help with roundhouse kick

[Jiffy]

I have found that if you pivot the base foot just a little before you begin the kick, that it is easier to finish the pivot when the kick is completed. An instructor of mine called this a "pre-pivot."

That's one I haven't come across before. What's the principle of this idea?

[bushido_man96]

I have found that if you pivot the base foot just a little before you begin the kick, that it is easier to finish the pivot when the kick is completed. An instructor of mine called this a "pre-pivot."

That's one I haven't come across before. What's the principle of this idea?

This is a great tool for beginners, who have trouble pivoting all the way around to get the kick completed. Say you are in a left leg forward fighting stance, and want to execute a right (back leg) round kick. Start by pivoting the front foot a little bit, like by turning it about 90 degrees so that it points off to a 45 degree angle to the left. Then, you begin the kicking process, and the hips are already opened up a little, making it easier to complete the pivot as the kick is completed. Less time is spent pivoting while kicking, allowing the student to maintain a little bit more balance. Try it...I think you will like it.

[Ottman]

This is a great tool for beginners, who have trouble pivoting all the way around to get the kick completed. Say you are in a left leg forward fighting stance, and want to execute a right (back leg) round kick. Start by pivoting the front foot a little bit, like by turning it about 90 degrees so that it points off to a 45 degree angle to the left. Then, you begin the kicking process, and the hips are already opened up a little, making it easier to complete the pivot as the kick is completed. Less time is spent pivoting while kicking, allowing the student to maintain a little bit more balance. Try it...I think you will like it.

This is a good tactic for teaching beginners, but I would be wary of creating a bad habit with a pre-pivot. If they continue to pre-pivot and it turns into a habit, this is a major telegraph. Instead of pre-pivots, I have my students chamber for the kick, first without pivoting the grounded foot, and then with a pivot, so that they can feel the difference in their hips. Then I have them just practice the chamber (the proper chamber with the pivot) without kicking, so they can get used to pivoting and picking their leg up in one motion. I do the same for side kick, and I have them practce the same at home, telling them to do 5 chambers only before practicing full kicks. After a week or two of this, most students develop pretty darn good kicking mechanics (or at least a good understanding of what needs to happen to throw a proper kick, even if the physical execution needs some more practice to get down, which is understandable.)

[hapkido princess]

My son does the "pre-pivot". He's in Jr. Hapkido (he's 6) and our instructor has him do the "pre-pivot". My son doesn't have good balance or control over his right arm and leg due to a brain bleed he had at birth. If I don't tell people what happend they think he's left handed. It's not that noticable, until he has to do a kick or a knife hand strike with the right side. Our instructor calls it Cougar's (my son's name) cheat. I'm not suppost to use it because I should be able to pivot without it. I've had someone else show me to step into the pivot. but I think that might also telegraph my kick. the pre-pivot does help, it pull's Cougars' hip and body around.

[bushido_man96]

This is a great tool for beginners, who have trouble pivoting all the way around to get the kick completed. Say you are in a left leg forward fighting stance, and want to execute a right (back leg) round kick. Start by pivoting the front foot a little bit, like by turning it about 90 degrees so that it points off to a 45 degree angle to the left. Then, you begin the kicking process, and the hips are already opened up a little, making it easier to complete the pivot as the kick is completed. Less time is spent pivoting while kicking, allowing the student to maintain a little bit more balance. Try it...I think you will like it.

This is a good tactic for teaching beginners, but I would be wary of creating a bad habit with a pre-pivot. If they continue to pre-pivot and it turns into a habit, this is a major telegraph. Instead of pre-pivots, I have my students chamber for the kick, first without pivoting the grounded foot, and then with a pivot, so that they can feel the difference in their hips. Then I have them just practice the chamber (the proper chamber with the pivot) without kicking, so they can get used to pivoting and picking their leg up in one motion. I do the same for side kick, and I have them practce the same at home, telling them to do 5 chambers only before practicing full kicks. After a week or two of this, most students develop pretty darn good kicking mechanics (or at least a good understanding of what needs to happen to throw a proper kick, even if the physical execution needs some more practice to get down, which is understandable.)

Yeah, this is good advise as well. I use the pre-pivot if they are having trouble turning their foot all the way around, and it is also great for people with knee problems. It can telegraph, but if the other fighter is busy watching your feet, you can probably get something else in on them.

[johnboy]

I have the same problem with my kicks, my cousin suggest a strech to help with that. You have to go as low as you can in a F/B splits and bend your front leg, which will let you go down further.