practice and while I have found things in the manuels regarding footwork I have yet to find a specific passage in them that directly addresses this issue.

[Will Adamson]

Heel to toe stepping is taught in sport fencing. Toe to heel on the lead foot just would feel very slow to me. Toe to heel would also be a good way to trip on rough ground.

[Mark Driggs]

I don't recall anything from the manuals, though heel to toe is more effective on slippery terrain. I know, I tried it both ways in the rain today!

[Richard Strey]

Funny thing, how different people "know" different things. I've been doing "toe to heel", i.e. weight on the balls of your foot, for seven years now. On stone tiles, wet cobblestones, snow, ice and sand. Barefoot, in sneakers, army boots and period footwear. To me, landing on the balls of the foot is the only viable way to go, if you want to be safe on all grounds: This way, you have the ankle joint as an additional shock absorber and the ability to instantly lift off and re-plant the foot, should you be tripping over a root or some such.
I do not, however have any period source to back that up, as Ringeck, von Danzig et al. don't go into such details.

[Benjamin Smith]

I've worked on my footwork since 2000, and have spent long periods of time doing it both ways. In my opinion stepping heel first is more stable, allows for longer steps, quicker recovery, and gives greater options in terms of size and trajectory of follow up footwork. On that note, I also believe that stepping with the heel first or at least flat is the best way to step for nearly all steps even triangle steps because the same principles apply, and is therefore generally superior and should be encouraged. It is my opinion that when we see fighters in manuals on their toes it is because they are in the middle of a step, or it is a stylistic or perspective issue. Most of the manuals that have renaissance period realism show positions that seem to support this, both in terms of extension, how their weight appears to set on their feet, and the lack of "toe positions" that you find in the medieval style manuals. That's just my take on it.

[LafayetteCCurtis]

Actually, I'm with Richard here. I can develop more speed and stability when stepping toe-to-heel rather than the other way around. I use heel-to-toe steps mostly when lunging in some of the later rapier styles, while with German and English (at least Silver's) stuff I stand mostly on the balls of my feet.

All right. Does the balls of the feet count as a different anatomical feature? If so, then I might actually be stepping balls-to-heel rather than toe-to-heel...

As for the medieval references, the I.33 rather surprisingly shows almost all the practitioners standing on tiptoes, regardless of whether they're in the basic stances or in the middle of a movement. I know it takes a slight leap of the imagination to use it to justify my habit of almost always putting my weight on the balls of my feet. ;P

[Benjamin Smith]

In my experience, which is not vast, but encompasses 6 years as an ARMA member I can confidently say that I am faster, able to extend farther, recover more quickly, am more stable, and have greater options in terms of stepping when I use heel-toe footwork. I did toe-heel footwork for four years, your ankle takes a great deal more strain, the leg is springier increasing the time it takes to act and react, and except in the case of a quick slip back and instant follow up onto a forward heel-toe step it presented no advantage in speed, positioning, stability, or leverage.

I studied sword & buckler with Stewart Feil, who has studied the I.33 in depth. It was he and Eli from ARMA-Provo that asked me to try changing my footwork. I noticed considerable improvement in my performance very quickly. I think the "toe positions" from the medieval manuals are strictly stylistic, because in my practice they simply didn't work as well. Later manuals with Renaissance period realism, some of the best in the world, never show it to my knowledge, and I don't think they did it before then.

[carlo arellano]

Hello,

I have just joined the Orange County group on their Saturday meetings. I am thoroughly enjoying learning about European bladed arts and they are a good, open and friendly group and are very patient at teaching me about "how not to be a caveman all of the time".

Although most of my experience comes from unarmored, full contact FMA stick fighting, boxing and mma, I thought perhaps I could share my experiences.

Generally speaking If I am moving forward or forward at an angle I go "heel toe" and if i am moving laterally or backward, it is "toe heel". "Toe heel" also seems to appear when I'm making quick angle changes during an indirect forward movement.

I do find "heel toe" more aggressive and stable while "toe heel" (the heel does not always hit the ground so it is just as often a toe spring) tends to be more deceptive.

As I have said before, my experience is limited and some of the more experienced gentlemen can make suggestions, I would love to try them out.

[LafayetteCCurtis]

I've been doing some amateur experiments that ended up in the (tentative) conclusion that I don't think we can use the Renaissance illustrations as incontrovertible evidence for heel-to-toe stepping. In all cases, I managed to imitate the postures illustrated in the manuals (Both German and Italian) while keeping my weight on the balls of my feet, principally because I can put my weight there while keeping my feet flat--that is, without lifting my heels off the ground. It has become so natural to me that I do it all the time without realizing it. I really never noticed it until now.

So...well, I don't think those illustrations lend particularly strong support to either position--except in the case of the lunge, where the sheer length of the stride pretty much forces anyone to do it heel-to-toe.

[Benjamin Smith]

All I can say is: test it. Before all else see if you fight better one way or the other, because the most likely conclusion should come out that way. Do it fifty or sixty times each way and see what happens. This is, in my opinion, the first and best way to find out. Try it. I've already mentioned the results of my own experiment.

Just to strengthen my earlier defense of interpreting Medieval period artwork showing toe stepping I offer the following. I know of no later period manuals with strong realism that show the front leg balancing on the toes or ball of the foot at the end of the step that would be the renaissance equivalent of the Medieval artwork. I know of a couple of earlier and later period manual artwork clearly showing heel-toe steps being performed, I.33 plate 12 and Talhoffer plates 1, 3, 9, 25, 51, 92, 138, 205, and 210 come to mind. The only plate in Talhoffer that I might concede to be showing a toe-heel step is plate 4, and the fellow making the step is losing that one. I could also interpret his stance as being mid forward motion as an alternative to toe stepping. I also argue that the sheer size of the steps that one generally sees in the manuals as tending to favor heel steps, and I'm not referring to lunges, because heel steps tend to be more stable, especially with great extension, again excluding lunges. Seeing 1-1.2 meters between the feet is not uncommon in any manual that I know of.