Ushiro-Geri

[Shotokan-kez]

Do you find this kick difficult? I hate it. It comes in a lot now on my gradings and i always lose my balance. I can see that this kick can be powerful and effective if executed properly, but i just find it so difficult.

Can anyone advise on how to perform this kick to it's full potential without losing balance and falling over lol.

Kez x

[Jussi Häkkinen]

1: Don't think that you're spinning. Just turn. If you spin, you lose the balance.

2: Kick as straight as possible. Force your knee go near the other knee, don't allow it to go further (it'd be spinning).

3: Lean enough. In most kicks, leaning is bad. In ushirogeri, it's necessary - you'll eventually wreck your back, if you try not to lean.

4: After kicking, don't spin straight around. Pull your leg back carefully, then turn, land your foot and that's it.

5: Try to do it naturally. Train the turning individually - and concentrate on turning, not spinning.

And: Before doing the turning version, learn to do a "straight back" -version from a relaxed stance.

[Shotokan-kez]

That advice is great...but what about hips? We are told to do most most from the hips, is this where the turning comes in? Sorry to sound daft just trying to get the jist of it.

Kez xxx

[Jussi Häkkinen]

It'll come along - first, just concentrate on turning instead of spinning. The hip action is actually more about tilting than twisting (in ushirogeri). Proper leaning helps here.

Don't overrotate. A good ushirogeri is basically a "mule kick" - you kick to the direction of your back.

Later, you'll learn to use the turning etc., but first you'll have to get the basic form going.

[Brandon Fisher]

Use a slight turn of the hips if you are overturning you will loose your balance but don't feel bad it was a hard kick for me to devolop and not fall over or loose my balance. Work at it hard but slow and you will get it.

[KarateK]

In our ushiro-geri we practice first as if kicking to the shins. That way once you learn the technique behind it you can start to raise your leg with more force behind it.

If you are stuggling doing the back kick without turning round and hence the kick turning into yoko-geri, try just moving your head round instead of your hips at the start. I struggled a lot with this kick, not the force just the fact i kept turning my foot and it ended up looking like yoko-geri

[Shotokan-kez]

Yeah i see what your saying Karate K. I always do it slow and sensei says he doesn't mind that at all as long as the technique is there. I just find it hard to blend it in with the cobinations.

[Brandon Fisher]

setup is the key to blend it in to combos. Only time I use a true ushiro geri is in self defense from grabs from behind or in a retreating mode.

[KarateK]

We have set combinations we have to learn, and uhiro-geri does feature in a few. Do you do this Kez? We have to learn all the set combinations and we do them as part of our grading also

[Jay]

To turn i just rotate my front leg 180 so that it is facing backwards and just let the rest of my body follow it around. Always keep your eyes where you want to kick as this helps maintain correct distancing and targeting