Back Kick

[Mr. Mike]

the main thing for me was to keep my base leg bent. Otherwise, I would go to the side a bit and lose balance...once I remebered to keep the base bent, I was ok.

[Fish]

Thanks for the tips, I'll try them all and see what works. I know the answer is practice practice practice - but it's making sure I practise it right!

[solar_kid]

As I've learned the back kick, I've noticed that keeping a few things in mind helps me:

1. As you prepare to kick, be sure you transfer your weight to your supporting foot. Sometimes,I haven't quite got the feeling of my weight being completely rooted in my supporting leg, and then I'm off balance right from the start.

2. As you bring your kicking leg up, keep it close to your supporting leg. The farther away it is, the more the weight of that leg will pull you off-balance. As has already been mentioned, be sure not to lock the knee of your supporting leg either. The knee can act to help you preserve balance.

3. As you kick, your upper body bends forward in coordination with the extension of your kicking leg. If you kick before bending your upper body or vice versa, you will be off balance. Same is true when you recover your leg.

4. I've heard differing views on whether this is a good idea, but so far I think it is.... when you pull back your kicking leg, use the momentum to help turn your body back to the front (assuming you're not just kicking in place).

You'll work out the coordination as you practice the kick. There's more to coordinate, so it will naturally take more experience to get it all right. Good luck!