Side kicks causing pain

[okimura]

I've been doing Muay Thai about a year now. I just joined this new gym, and the instructors, I'm pretty sure, are former TKD and American Kickboxing, so they've got me doing side kicks, which I never did at my old gym (There's another thread about that topic). I don't like side kicks very much, and I would probably never use one in MT sparring, but because I think it's imporant to learn as much as I can, I want to be able to throw decent side kicks. The problem is that I can't kick very high. In MT, this wasn't a problem because you don't have to kick very high. But with a side kick, even kicking low is really hard for me. And I must be doing something wrong, because I actually start to have some pain, in, well, my gluteus if you want the technical term. If, say, I try a side kick with my right leg, I get pain in the right glute and also in my lower back nearer the right side, which I'm guessing, is coming from my sciatic nerve although I don't know for sure because I've never had any pain or problems with my sciatic nerve. I also have pain in my outer thighs of both the kicking and standing leg, and occsionally I'll hear a pop and feel that in my hip.

So I'm wondering if someone can help me out. I want to improve my flexibility and I want to be able to kick higher. Are there any specific techniques or stretches? What muscle is doing the work during a side kick and are there techniques and stretches to target that muscle? I'm guessing it's your quadricepts for chambering and sending the kick, and your hip abductor to lift your leg sideways, but I don't really know. What's causing the pain and what can I do about it?

Thanks.

[Rick_72]

I've been doing Muay Thai about a year now. I just joined this new gym, and the instructors, I'm pretty sure, are former TKD and American Kickboxing, so they've got me doing side kicks, which I never did at my old gym (There's another thread about that topic). I don't like side kicks very much, and I would probably never use one in MT sparring, but because I think it's imporant to learn as much as I can, I want to be able to throw decent side kicks. The problem is that I can't kick very high. In MT, this wasn't a problem because you don't have to kick very high. But with a side kick, even kicking low is really hard for me. And I must be doing something wrong, because I actually start to have some pain, in, well, my gluteus if you want the technical term. If, say, I try a side kick with my right leg, I get pain in the right glute and also in my lower back nearer the right side, which I'm guessing, is coming from my sciatic nerve although I don't know for sure because I've never had any pain or problems with my sciatic nerve. I also have pain in my outer thighs of both the kicking and standing leg, and occsionally I'll hear a pop and feel that in my hip.

So I'm wondering if someone can help me out. I want to improve my flexibility and I want to be able to kick higher. Are there any specific techniques or stretches? What muscle is doing the work during a side kick and are there techniques and stretches to target that muscle? I'm guessing it's your quadricepts for chambering and sending the kick, and your hip abductor to lift your leg sideways, but I don't really know. What's causing the pain and what can I do about it?

Thanks.

I'm actually standing here in my office trying to re-create your pain haha. Anyway, from that little experiment I think what you may be feeling pressure in your glute's from when performing a side kick, is from not turning your grounded heel into the kick. If you do a side kick with your toes pointing forward (or the same direction as your were facing prior to attempting the kick), your going to feel pressure in you back, glutes, grounded knee, and maybe other places.

To do it correctly, and get the most bang for you buck, as you draw your kicking leg up into chamber and start to throw your kick, your grounded foot should turn, heel first, to the direction of the kick. This will take much of that pressure off of your kicking hip and back, because your kicking at a more natural angle.

[Fosgate]

Ouch! Turn that non-kicking heel toward the target as you execute. Same thing with round kicks. Listen to your body!

[elbows_and_knees]

I would guess it's a hip flexibility issue. muay thai has sidekicks, but most schools don't teach them, because the tiip is more efficient.

[Rick_72]

Turn that non-kicking heel toward the target as you execute. Same thing with round kicks.

Yeah I guess that would have been an easier way to explain it HAHA!

[Jiffy]

Ouch! Turn that non-kicking heel toward the target as you execute. Same thing with round kicks. Listen to your body!

That's exactly right! A point so often skipped over, but so important. It may also just be a lack of strength/flexibility in that area. With proper training as above and with more practise, it should get better.

[bushido_man96]

All good advise here. For stretching, I would work on front splits, and more so on side splits--this is the actual side kick position, if you pivot the base leg.

[baronbvp]

I have this same problem. I have tried to point my foot away from the kick but don't do it at 180 degree angle. For me, my low side kicks are a hip flexibility issue. My body just doesn't move that way, and no matter how much/often/varied I stretch, it won't limber up. In fact, even stretching can cause me pain and my hips will be sore when I sleep.

Do the best you can and find a better kick if you can, like the tiip.