Hudson Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 As much as I try, I cannot get a huge amount of power out of my side kick. I've taken TKD and now study a style of Kung Fu, and my side kicks aren't weak, but I've got three problems with them: 1. They're too slow. In sparring, when theres an opening, I lose it before I can connect with a kick. 2. They're not powerful enough. This may be related to not having the speed to generate the power. 3. I can't throw them high. I'm not the most flexible person in the world, but I can't get them above waist level. And in case you're about to give me one, I do not need a lecture on the usefulness of high kicks. I like flashy moves. And a kick to the head is a devestating blow. So, anyone know how to get a good side kick? Any thoughts would help. The game of chess is much like a swordfight; you must think before you move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G95champ Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 First thing not many side kicks are made to go high. Its more of a rib smasher lol. At least thats the Shotokan idea. Secondly there are a few differant types of side kick. The snap - striking with the blade of the foot is not a strong kick but is pretty fast. The Thrust hitting with the bottom of the foot is a VERY strong kick and is slower but at the same time should be landable if the target presents itself. Other variations like lead leg, stepping in or spinning. Which one are you working on. (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markusan Posted August 6, 2004 Share Posted August 6, 2004 Practise your side kick into a heavy bag. To start with kick with your heel. If you are kicking with the front ball of your foot, you are not getting your knee around far enough before you kick. Get a partner, stand side on to him her,lift your knee high, push out withyour heel first and use it to push your partner away from you in a straight line. The trick to getting power is to drive your heel away from your body in a straight line, not in an arc. To get height, practice side kicking over the back of a chair. Do it slowly and get the action right. One reason you may not be getting height is becaus the muscles you use to lift your legs to the side aren't strong like the quads and hipflexors. So you have to practice lots. It's worth getting it right, because done properly a step-up side kick is a killer. And I agree with G95champ, we call it a rib tickler, and that's where its really effective ribs and solar plexus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudson Posted August 6, 2004 Author Share Posted August 6, 2004 I was targeting the side thrust kick more with this post - I realized when I woke up this morning I had left it open to confusion. Sorry. Thanks for the posts though, it's definately helpful. The game of chess is much like a swordfight; you must think before you move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G95champ Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 Are you trying to land a step behind side thrust or just piviot into it? Really dont matter. As far as power goes but the step behind should be faster. Good advice above on the heavy bag. Kicking shields is a good idea as well. If you never hit targets you will never learn power. I don't know how much weight equipment you can use but a good leg press works greats. The side kick is about hips and the leg press really works the hip flexors. One thing I try and tell my guys about the side kick is don't let them block it. I mean sure they are going to try to but kick though the block. If they do block it or try to make sure it hurts their arm. lol. The side thrust kick is not a every move kick you will use. Its more of a finishing move that is set up off other moves or when you got them rocking backward. You prob. don't want to lead with it because it is a bit slow and it does leave you open somewhat espcially against a good fighter. (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancin_ash Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 aye, i've never used a side kick in a real fight, i have tho many times faked to throw a side kick with my leading foot and then smacked em one in the face with my fist, i find that to be very affective. Dont approach me, I wont approach u.Dont insult me, I wont insult u. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Hudson, Something I found to work very well for me on most of my kicks is to have a "resistance band" tied to your ankles, connecting your legs to one another, and then train in your normal manner. Once taken off, you kick faster, higher and harder. Makes your side kick is poison to any opponant's rib cage. A little trick I use (side and front kicks) .... Always ensure your heal ens up against the opponant. "You do not truly know someone until you fight him." - Seraph"To be the best, you must be the best." - Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironberg Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 The most effective area for side kicks is the midsection and ribs. This is comming from a notorious high kicker here... Sure, I've booted people in the head with side kicks as well, but not as often as more circular kicks, round kicks, ax kicks, etc. The side kick was designed primarily as a battering ram that the hips generate more horizontal torque with, that torque is most powerful when the socket joint springs into action against midsection targets. "An enlightened man would offer a weary traveler a bed for the night, and invite him to share a civilized conversation over a bowl of... Cocoa Puffs." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granmasterchen Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 the more you practice the better you will get with skill and speed and therefore power, also on that note the more you practice the easier it will be for the leg to move in that specific direction therefore you will be able to gradually increase the height of you kick. It's all about the practice....train hard That which does not destroy me will only make me stronger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kicks Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 (edited) Side kick! One of my favorites! I find the side kick and the back kick produce the most power delivered to the opponent' body. I've tested the different kicks on one of those gadgets that measure the amount of force applied when kicked, and side kicks and back kicks were my best. They have also been the only kicks that I've been able to use to knock down an opponent much bigger than me. I do three variations of side kicks in competition: 1) Skip side kick. Rear leg moves forward and lands in spot where the front foot was, while at the same time lift the front leg with knee chambered in front of body. Thrust front leg horizontally into the opponent's mid-section, striking with the heel. 2) Running side kick. Rear leg steps in back of front leg, going beyond the placement of the front foot, into an X stance. Lift the front leg with knee chambered in front of body. Thrust front leg horizontally into the opponent's mid-section, striking with the heel. Most powerful of the side kicks. 3) Lunge side kick. Lift front leg with knee chambered in front of body while at the same time push off with rear leg. Thrust front leg horizontally into the opponent's mid-section, striking with the heel. "Lift the front leg with knee chambered in front of the body" means you have to place your knee near the knot of your belt. You need to pivot on your supporting leg to obtain this position. By doing so you clear the gap (the distance between fighting distance and attack distance) and have more distance to generate power. If you lift your leg with your knee in front of you then you may end up getting blocked or hitting your opponents legs, and you'll have less power. The first two are easy to learn, but the Lunge side kick takes a lot of practice to perfect and get quick at, but it's very deceptive. I use these kicks to attack and to defend. Attack when your opponent is in the process of a stance change. If your opponent likes to maintain a closed stance, then you do a few stance changes, get his timing down as he reacts to your change, and throw the lunge side kick when he is in the middle of his stance change. If your opponent likes to fight from an open stance and use his rear leg for power roundhouse kicks (I love fighting this type of fighter!), simply nail him in the middle of his rotation. POW! I don't do point sparring, but I know you can fake a back fist to the head and throw side kick when your opponent lifts his arm to block the head attack. Side kicks are also very good just to keep your opponent away from you. When I see that my opponent is getting too close and getting ready to attack, I'll throw a side kick just to back him off. I don't care that it doesn't score. I'll hit him in the arm if I have to, just to back him off and keep him from attacking and possibly scoring on me. This disrupts his game plan and he has to think of something else to do. Look at photos of my daughter at the 2004 AAU Nationals at http://www.livaudaisnet.com/mafit/mafit04a.htm. In the second group of photo she fight a bigger girl. Two photos show Shannon using side kicks that would knock the bigger girl backwards and off balance. Shannon then followed up with a flurry of kicks to score. The third set of photos shows Shannon nailing a girl over with a side kick. " not many side kicks are made to go high. Its more of a rib smasher lol. At least thats the Shotokan idea." Right G95champ! My master instructor cracked three of my ribs with a side kick. Now I wear a hogo. Check out my photo of me doing a side kick to the jaw of my opponent in the finals at the 2003 USTU National Championships in the photo section of this forum. It's not too clear a photo, but you'll see his right knee up, his body arched backward, and his head looking at the stars. Markusan has very good advice about practice. If you hit with the ball of your foot you lose power when your foot bends back towards your knee. Practice slow kicks in front of a mirror to see that your technique is correct. Your forms (kata) will improve too! Jerry wrote " Something I found to work very well for me on most of my kicks is to have a "resistance band" tied to your ankles" Be careful Jerry! I started using these in 2001 and it injured my right leg hip flexor. The pain was so sever at time I couldn't even lift my leg to put my shoes on. I had to go through physical therapy for weeks and I still have some residual pain. Other photos of me using side kicks can be seen near the bottom of http://www.livaudaisnet.com/mafit/mafit02.htm I was long winded here, but I hope this helps. Edited August 11, 2004 by Kicks when you create the world's largest trailer park, you're going to have tornadoes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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