Doing a side kick the "right" way

[unknownstyle]

well i was explaining a standing side kick, but we also do a shuffle sidekick, where you quickly shuffle your feet to close a small amount of distance, and a step behind side kick for longer distances.

[joesteph]

[W]e also do a shuffle sidekick, where you quickly shuffle your feet to close a small amount of distance . . .

I wonder if this is the same, unknownstyle, as when someone says s/he does a "skip," "hop," or "slide up" side kick? (I've also heard these referred to for the front kick.)

[Rateh]

Slide-up is when you bring your back foot to your front foot, without stepping in front or behind, and do the kick. There is no skipping or hopping motion involved.

Skip-in side kick is where you do a step behind side kick, but you do a skipping motion to cover the distance more quickly.

Shuffle and skip-in are different in my school, but it may be that unknown is talking about what I call a skip-in when he does a shuffle.

In my school a shuffle kick is where you do a 1-and motion, crossing your legs. So your front foot goes back a split second before your back foot moves forward, then you kick. I have never done a shuffle side kick before. The shuffle lends itself to kicks like the axe and round, because of the body positioning after the shuffle portion. Shuffle axe and round involve the front foot going behind the back. I guess if you wanted your body turned for a side kick, you could shuffle with the front foot going in front of the back. I think I would find that akward though.

Hm I looked on youtube and found nothing resembling my shuffle kicks.

[bushido_man96]

I think shuffling is like what Rateh has explained, crossing the legs, and then kicking.

We also do a replacement step, which can be done hopping or stepping. Crossovers are usually done with the back leg stepping behind, except for doing basics.

[unknownstyle]

MY SHUFFLE WOULD NE THE SAME AS YOUR SLIDE UP, JUST TERMS BUT ITS ALL THE SAME

[Prostar]

I used to refer to the type of kick in video 1 as a flippy dippy side kick. Quick, but not much stopping power. I like snap side kick name better.

I liked the guy in video 2. He had a nice simple and clean kick.

Did anyone else notice that the guy in video 3 has a habit of dropping his left hand when he throws a side kick? Bad habit, that.

You mentioned raising the knee and keeping the lower leg downward. That reminds me of the way they taught us in the 60s. A lot of people ended up lofting their kicks and getting them slapped down.

Eventually, we changed our kicks so that the side kick, round house and hook kicks were all chambered at the same position. The kicking leg was brought up so hip, knee and ankle were all parallel to the floor. Supporting foot was turned away from the target 180 degrees.

Three kicks from the same position made it difficult to see which one is coming.

There are lots of ways. All the same thing, only different.

[joesteph]

Eventually, we changed our kicks so that the side kick, round house and hook kicks were all chambered at the same position. The kicking leg was brought up so hip, knee and ankle were all parallel to the floor. Supporting foot was turned away from the target 180 degrees.

Three kicks from the same position made it difficult to see which one is coming.

I had thought of this as well, Prostar, for the side kick and roundhouse, in that your opponent, even if good at blocking, will not know which you're going to fire off, making him wait that extra half-second to see what you're doing--and so be less-prepared.

I hadn't thought of the hook kick, so that's an added bonus to confuse your opponent.

I think that, so long as the side kick goes straight to its target, then economy of movement and a good thrust should be its measure.

[bushido_man96]

Eventually, we changed our kicks so that the side kick, round house and hook kicks were all chambered at the same position. The kicking leg was brought up so hip, knee and ankle were all parallel to the floor. Supporting foot was turned away from the target 180 degrees.

Three kicks from the same position made it difficult to see which one is coming.

I had thought of this as well, Prostar, for the side kick and roundhouse, in that your opponent, even if good at blocking, will not know which you're going to fire off, making him wait that extra half-second to see what you're doing--and so be less-prepared.

I hadn't thought of the hook kick, so that's an added bonus to confuse your opponent.

I think that, so long as the side kick goes straight to its target, then economy of movement and a good thrust should be its measure.

I remember watching Van Damme movies, and he would use that same chamber for his kicks, too. If I try that, though, it feels like my chamber isn't as tight, and so my kick isn't taveling as far, and doesn't build as much power.

[swadoryu2000]

Interesting way how you do it. I guess it depends on what kind of side kick you are trying to do.

If you are trying to do a side snap kick (yoko geri keage), you want to bring your knee up to an approprite level (depending on your target). The knee, in this case, is pointed towards the target. Then, you snap it out (kind of like a whip), using your hips and pivoting on your support leg. you're kicking with the blade of your foot.

But if you want to do a side thurst kick (yoko geri kekomi), you would want to bring your knee up, pointing fowards (same knee position as a mae geri - front kick). Then, you thrust it out using your hips and pivoting on your support leg, kicking with the heel.

At least this is how the other instructors and I teach it to the lower ranking students. This is how us Wado-Ryu folks do it, I don't know about the other styles of martial arts. Personally, I prefer using yoko geri kekomi. I just feel it's easier to perform.

[tallgeese]

Is that the thrusting one? If so, it's the most usful in terms of effect, regardless of the set up.

Snapping anything doesn't transfer enough amount of kinetic energy to do serious damage. If you're snapping things, it ought to be stuff like jabs and used to set up more powerful stikes. Front kicks with the lead leg can be used pretty effectily like this to the shin and groin, but they are relitively easy to recover from. The side kick takes longer and is harder to initiate an immediate series of followups, thus, for me at least, is less sutied to the task.