Help with jumping kicks!!!

**Drunken_Monk** · 02-17-2006, 15:56

Hello gang! I just wanted to know if any one knew of some good stretches or drills that help me with my jumping kicks. I am having a hard time with My scissor kicks. (Jumping up having one leg kick forward and the other leg kick behind you a small amount. Not to be confused with jumping splits.) Hopefully these drills can help with other air kicks, like a spinning reverse cressent kick.

I know that the kick is not a practical one, not something that I would do in a conflict or situation. Thanks in advance guys..

**DragonMind** · 02-17-2006, 17:53

Look into Plyometrics

**Drunken_Monk** · 02-17-2006, 18:24

Plyometrics, I will look it up today! Many thanks Barry!

Gene, Im sure you were trying to be helpfull but at times (from what I have seen) your replys come off the wrong way.

**SteyrAUG** · 02-17-2006, 19:38

When I was into such things I found training with a weighted vest helped me dramatically.

**Webmaster** · 02-17-2006, 20:10

Never the less, a member asked for assistance and should be able to do so without being ragged on. Just because fancy kicks don't float your boat does'nt mean you need to sink his.

**Gene Williams** · 02-17-2006, 20:11

Point taken. Maybe he'll grow out of it.

**David Craik** · 02-17-2006, 20:16

I split the thread to remove all the nonsense, so unfortunately neither Robert's comments nor these will make much sense to the reader. Regardless of how anyone feels about it, this is a board devoted to all types of MA, including Chinese ones that include acrobatic kicks. Stop hijacking threads with a bunch of silly posts.

**Gene Williams** · 02-17-2006, 20:18

Alright, develop spring in your legs. A Taido class I watched some would have everyone kneel down in a line around the room with about two feet between them and put their forehead on the floor as if bowing, then each person in the class took a turn jumping over everyone while moving around the room. You had to jump, you could not take steps. It was very important to get your knees up really high and tight, kick yourself in the *** with your heels. I noticed this really ragged everyone out.
Just regarding jumping kicks generally, practice on a heavy bag hung high. Start with a few running steps, gradually reducing them to only a couple. Make sure when you spring up, you tuck ( we can't say c-o-c-k?) your knees up high (most people drag their knees), and don't kick until you have reached the apex of your leap. Snap your feet and knees back under you after the kick almost as if your feet were doing punches. Try to spring straight up without leaning. If you must lean, lean forward; the force of your kick will tend to straighten and align your upper body. if you lean backwards, you lose power and balance.

**lightninrod** · 02-17-2006, 21:22

Try squatting down until your *** rests on your heels, grab your heels, and walk a hundred yards or so in this manner. If you succeed in this without crying or dying, do it again. (It really hurts.) Do this once or twice a day for several weeks and you will find that you have springs for thigh muscles.
Good luck. (Bearing in mind that we create our own good fortune.)

**jjaje** · 02-17-2006, 22:35

Barry is right on, find some quality plyometric exercises to incorporate, but don't over do it. For leg strength you can also do squat thrusts and one legged squats (alternating up and down when you get advenced).

This should only be considered supplemental to actually doing a lot of jump kicks. Get a heavy bag and hang it, and do the kick with proper technique but not real high. Mark on the bag with masking tape where that is. For one week jump kick that same line of tape, then move the tape up a few inches and for one week jump kick that location.... You will find that doing the kick with proper form and lower will assist you as you gradually go higher and higher.

**TEA** · 02-17-2006, 23:09

In addition to developing leg strength, visulazation and total commitment to the initiation of the jumping/flying technique helps. I differentiate between a jumping technique as one that you simply jump up and execute the kick and a flying kick in which you use the initial motion of your other leg to initiate the technique (e.g. a flying front kick starts with the back leg initiating the jump and the front leg following with the kick, whereas a jump front is simply jumping up and executing a front kick). When executing a flying kick, imagine that you are Michael Jordan and that you are jumping up with you initiating leg to try and slam dunk a basketball, then just before the apex of the jump, initiate the kick. Also, no matter how heavy you are, visualize yourself as lighter than air.

Personally, I don't use jump or flying kicks all that often, especially as I've gotten older, heavier and my knees have gotten more worn out. Jump back kicks are good everyonce in a while, especially when pushing out of a clinch or when someone taller than you is trying to dominate you with their hands; and flying kicks can be good in competition if you just want to chase your oponent out of the ring (e.g. skip roundhouse followed by a flying back kick and then a skip side and a back leg roundhouse - if they ain't out of the ring its only cause they managed to side siip you).

**Rasputin** · 02-17-2006, 23:19

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105812/

However, since you are seriously interested, keep in mind that the human knees were not meant to undergo high impact stresses past a certain point. I hope that you are not setting yourself up for a lifetime of pain unless it is truly worth it for you.

**TEA** · 02-17-2006, 23:42

Originally Posted by Rasputin

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105812/

However, since you are seriously interested, keep in mind that the human knees were not meant to undergo high impact stresses past a certain point. I hope that you are not setting yourself up for a lifetime of pain unless it is truly worth it for you.

Listen to him with regards to the knees. Jump kicks, snap kicks in the air and running down steep hlls all either look cool or sound like fun when you are young and think that your body wlll last in that condition forever, but I can tell you that they all take a heavy toll.

**Ninjalord** · 02-17-2006, 23:58

I agree with Rasputin, the knees can only take so much, when I took up gymnastics at 14, i had only been in for like a month, I was practicing multiple back hand springs, and landed wrong, seriously injuring my left knee, which pretty much ended my gymnastics carrer. So be carefull, stressing the joints can be dangerous if you do not take care to learn the tecnique properly.

**Ridge** · 02-18-2006, 20:01

Most injury in jumps comes from landing rather than jumps. Make sure you learn to land well. don't do plyometrics till you can do hi reps of squat preferably on one leg or with weights as resistance.
Jumping on and off the box will help you with landing part. If you can find a trainer or a good video it may serve better than trying to experiment on your own.
Good luck.

**Drunken_Monk** · 02-19-2006, 10:53

Wow! Thank you to everyone for all the great info! I have found that this board has the most helpful people around!

This is a simply a jumping kick, not a flying kick. This is part of a form and I wouldn’t be doing it all the time or in a real life situation.

The problem I am having is (in this instance a jumping scissor kick) getting my legs out and back in. I feel like my legs can only go out a short distance because I am already coming back down before my legs would reach a full extension. So that you know how I am trying to do this kick as taught in the form. The starting position is with your left leg forward, right leg back, jump up, right leg does a front ball kick (frontal kick), left leg naturally comes behind you, land in original position. (Left leg forward, right leg back).

Thanks a lot guys! Rasputin and TEA, Thanks for the warning about the knees. My father has bad knees, time just took its toll. So I try not to work them to hard. It’s a little disheartening watching him, after sitting for a long time he needs to stretch his knees or they wont bend to well.

**Ridge** · 02-22-2006, 09:16

Sounds something like gymnastics. They have drills for dynamic leaping flexibility. Basically jumps with legs going in all directions, with a focus on landing. See if you can find something on that.