explosive muscles

[ZeRo]

how do i get explosive leg muscles. i know with the arms you do like clapping pushups but i want really fast kicks. and one more thing sorry it doesnt really have much to do with health and fitness but when we were sparring at kickboxing i got lots of kicks in but none of them seemed to hurt him. should i follow through with the kicks? and with side kicks you cant follow through so do i have to get kinda closer? any help i would be thankful for.

 

 

[Martial_Artist]

Actually, your post has key principles set in the core of health and fitness. Explosive leg muscles.

 

The lack of power in your kicks is probably due to inproper technique. Proper technique will increase the power of your kicks. You've got to be able to harness the energies of your body, both kinetic and potential. Following through is just a part. You've got to have focus in your kicks. It goes far beyond being able to break a board. (BTW, not that you mentioned it, but the ability to break a board does not translate into power within a fight) A living target hits and takes damage completely different from a stationary board.

 

Some exercises to help you develop power in your kicks.

 

Do more heavy bag work. Put your body into your kicks. Use your hip. Time the movements of your body so all factors time into the kick at the moment of impact. Your hands, don't let them flail about.

 

Also, train with a partner holding a kicking shield. Have him move back as you try to kick him. Learn to judge your kicks according to his movements. Hitting a moving person is quite different than a bag.

 

Use the bag to develop strength, use the kick shield and partner to develop power in timing.

 

Also, to help with speed, kick away at the bag with a single kick at least 10x. Try to do this as fast as you can, but don't lose form.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

[KickChick]

Yes, good advice Martial_Artist.

 

Unfortunately, many people train for years and still fail to achieve full power because they have learned the basic kicks incorrectly. Without good basics, you will never achieve those explosive kicks.

 

In executing your side kick, you should stand perpendicular to the target. Lift the knee of your kicking leg as high as possible to the front or side, then extend your leg to the side while pivoting your supporting foot more than 90 degrees away from your opponent. Drive your hip forward as you strike the target with the bottom of your foot. You may slide your supporting foot forward, and your body should remain perpendicular to your target. It is OK to lean backward as you kick, but dont turn your torso away from the target. Many people limit their explosive power in the side kick by turning their upper body away from the target and rotating the hip of their kicking leg inward, with their knee and toes turned downward. Instead, you should keep your body sideways, your hips open, and the knee and toes of your kicking leg turned upward.

 

You need to use your entire body when kicking. You must fully extend it and drive your full force in the direction of your kick. Your whole body should form one solid line of power. Never try to generate force with only your legs. You must use your waist in every kick. It functions like an axle attached to a wheel. Power comes not just from your legs, but from the twisting motion of your waist and the pivoting of your foot. Your body should move like a whip. The power generated by the twisting and pivoting travels through your leg and explodes into uour target.

 

Yes as Martial _Artist advises make use of the heavy bag for developing power in your kicks.

 

Once you have mastered the form of the basic kicks, you can attach light weights or resistance bands to your ankles to develop your strength. Remember though that when using weights, you should train for speed. Slow movements will build bulky, short, slow-twitch muscles rather than the long, supple, fast-twitch muscles required for the martial arts.To kick with speed, power and accuracy, you need to be able to move your body through a full range of motion, this is where you can benefit from some dynamic stretching exercises. Perform straight-leg rising kicks to the front, side and back, as well as inward and outward crescent kicks .... will increase your range of motion

 

 

 

 

[Martial_Artist]

Yes, that's right. You've reminded me of something, KickChick.

 

Think of it like this. Fast-twitch muscle = sprinter. Slow-twitch = marathon runner. That's the type of muscle development you're looking at. Burst power is what we're looking for in kicks. Like a sprinter, burst power. We also want to develop endurance in our kicks, to give us the ability to kick multiple times, in cases of multiple opponents.

 

You've got to work hard for it. It doesn't come easily.

 

 

[ZeRo]

thanks guys ill train hard. anymore tips would still be helpful thanks.

 

 

[Martial_Artist]

Something a bit unorthodox, but I enjoy doing...

 

Go to a swimming pool, hopefully one not too crowded, or better yet private. Kick underwater as hard and as fast as you can. Watch your form and technique. See how much power and 'explosiveness' you can get underwater. Make sure your form is good, like you're standing on dry ground, you don't want to get lazy with balance just because you're in the water. This will help. (and not just with kicks either)

 

 

[CTpizzaboy]

(left stance) Reverse front kick: remember to draw your right shoulder forward with the leg to add power.

 

" " Front kick: hard kick to master because the power must come from the hip.

 

" " Side kick: most powerful kick but takes alot of practice. Power comes from the hip rotation at the moment of impact. When hip rotates, supporting foot must point away from opponent. Watch the upper rank and see what they are doing right to generate power compare to what you are doing.

 

 

[Bon]

The power in the side kick comes from twisting your pivoting foot. Thought I'd mention that since I don't think anyone mentioned it.

 

 

[WhiteShark]

Since this is in the fitness section I thought I might add an exercize. One of the things we do in Muay Thai practice is jump squats and squats in general. No weights but lots of reps like do them for 1-2 minutes and see how many you can do. These seem like they couldn't possibly help but after you get good at them you won't believe how much more powerful and fast your legs have gotten.

 

To train more muscle groups and develop both fast and slow twitch muscles use two different squat techniques.

 

1) Jumping squats - Cross your fingers behind you head like you are going to do a sit up (if you don't have enough balance to keep your hands this high put them on your hips) then lower yourself down as far as is reasonable and then leap off the ground. When you land use the full range of movement to slow yourself down back to the starting position. Keep your back straight and your eyes up! The key for the jump squat is to stay on your toes and keep a continuous rythm.

 

2) normal squats - Just like with weights but do them continuously. Hands behind your head eyes up back straight this time be sure to keep your foot flat and your weight back on your heels. don't jump just come all the way up then repeat.

 

Our typical squat drill is 1 or 2 minutes of squats with 30 sec rest or 30 sec pushups. These will make your legs significantly stronger and faster in a month.

 

Good luck!

 

 

[KickChick]

On 2002-07-02 03:46, Bon wrote:

 

The power in the side kick comes from twisting your pivoting foot. Thought I'd mention that since I don't think anyone mentioned it.

 

I think I may have mentioned that once or twice in my post Bon ... but thats OK .... it's worth repeating!

 

.... and not enough can be said for Plyometrics training for power and muscle explosiveness This method of training enhances the explosive reaction of your kicks and jumps through powerful muscular contractions as a result of rapid eccentric contractions.

 

Good tips WhiteShark ....

 

It has been suggested that you be able to squat twice your body weight before attempting depth jumps as in plyometrics. However, less intensive plyometric exercises can be incorporated into general circuit and weight training so as to progressively condition your muscles. The exercises WhiteShark suggested and simple plyometric drills such as skipping hopping and bounding should be done first. More demanding exercises such as flying start single-leg hops and depth jumps should be limited to when you are thoroughly conditioned to do them.