But_Why

Thanks all for your responses Sauzin: you seem to have what i was meaning correct. (Thats if i'm reading it right ) Sasori_Te: I believe you are right in what you have said, as when i was practising my punches, i'd not think about my hips and concentrate on everything else one at a time (building up till i thought i had everything) and by about halfway through, i found that my hip was flicking (albeit it may not have been a strong flick, it was a flick none the less).

Sounds like your gym teacher (from the responses given here) is full of it. Well on that subject anyway. Just ignore him, or if you feel like, argue the topic with him...

My guess, probably the gym teacher. or possibly coach. (pretty much one in the same, depending on which part of the world you live in).

Oh right, i thought you were supposed to bring your hips back in line when your strike hit. I was pretty unclear about it. I was going to ask my sensei next time i'm there, but i don't need to now! Thank you very much.

So does that mean your hips should stay out when you strike? or should it be back in stance when you strike?

When doing punches, i'm constantly being told i need to flick my hip on the side thats punching forward and then lock it back into stance to generate more power in my punches. I've been trying to do it, but it's definitely not coming easy . i've only been training a few months and i would like to get better at it. I know practise is the best way, i was just wondering if you had any good advice or tips on how to do the flick?

Oh and stretching as a warm up is not, IMHO, the best way. I reckon you should warm up first lightly, then stretch.

I disagree. Stretching is not a waste of time. Its good for injury prevention. Think of it like putting oil in your car. No oil and your car will sieze, no stretching and the next day you could sieze up. well thats what i tend to find anyway As to whether it or not it makes you more flexible, i'd say it does... like i don't just do static stretching for flexibility. I'm finding (through advice from my sensei) that dynamic stretching is much better for that. just my 2c

Thank you all for your tips. Pacificshore: I'll give that a go! 50/50 you reckon. Another thing (that i'll probably get better at when my leg strength increases) I'll have to work on is keeping my knees bent as you said! I try to do it, but i always get tired and subconsciously straighten them. I look down and low and behold they are straight again! ninjanurse: Do you have any other drills that you would recommend? I'll work on what Pacificshore has given me, do you have any other tips? capn_midnight: I'll work on my footwork, and do the jumping thing too! so you mean, just like springing from your ankles only? I will work on that. Thanks again people. Its good to know there are heaps of cool people willing to give a beginner a hand!

Hi, i've just started training a few months or so ago. We have just recently started sparring and i have noticed i spend a lot of time on my heels or sides of my feet when sparring, thereby making any movement backwards slow and awkward. I really want to correct this as soon as possible, so it doesn't become a problem that plagues me for ages. What kinda drills/exercises/tips do you have for me to correct this? I'm 6'1"ish and of a large build. I am guessing i feel the most stable when i move like this, so i thought perhaps i should spend a few hours just moving around on the balls of my feet. But as i have said i'm just a beginner looking for advice. Thanks for any replies.