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
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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