High Kicks

[Black_Crane]

Hey all,

I've been a member for a while, but just stood on the side lines watching so to speak.

Ive been doing karate for bout 17-18 months, and i just passed my green belt. When i looked at the techniques ill be graded on for my next belt, i saw Mawashi Geri Jodan or Roundhouse kick to the head. This is a part of my training that ive kind of neglected. I can do a Front kick to the head, same with Side and Hook kicks, but Roundhouse just, well yeah, im running into a bit of trouble with trying to get it to the right height.

Anyways, could someone give me some advice or anything regarding how i can improve my flexibility and strength for Roundhouse kick to the head?

Thanks

[bushido_man96]

Welcome to the forums, Black Crane. Glad you are here!

As for your situation. First of all, make sure to stretch a lot. Every time your muscles are warm, do some stretching if you can. You can also stand with your arm against a wall for support, and get into kicking postition. Chamber your leg, and hold it high for 10 seconds. Then, slowly kick out, and hold the extended kick for 10 seconds as high as you can. Make sure it hurts, and your hip is knotting up. Then rechamber, and hold for 10 seconds again, and set down. Repeat 3 times or 5 times on each leg.

This should help you out.

Oh, yeah, and remember to stretch!

[DancingSteve]

Remember...Mawashi Geri Jodan means. Your OWN head height. Not Kareem Abdul Jabarr's head height.

Now when bringing your mawashi geri around....remember however high you bring your knee in the coiling action, is how high your kick is going to be. So bring your knee up high to the side, tighten up your side muscles from your armpit down to your waist. Crinkling up your side as if you are bringing your armpit and coiling leg together. Lastly, learn to open your hips up like when you do a side snap (yoko keage) ...Open those hips up as your roundhouse arcs out to the target.

Also remember...Jodan..means chin...facial area..not top of the cranium.

Realistically...opening your hips up a bit should get you the last bit of height you need to reach the chin.

[Shui Tora]

Don't for get to move your back foot when doing the kick... This will allow you to move your hips and do a mawashi geri quite nicely.

Use the top of your foot... Unless your syllabus has aksed you to use Tsumasaki (the tops of your toes...)

Another thing, is bend your back leg slightly... I have been doing this for some time, and I saw a difference... I could aim (and hit with control! ) my partners head (who is nearly 6ft, an I am only 5'6"...!) well with a mawashi geri, and mae-geri too (front kick)...

Give it a go!

[DancingSteve]

We ALWAYS used the ball of the foot for a striking area. But thats the beauty of worldwide karate dissemination.

Do what you can with the hips, and lifting the knee. Your hips and knot of your belt should never turn away from the opponent and if at all possible, you should remain upright.

Bending the back leg is great advice...but there should be some natural cushion bend in that leg anways..never lock your leg it makes you unstable.

[Angel05GT]

we have a lot of people in our dojo that have that same issue. Sensei had us do a drill back and forth doing nothing but chambering. hold your hands together in front of your face and basically knee your palms over and over. make your butt push your knee higher.

if you have problems with that height, lower your hands a little and slowly raise them up every time you chamber. pretty soon we all could get our knees up to faces so, we could now kick past our faces.

it helped me, give it a try!

[cathal]

When learning this I put a chair in front of me to make sure my knee was up high enough. It wasn't if I moved or struck the chair.

[aefibird]

Using a bar on the wall (like in ballet) is a good way to help practice kicks. If you don't have one (why not? Every good home should have one... ) then two chairs and a broom handle tied to them is a good substitute. Chambering the kick above the bar and slowly extending the kick down the length of the bar is a good way of keeping control when kicking. This can work for any kick you like, it just depends on where you stand to start kicking.

Practising slowly but accurately will also help you to get height for your kick. Try holding onto a wall or a partner when kicking as well as this can make a surprising amount of difference. Then gradually reduce the amount of support you use until you can reach than extra height without holding onto anything.

Make sure that your foot on the supporting leg is turned, it should have your supporting heel pointing towards the target. It helps open up your hips and prevents damage.

Also, don't forget to stretch, stretch, stretch every day (or at least 3 times a week). Make sure that you are warmed up before you stretch, though, even if it is just with a few minutes jogging on the spot.

Good luck with getting your kicks higher. When I first started martial arts I was totally inflexible - like a broom - but over time I gradually got better and better. My highest kicking point rose from groint, to stomach, to chest, to neck until the magic day when I could kick to my own head height. Now I can kick above my own head height (I'm 5'2 but can kick my TKD instructor in the head and he is about 6'), something I NEVER though possible!

[aubreyirons]

don't know if this has been said or not but you could try pivoting you back foot. that helps me to get my kicks high

[aubreyirons]

stretching also helps as wellas doing the kicks everyday to build the muscles