What are some good drills?

[pegasi]

One drill that we do in class is to teach control. We line up into two lines, with about 2 feet of space between each person front to back and side to side (just enough room to go between the two lines walking normally). We then take turns doing kicks down the center of the two lines, starting from the back and working forward. The point is to perform your kicks without telegraphing. If you telegraph, you're going to kick someone standing in one of the lines. So, you are made very aware of how you're executing your kicks, especially roundhouse or crescent/sweep kicks. If you tend to swing your leg way out to the side when you kick, this is one drill that can cure it, since you have to pay attention to what you're doing.

this sounds really interesting, but I don't think that I understand the description- could you try again for me?

Sorry for the delay in reply, I've been busy and then ill over the last few days....

Think of having two rows of students, about 2 feet apart, with students lined up one behind the other, about an arm's length away from the student in front of them. The student kicking stands at the back of the two rows, and executes his technique as he moves forward in between the two rows.

sorta like this....

x _ x <-- students in line ( "_" is where kicking student moves thru line)

x _ x

x _ x

x _ x

x _ x

_ x _ <-- student to execute technique, centered behind the 2 lines

When the student reaches the front of the line, the instructor calls out the next student to go, and the student who just finished takes their place in the row.

The objective is for the student kicking to control their technique so that they don't touch anyone else. If someone is telegraphing kicks, they figure out real quick that they're going around instead of up the middle, since they bang into someone else before the move gets anywhere.

We were doing a variation on this, using a wall, where we started with the left shoulder next to the wall, and executed left side only roundhouse kicks along the length of the wall. If you telegraph, your knee or foot whacks the wall (ours was padded). We went back and forth, doing techniques with the side of the body closest to the wall. (both left and right, back and forth along the wall) We did this with front kick, roundhouse kick, back kick, back hook kick, sweep kick, and crescent kick. I'm proud to say that I'm the only one who didn't get whacked knees or toes that night!

[marie curie]

Oh, very neat! Thanks!