I've trained in 3 different forms, for 2 years with 5 different instructors.... I can do nearly any kick up to a double shuffle side kick (Also known as a slide kick or hop kick) but the sad thing is I can't do a bloody round house kick... I don't know why I just can't seem to get it down. Any suggestions?
Needing some help with some kicks....
- Thread starter TSDGirl
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Umm, hmm. I haven't really practiced kicking all that much for quite a while, but I guess I can tell you what I did.
A good powerfull roundhouse (just like a good powerfull anything) should come from your "center" - that great tangle of muscles in your thighs, hips, abs, and lower back. So try to be conscious of connecting it all together instead of just flailing your leg. I got a target object, like a chair, so I could practice kicking over it to make myself aware of how high my foot was arching and where it was coming down.
For a rearside roundhouse, I'd pivot towards my back leg while shifting my weight onto the leg closest to the target. This sort of makes a wind up in the hips and prepares you to keep your stability when your kicking leg leaves the ground.
I'd lift the kicking leg and throw it in an arch, heel first, releasing the tension in the hips and turning the hips smoothly along with the leg, pivoting on the post leg. Try to keep the heel down on the post leg for stability. Be conscious of keeping your weight down into the ground through the post leg and extend up through your spine out the top of your head, or else your leg and your upper body will sort of act like floppy, unbalanced counterweights.
For an advancing kick, land the foot in front of you. For a stationary kick, turn the hips a little further and land it behind you, where it started. If the foot lands with a "THUD" then I think there was too much intention in the kicking foot, and the kick was probably weak and off balance. Set your foot down how you want to where you want to. Make sure the kick archs exactly how and where you want it to.
And when you get good at that, practice kicking things like heavy bags that don't allow for follow through, so you can have experience with your energy being stopped and recovering. Styles differ and I'm no expert, so if anyone would like to point out some way that I'm wrong, please do.
A good powerfull roundhouse (just like a good powerfull anything) should come from your "center" - that great tangle of muscles in your thighs, hips, abs, and lower back. So try to be conscious of connecting it all together instead of just flailing your leg. I got a target object, like a chair, so I could practice kicking over it to make myself aware of how high my foot was arching and where it was coming down.
For a rearside roundhouse, I'd pivot towards my back leg while shifting my weight onto the leg closest to the target. This sort of makes a wind up in the hips and prepares you to keep your stability when your kicking leg leaves the ground.
I'd lift the kicking leg and throw it in an arch, heel first, releasing the tension in the hips and turning the hips smoothly along with the leg, pivoting on the post leg. Try to keep the heel down on the post leg for stability. Be conscious of keeping your weight down into the ground through the post leg and extend up through your spine out the top of your head, or else your leg and your upper body will sort of act like floppy, unbalanced counterweights.
For an advancing kick, land the foot in front of you. For a stationary kick, turn the hips a little further and land it behind you, where it started. If the foot lands with a "THUD" then I think there was too much intention in the kicking foot, and the kick was probably weak and off balance. Set your foot down how you want to where you want to. Make sure the kick archs exactly how and where you want it to.
And when you get good at that, practice kicking things like heavy bags that don't allow for follow through, so you can have experience with your energy being stopped and recovering. Styles differ and I'm no expert, so if anyone would like to point out some way that I'm wrong, please do.
The toughest thing for me with round kicks was actually throwing my hip into the kick. I would chamber the kick right, but when I kicked I would almost stay square to the target even though I tried to pivot my back foot. One of the brown belts in my school told me to "throw" my hip into the kick, which enabled me to get the pivot and power. The kicking over a chair tip is good too in order to get the proper chamber.
That was my problem also I couldn't do the pivot. Then again, trying that in sneakers on carpet doesn't help me any...
Ok so now that I have that down I'm working on a simple Jump Kick. I learned it a year ago, the instructer told me if I wanted to learn it I'd have to do it on our own because I was in a class full of little kids but he taught me it a little bit anyhow.
Ok so now that I have that down I'm working on a simple Jump Kick. I learned it a year ago, the instructer told me if I wanted to learn it I'd have to do it on our own because I was in a class full of little kids but he taught me it a little bit anyhow.
Yes TSD is Tang Soo Do. It's required to be learned to be on the Demo Team at my school (Training school that is). You're actualy supposed to be a black belt (Well acutlay blue but it's still considered black) to be on the Demo team they've allowed a few red belts but the Instructers told me once I test for my yellow, learn a jump kick and a couple other kicks they'll put me right on the Demo team. One of the instructers actualy told my dad "I'd be honored to teach your daughter she shows a lot of respect and courage for a young girl." Which actualy got him.... if you know what I mean.
-nods- 
I learned a 'double shuffle side kick' after only a couple weeks of training, my instructer told me it's a really hard kick to learn because most people can't cross one foot back far enough behind the other and they end up falling right on their face, but I ended up getting it the first try. Then again 3 years of figure skating helps when you have to know a cross over... -shrugs- I'm heading to lunch. I'll probably catch ya when we get back.
I learned a 'double shuffle side kick' after only a couple weeks of training, my instructer told me it's a really hard kick to learn because most people can't cross one foot back far enough behind the other and they end up falling right on their face, but I ended up getting it the first try. Then again 3 years of figure skating helps when you have to know a cross over... -shrugs- I'm heading to lunch. I'll probably catch ya when we get back.