Heels or toes? Whenever your opponent is standing in front of you there is a question of the greatest importance that in most cases can only be answered you and your opponent – where is your opponents weight centered? Is it on his heels or on his toes? The answer to this question will determine what form of attack and what direction of attacks you will use. Learning to read whether your standing opponent has weight forward on his toes or back on his heels is one of those skills that is often passed over in teaching but has has the greatest effect on whether your subsequent moves actually work or not. Here I use a basic arm drag on a standing partner and feel his reaction between heels and toes. Weight on toes is a good sign to continue the drag forwards. Weight on the heels is a good sign to switch from drag to some form of takedown or sweep to the rear. Failure to pay attention or the subtle but all important weight transfers between heel and toes means you have to use brute force to get moves to work – reading the heel to toe weight transfer well makes for seemingly effortless moves.
