Powerful Kicks

[blackmantis]

What is the best way to develop very powerful kicks?

S

[EarthDragon]

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

[ursa major]

Hello BlackMantis,

If you want to develop powerful kicks I suggest you take your front kick, round kick and side kick and practice these in repeated sessions while executing them as SLOWLY as you can bear.

By SLOWLY I mean exactly that -- inching your way through the kick drill as if you were watching yourself in a slow motion replay.

I train most kicks in what I call four point drills for example while taking a fighting stance in left lead:

1) stand on your left into a right crane stance
2) SLOWLY extend the right to a front toe kick and hold your leg outwards fully extended and horizontal to the ground for about 60 seconds
3) withdraw the leg SLOWLY to a crane
4) step back down with the right into your fighting stance

Repeat this method as often as you can. It will...

1) give you exceptional muscle memory
2) generate balance skills when kicking
3) isolate both small and large muscle groups and develop these into stronger, more powerful muscles
4) teach/remind/reinforce the mechanics of kicking

I practice these often and have for many years. Do several sets of 4 point kicking then head to the kicking back and unload on it. After several sets on the kicking back do more 4 point kicking sets then back to the bag and so on and so on...

It is as Earthdragon says, all about practice, practice, practice...

best regards,
UM.

[-N-]

Yep, I agree with ED and UM.

Practice constantly, and work on doing your kicks very slowly with proper mechanics. Additionally, practice those kicks very relaxed using no power.

A lot of your kicking power and speed can be wasted due to poor balance, poor mechanics, and tense muscles that fight each other.

For the longest time, I didn't have any heavy bag to kick, or a partner to hold a kicking shield for me. I just practiced kicking the air relaxed and slowly... step kick, step kick, over and over. All kinds of kicks, all kinds of combinations.

About a year and a half ago, I started working out with a karate group once a week for extra exercise and some people to spar with. Their black belts commented that my kicks were really powerful and asked what special training I did for kicking. They were surprised when I told them that I spent a few years kicking the air ;)

After you get used to slow relaxed kicking, you can add mantis waist/hip force to chain your kicks together and make them fast and powerful.

regards,
N.

[flem]

aren't all these "air" kicks accomplished in/during form practice?

[-N-]

Originally posted by flem
aren't all these "air" kicks accomplished in/during form practice? Well, drilling lines of kick combinations gives a different kind of benefit than drilling forms that have a few kicks in them.

It's good to do a variety of training. Forms are good. Drills are good. Partner exercises are good. Hitting something heavy is good. Sparring is good. Gotta work on all of it, no?

N.

[seung ga faat]

Fill a hanging sand bag half way with sand. Kick the sand bag with the leg 50-100 reps adding a cup of sand every week.
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[SevenStar]

Definitely kick the heavy bag.

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by -N-
Yep, I agree with ED and UM.

Practice constantly, and work on doing your kicks very slowly with proper mechanics. Additionally, practice those kicks very relaxed using no power.

A lot of your kicking power and speed can be wasted due to poor balance, poor mechanics, and tense muscles that fight each other.

For the longest time, I didn't have any heavy bag to kick, or a partner to hold a kicking shield for me. I just practiced kicking the air relaxed and slowly... step kick, step kick, over and over. All kinds of kicks, all kinds of combinations.

About a year and a half ago, I started working out with a karate group once a week for extra exercise and some people to spar with. Their black belts commented that my kicks were really powerful and asked what special training I did for kicking. They were surprised when I told them that I spent a few years kicking the air ;)

After you get used to slow relaxed kicking, you can add mantis waist/hip force to chain your kicks together and make them fast and powerful.

regards,
N.

I wonder if that was due mainly to good mechanics, not the fact that you were kicking slowly. Sure, that will strengthen muscles, to some extent, then it will cease. It becomes an endurance exercise. Strength is measured based on a muscle's contraction - the harder the contraction, the more force output. Kicking a heavy bag helps train that... kicking slowly doesn't.

[-N-]

Originally posted by SevenStar
I wonder if that was due mainly to good mechanics, not the fact that you were kicking slowly.
SevenStar,

Yes, definately due mainly to the mechanics and relaxation. The point of kicking slowly was not to build strength, but to reinforce the use of good mechanics. It's too easy to "fake it" when kicking fast.

N.