Thoughts, stories, and ideas from Sensei Steve Gottwirt

Thoughts, stories, and ideas from                  Sensei Steve Gottwirt
Some of these thoughts, stories, and personal history appeared in our newsletter, "Dō Gakuin News". Few members have been with us since our first issue in 1993. As such, ideas on this page may have been printed before, but are worth telling again.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

The correct way to perform kicks


It’s not unusual for martial arts students to use incorrect technique while kicking.  You might see it in the dojo, or even online in photos and YouTube videos.

I first studied Tae Kwon Do, a style noted for high kicks.  Often, the way to kick higher was to lean further back.  The reason given made perfect sense, especially when practicing kicks slowly.  You want to lean your head, shoulders, and upper body back in order to stay in balance as your leg and lower body thrusts forward and upward.  This does a good job of keeping your body upright and balanced as you kick, but there’s one problem:  What happens to your balance when you connect with your target?  You might feel recoil from hitting something/someone which knocks you backwards and off perfect balance.  Also, you lose much forward drive/force by leaning back as you kick forward.

The problem and solution are shown in these two photos.  Side kick is demonstrated here, but the concept works for front kick, round kick, etc.: 


Photo 1 shows the kicker clearly leaning back, with his head and shoulders far behind the standing leg (dotted line), and both hands held close to the body.  You see almost a straight line from his leading side to his leg and foot.  He has a bend by his standing hip.  This posture is the reverse of what you want.  The line from his rear shoulder down to his standing foot should be as straight as possible, with a bend at his kicking hip with hands held forward (see Photo 2). 

In general, one should not feel ‘in balance’ when kicking.  You should feel as if you’ll fall forward, so your force goes
forward, into your opponent.  What stops you from falling forward?  Your pullback should be as fast, or faster, than your kick.  This regains your balance, uprights your body, prevents your leg from being grabbed, and centers you for your next technique.

Of course, the opposite is true when doing techniques like back kick.  The body should not lean forward, instead, remain upright with your head and arms facing the rear as you kick back.  Try the ideas presented in this blog entry.  See how much more power you get out of your kicks.

*Photos and editing assistance courtesy of Kyle M Rabin

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