yoko keage geri

[Killer Miller]

The JKA kick... When you plant your foot for the kick (except mawashi geri), it's like stepping onto fly paper. The foot does not move at all! Your leg/foot becomes part of the floor. This is for starting speed generated for the kick, stability of your stance, allowing the equal and oposite force to go from your target, through your body, to the floor, back through your body to target, retraction from your kick, and finally allowing you the ability to eigther bring your foot back to the ground or quickly change stance if need be. This will not happen at all if your foot moves in the slightest...

When thrusting out for kekomi, you bring your knee up like doing Mae Geri (front snap) with the supporting knee bent over the front toe and the foot facing the same direction - but looking to the direction of your target. Then with exhale or kiai, you thrust out in one relaxed and smooth motion to your target and apply kime (total body muscle contraction) for a split second at the focal point or point of impact. Then immediately relax and bring your leg/knee back to your mae geri like position and then down to the ground. There are slight variations of this where you might change direction or stance when bring your foot down, but the key points are knee up, out, and back to up position - the foot will naturally do the rest for you.

- Killer -

If you do not rotate the supporting leg and you thrust your hips forward, you will almost certainly damage a ligament.

Explanation.

If your knee is pointing to the side and you thrust your hips forward, you are putting sideways pressure on the knee, which is not safe. If the knee is facing directly forward, you put excess rotational pressure on the knee which is also very dangerous.

There are two ways to stop this problem. My way is that you still use the hips, but rotate the foot. Millers way is that you do not thrust the hip. Either way will prevent damage, just make sure you don't thrust the hip AND keep the foot still.

[Killer Miller]

For examples of Keage, look at the Kanazawa kata videos:

- 7th move in Heian Nidan.

- 5th and 7th moves in Heian Yondan.

- 9th, 23 and 25th moves in Kanku-dai.

- 7th move in Bassai-sho

- 15th and 16th move in Sochin.

For Kekomi examples:

- 19th move in Bassai-dai.

- 17th move in Bassai-sho.

- 10th and 12th move in Nijushiho.

Note: Kanazawa moves his heel a little in these kicks, but technically they are not supposed to move at all. However, I think he has paid his dues to move them a little if he choses to do so. For the most part, I never did when I was competing - but sometimes I did too.

There are plenty of other examples I haven't mentioned, but these are the main examples.

- Killer -

[juey palancu]

Isnt what Jiffy and others are describing more of a back kick (ushiro geri) done from the side? If you do that then you have to rotate at some point, I've actually seen it done in kumite. It's an interesting technique with deception involved. The yoko geri kekomi JKA style, however, certainly does involve a deep thrusting of the hips WITHOUT rotation of the foot. It is a powerful kick, specially to the lower body of your opponent. I've been doing it for years and my knees are just fine, thank you.

In any case, it doesnt really matter. Different teachers/organizations/styles have different interpretations and specifications. That's the way it is.

ossu,

Gero

[AngelaG]

Sorry but I maintain that if you are standing forward and you want to do a kekomi in front of you then you HAVE to pivot the foot or either risk bad damage to the knee or have a kick with no leg/hip power at all.

I also don't buy the "it's quicker" line. The pivot and thrust are simultaneous, so the pivot should in no way slow down the technique, instead just helping with the power and best bio-mechanics. We train all our students to kick so that the pivot is done at the same time (anything else would mean that the power was being projected at the wrong time anyway). The technique should flow naturally, especially at the higher grade level.

And no, I am not JKA.

ps. the examples in the kata mentioned are not the best as bassai kata kicks are not kekomi, they are actually kansetsugeri, and the kekomi in Nijushiho is done to the side anyway so the foot is already at a half pivot point anyway... plus the kekomi in Nijushiho are a modern addition.

[juey palancu]

Hey Angela,

I just got up from my computer, did two mae geri kekomi, one from kiba dachi, and one from normal stance, both without rotating the foot, as I have done hundereds of times and sat down, no problem, no pain, nothing. I can see how it can be done with rotation also, I say its a matter of (school teacher, personal)preference.

best,

Carlos

[juey palancu]

Oops, sorry, I meant YOKO geri kekomi. The power is also fine, thank you, as the heavy bag i hit everday can surely attest..

Carlos

[juey palancu]

Ok, I get it. (after actually doing what Angela was saying) Of COURSE if you want to do a SIDE kick to the FRONT you HAVE to rotate! I have done this a lot! We do it in our dojo all the time!

But, to me, that is a position shift, not part of the kick itself. The kick itself is done to the side with no rotation, no problem. A SIDE kick is done to the SIDE, a FRONT kick to the FRONT, etc. If you want to switch, then you have to rotate, of course.

we were saying the same thing all along, i believe.

ossu,

Gero

[Jiffy]

Nope, definately didn't mean Ushiro Geri... different kick all together. I think we all agree that the Yoko Geri is with the hips directly side on to the target.

What we don't agree on is weather or not to rotate the supporting leg, and in all honesty, with the loyalty to what we have been taught, we probably never will agree on it.

For me personally, I choose to rotate the foot on Kekome, and keep it still on Keage. It seems to make sence to me, however, for others, they may choose to do it a different way. That's fair enough too.

[jaymac]

Angela, I agree with you and I too am not JKA.

[alsey]

yeah, i also agree with angela. and i am/was KUGB.