General notes:
One of the best techniques that any martial artist can master, this kick
is very effective both offensively and defensively. There are many ways
in which the kick can be executed both on angle of impact, the height
of attack and also where to take the leg once the kick is finished. It
is because of these qualities that this kick is probably the most used
kick in any martial art. It is similar to the front kick, in that its
power-to-speed ratio is very good and can be included in to many different
types of combinations. This can be done not only by following the kick
up with the other foot, but by executing another kick from the same foot,
(i.e. a side kick, hook kick, another roundhouse kick).
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1) Stand in the ready stance. |
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2) Begin transferring your weight on to the leading foot, while
bringing up the kicking leg from behind you. |
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3) Continue to bring the leg up round the side, ensuring that the
torso is leaning back away from the kicking foot. |
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4) The chamber position. This is an important stage of the kick
in that if a kick is placed too high without completing the technique
properly the kick will look more like a crescent kick, and at worse
can cause serious injury by putting unnecessary strain on the hamstrings.
Before the kick is brought round, the leg must first be in the chamber
position. As can be seen, the leg is parallel with the floor, and
the foot must pivot so that it ends up pointing directly away from
the target you are hitting. This ensures that as the leg is brought
round and the torso is leaning back and is facing side on to the opponent. |
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5) This is the point of contact. The striking surface of the foot
can either be the instep or the ball of the foot, depending on your
own personal preference. Personally, I prefer to use the instep. With
the momentum of the torso, the hips and the upper part of the leg,
the lower part of the leg is kicked out as a flowing motion leading
on from the chamber position. Depending on whether contact was made
or not, the kick can either stop at the point of contact or continue
round and arch in the same direction. Remember that either way the
kick is finished, the foot must kick 'through' the target to make
sure that maximum power is reached with the kick. The other very important
thing is to control the kicking leg during the kick. Never let the
leg fully extend when the kick is executed. The whiplash effect on
the knee if over-extending the leg can cause serious, sometimes irreparable
damage to the knee. I have found that making sure that just before
the point of full extension, tense all the muscles within the leg.
This prevents the leg from being completely locked out by ensuring
that the tensing of the hamstrings counters that of the quadriceps. |
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6) In this particular case, the kick is stopped and retracted back
into the chamber position as shown rather than continued round, either
ready to be dropped so that it becomes the leading foot, or ready
for a further attack from the same leg. A good one could either be
another mid-level roundhouse kick, or continuing the foot, just a
little further to bring the foot round the other way to make a hook
kick to the face. |
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7) The foot is brought down more. It is here that a kick from the
other leg could be executed since the supporting foot has served its
purpose in the way of balance, and the feet can switch the weight
so that the kicking leg can now be the supporting leg. A good example
from here could be a hopping back-turning kick from the left leg. |
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8) The foot is brought down even more. It is here that a kick from
the other leg could be executed since the supporting foot has served
its purpose in the way of balance, and the feet can switch the weight
so that the kicking leg can now be the supporting leg. A good example
could be any standing spinning attack from the left leg. |
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9) Back in to a stance with the kicking leg now as the lead foot. |
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Click here to see the kick in action !
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