What does 'chamber' mean?

[TheDarxide]

Although the kicks I've learned (from JKD and Thai) don't chamber, I have to agree that it's better to chamber the front roundhouse.

[Venrix]

'Chamber'ing your leg is the act of 'preparing' for the kick. Typically, the kicking leg retracts the heel into close proximity with your butt (preferably bending at the knee otherwise you just might hurt yourself) before being hyper-extended into the 'thrusting' action of the kick. Think of it as 'aiming your knee at the intended target of your foot'.

Incidentally, the individual that wrote 'I have to agree that it's better to chamber the front roundhouse' may also write:

"I have to agree that before embarking on a secret mission to take out someone's head, it's a great idea to first inform victim of the date, time and exact location of the attack before initiating any agressive actions."

Sometimes, I just wonder where people get this stuff.... (of course, this comment is not aimed at you Darx ).

-V-

[TheDarxide]

thanks.

I was actually looking for a description and comment on the roundhouse, as i was taught it yesterday, and was shown to lift the leg perpendicular to the hip, with the foot tucked it towards bum, pivot round and then kick out head height, which seemed terribly inefficient to me, although being a beginner i'm a lot slower and more clumsy than my sensei.

Do you (or anyone else) have any comments?

[Venrix]

Hi mate,

It depends on how one would describe 'inefficient'. Chambering is a good practise if what you are looking for is speed. It's also the only real way to control a roundhouse kick (Mawashigeri) when kicking into thin air.

Think of it this way:

Chambering has the effect of a 'slap'. That is, if you chamber the kick before striking your opponent with your foot, you will 'signal' him/her that a roundhouse is in the post. That said, the speed of such a kick is high and the resulting kick is more of a 'slap' with the foot than a kick.

Without chambering, it's a lot harder to 'target' your opponent. But, with practise, it is far more devastating. There is a lot more 'follow through' when the chamber is minimal (bordering on non-existant) and one is forced to generate power and speed using the hips. Where the kick is chambered, one tends to 'flick' the kick (seriously reducing the 'added value' of the hips).

So, if you want to give your opponent a 'slap'. Go ahead, chamber away. If you want to knock him out - deliver the strike with the shin bone or ball of the foot and follow through with full hip rotation (which is seriously difficult where the kick is pre-chambered).

Chambered kicks 'look good', make beginner throw fast (and semi-useless) 'slaps' very quickly. But, their efficiency is next to zero.

I would typically only use a 'foot slap' as a distraction for a full on fist-to-jaw assault.

However, bear in mind - if one were to chamber prior to striking (as though preparing to make a front kick 'Maegeri') and then 'switch' the strike to a full out round-house, it can be a deceptive and effective little blighter of a kick.

The best move (in my opinion) is: "play with it". If you find it effective - great. If not, dump it and move on.

A chambered kick is definately easier to learn and brings fast results against lower-level opponents. But, it's only likely to 'irritate' more 'serious minded' opponents.

Hope that helps and remember: this is just my opinion , others may completely disagree (and I'm sure that many will... ).

-V-

[P.A.L]

actually most of KO happens by Roundhouse kicks, i don't fully chamber like i do in front kick or side kick, if you gonna hit the thigh with shin then chambering is not gonna do it, for head kicks chambering is natural. round house is more effective when you fake the first kick toward middle section of body then the real kick goes for the head/neck , doing roundhouse kick is like a art,it could be very effective if you become familiar with the details of it, in my style We don't use it that much for head ,mostly for thigh/hip level and we use our shin/knee.

[JusticeZero]

I prefer to see kicks chambered, because without chambering you're usually having to drag through some pretty lousy and vulnerable angles, and the kick itself tends to be slop. Some kicks are made not to use a chamber, and these hit hard, but they are nonetheless a different kick. The chambered kicks from the karatekas I have practiced and traded notes with seem to hit significantly harder than the identical kick with the chamber removed, and the kicker keeps their root better.

[cross]

Chambering a kick is the way of learning the technique, when you apply it you wont always chamber exactly.

Its alot like chambering a punch in kihon, when it comes to application you just throw the punch from wherever your hand is at the time.

[JusticeZero]

Right, but a lot of people decide that the chamber is pointless and omit it, and they never learn the structure it's supposed to develop, so their kicks stay sloppy.