Making Kicks Better

[andyb28]

I wondered if anyone had any tips on making my kicks better?

The problem I have is bad habits, for example when doing a roundhouse kick, I drop my head/shoulders down towards my toes, kind of crunching down as the kick executes.

I know it's wrong, but just cant seem to be able to correct it. Someone at my club suggested kicking over a chair, but that doesn't seem to help.

If I do the kick off my front leg, it is a lot better, so I guess it's related to my transition.

Andy

[nismophreek]

Do you notice if it's worse when you are trying to kick higher? If so, It may be an issue of hip flexibility and leg strength.

[Michael J. Bray]

:bow: Andy San, you are on the road and path of learning. If ANY martial art were EASY couldn't just any old Tom, Dick or Harry do it??:laugh: You have identified several problems yourself in this post. (Don't I really wish that I had none of my own to identify and address?:cry:) Slow down, find the useless tensions added when you execute these movements and relax. If you recognize the problem most likely you can fix it. Take your movement apart. If it isn't really a part of the punch or kick start eliminating it. s This sort of over simplifies things but think of a man with a block of wood and a pocket knife wanting to carve a horse. Look at the block of wood. Anything that doesn't look like a horse just gets slowly and carefully carved away.....:bow:

[rgoad]

Have someone watch the heel of your ground leg. It sounds like you are not getting enough rotation and it is stopping your hip from coming through far enough. You will want your heel and toes of the ground leg to be pointing directly AWAY from the target. They can rotate farther, if you need to.

If that is the problem just practice getting hip rotation by pivoting the base leg until the foot points away from the point of impact. Lift your knee only enough to get the shin parallel to the floor. As you get better at rotation thrust the hip of the kicking leg toward and through the target. As you get better at combining those events then let the leg fly, very relaxed. 'Throw' your foot at the target and control the rotation with the hips.

If your school will wants a 'snap', be careful of your knee. Again, use your hip and femoral bicep to control this, not the quads or you will risk hurting the knee. If they are teaching Wado correctly they will be instead teaching you to drop the power in the target, so you go quite relaxed. Rather than trying to pop the kick, just extend it, relax, and pull it back to the ground. Counter rotating the upper torso will help set up the safe retraction of the leg.

Height will come more from good hip rotation and skeletal alignment, not so much flexibility.

[andyb28]

Thanks for the replies everyone, they are making sense.
I managed to get a screenshot of my problem, rgoad, what you said is 100% spot on, it looks like my back foot isn't going round far enough, is this why my upper body tilts towards my toes?

http://wolfie.cybernetic-hosting.co.uk/badroundhouse.png

nismophreek, no, as you can see, the same problem happens on a waist height kick.

[mzee101]

Do you notice if it's worse when you are trying to kick higher? If so, It may be an issue of hip flexibility and leg strength.

from a TKd prespective the way forward is doing alot of strectching apart from what nismophreek said about swinmging ur toes round i would say keep your gaurd up to give you better balance

[Jeff Burger]

for example when doing a roundhouse kick, I drop my head/shoulders down towards my toes, kind of crunching down as the kick executes.


Thats a common bad habit. I tell people "Its a kick, not a kick and a head butt."

Besides stretching like already mentioned make your adductors and abductors stronger. Leg raises front, side, crescents, scissors...
Balance on one leg and throw the kick in slow motion.
Back to the stretches I dont like most of the common sit on floor stretches because that is not the position I kick in. Have a partner or use a pulley (Bruce Lee style) to lift your leg, roll the hip from front kick position over to side kick and beyond.

[rgoad]

Andy, stretching will help, just be careful because martial arts is full of quacks, especially about stretching. You may try swimming or walking for extended periods. I found that my body seemed to get stiff when it was weak, maybe I'm subconsciously afraid I'll hurt myself because I can't stop the movement? Anyway, when I am fit and strong I seem to be more flexible and confident. Just stretching does not seen to work for me. Yoga or Pilates, which are more like body weight exercises than stretching, help a lot, too. I'm thinking leaning in as you are is a sign of poor body core strength. Ask about for some examples at your gym, there are lots that fit karate very well. (Not situps!)

To stop bending into the kick try this on the next few kicks: pull up and back a little with the crown of your head as you kick. The head movement is like you are surprised or something splashes in your face. It will affect your balance a bit, so do it slowly at first, then speed up as you get used to it.

[andyb28]

Thankyou very much for all the tips.

I will work on what has been mentioned and update the thread on my progress so that anyone in the future with the same problem may benefit from it.

Andy

[andyb28]

Thats a common bad habit. I tell people "Its a kick, not a kick and a head butt."

Besides stretching like already mentioned make your adductors and abductors stronger. Leg raises front, side, crescents, scissors...
Balance on one leg and throw the kick in slow motion.
Back to the stretches I dont like most of the common sit on floor stretches because that is not the position I kick in. Have a partner or use a pulley (Bruce Lee style) to lift your leg, roll the hip from front kick position over to side kick and beyond.

Jeff,

Is this the kind of pulley system I need?
http://www.devilsltd.co.uk/cable-leg-stretcher-422-p.asp

[Jeff Burger]

Yup that is it.
Save your money and make one.

[Wasabi Rocks]

Andy...the foot that's on the ground, the heel should point at your target. few reasons for this but mainly stability, and flexability.

Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Keep at it!

[dtf]

As mentioned earlier it helps to build some muscle. One thing you can try is grab a chair and put yourself in a position that you know is correct; toes pointed behind; head up; hands up; body over supporting leg.

As you are using the chair (could use wall) for balance work on your leg strength; get yourself up in a chambered position. Try extending the kick; bring the leg back to chamber. Do this about ten times in a row and do it slowly with control.

You will find yourself making good progress with the kick; and without leaning over.

David F.