In Ko-ryū (古流 - old school) martial arts, the movement of and through the feet is absolutely crucial. The feet and toes are both the beginning and end of movement. This is true when we use the force of gravity in dropping our weight (centre of gravity), or pushing off of the ground in active movements.

Without addressing the correct weight shifting through our feet, we lose effectiveness in creating integrated rotational actions through our body (both in moving up and down), we cost ourselves time, balance and power, and also risk damage to our knees and other joints.

However, this is difficult because these subtle changes in the feet are not visible, are rarely explained and don't form a significant element of our western perception of movement.

It is difficult to do justice to physical movement in the medium of the written word, so I look forward to returning to Dojo and seminar teaching, so that I can adequately explain this and show how these principles integrate within technique and movement.