I do karate for 3+ years now. Recently, i'm cross training with TKD. Eventhough i only learn three basic kicks in karate (front, roundhouse, and side), I have good form but no power. In TKD, they practice kicking with pads. I have a tendency to stop at the pad and don't go through. I am improving especially when I had to break boards for testing. Have you ever test to see how powerful your kicks are? Breaking one board, two boards, three boards, etc. or breaking bricks? Do you recommend training with kicking pads and break boards or train with bare essential?

Thanks

Training with a target or heavy bag with full power should be part of your training. It will help you knot only with your techinque and power but with your accuracy.

In my style we have to break with hands and feet, so we train for power and accuracy on a regular basis in the dojo

stopping at whatever you're hitting is a horrible habit, unless you're light-contact sparring. same thing goes for anything that involves hitting. punching, tennis, golf...

i suggest working with kicking pads and and heavy bags. breaking stuff is just a test, not regular training, unless you're working in some hardcore shaolin temple.

Bags are good for power and follow through, breaking for technique focus and conditioning.....

use both.

well I was going to post but sam beat me to what I was going to say.

He's right bags are good for follow through. Just put the same focus you have with breaking by going through the target as you would on the bag and pads when you kick. work on speed of your technique as well as getitng your body weight into the kicks.

I have to totally agree with Karate25 & Sam. Speed is crucial to creating power and you need to focus striking through the target- Do not stop at the surface of the bag or pad. Just as with board breaks, strike to penetrate through as if you are aiming at a point say-6 inches past the actual target.

Make sure and snap/twist your hips to help throw your body behind your kicks also. Stay relaxed-do not tense until the last second of the strike as if cracking a whip. Just my 2 cents..

try to make the twisting motion accentuated at the end as wel..... but training wise you're looking at building speed, focus, technique and power.

Speed - just practice kicking.

Focus - breaking

technique - again breaking, but can be practiced through repetition as well

Power - Both breaking and kick bags.... i personally prefer kick bags.... maybe tie the bottom tyo the floor, and try to fold it?!

Anyway hope thats a bit better tha nmy short explanatin before.

Oldrookie was on the money about the kicks with the snap/twist I usually say explosive tourque. We are saying the same thing though what every helps get the concept into your mind and for you to get the body to do what the mind wants.

Oldrookie has koed the correct on his post.

what you need to do for speed like he said about "whip" the kick out there is right on. stay relaxed and think of just your kneed joing moving your leg there or what ever you have to do to sgay relaxed and whip the leg out there.

remember to go slow and make the technique smooth. each time you add more speed, or try for power you got to work it to get smooth at i that way you can build speed up quickly.

repetition with good technique will build speed and power, I try not to focus on the speed of power as they come almost without trying