sweeps

[karatekid1975]

I know what you mean. My instructor and talked about this after I posted in this thread. It's not about power, but leverage and/or "center of gravity." That made more sense to me.

[aznkarateboi]

but... why would you keep your leg straight? you'd get more power from the snap if you bent it first, right?

 

We're talking sweeps, not kicks. Sweeps don't "snap"..they flow through the target, like the ankle or knee. If your snapping your foot at a ankle instead of "sweeping" through it, then you're kicking the ankle, which technically, isn't a sweep.

 

EDIT: Think of it this way. A kick wants maximum power to drive through an opponent..right?

 

Well, a sweep doesn't need max power. Rather, it works against weak parts of your opponents body, such as joints and where his foot makes contact with the ground. A sweep isn'ta penetrating technique, but rather a technique designed to move the designated target to somewhere else.

 

Does that make sense?

 

Yes, but definitions aside what advantage does keeping the leg straight have?

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Yes, but definitions aside what advantage does keeping the leg straight have?

 

There again, it depends on what kind of sweep you are doing. General rule of thumb, NEVER lock your joints...but a ALMOST straight leg has more strength for a follow through on certain sweeps.

 

An example would be These aren't easy to describe) if you and your opponent were standing facing each other and grappling and you swing your right (or left) legt straight out to his side, almost brushing the outside of his leg and hip as it goes up, then swing it down fast w/straight leg and have your heel pass through his ankle. It takes them down hard.