Classical Goju Ryu Round House Kick

[AyaShindou]

Hi guys. First post. My name is Aya Shindou. Three weeks ago I started taking Goju Ryu Karate lessons at a local club in my town. It's very different from what I am use to. Before starting Karate, I studied/practiced Kajukenpo Chuan Fa (Kung Fu) and Taekwondo. What's different about Goju Ryu is that it's a classical system of Martial Arts. Kajukenpo was self defense oriented, while Taekwondo was sports oriented. In Goju Ryu the techniques, (punches, kicks preferably) have to be done in a specific way. Every technique has to be perfect in stance, structure, etc. One kick that I'm having trouble with is the round house kick. It's not like a Taekwondo round house kick, or a Kung Fu round house kick where you have to put a lot of hip into it. In Goju Ryu, there are four steps to the kick, and it takes a lot of leg strength to get it high enough. What are some good leg conditioning methods that may help me build leg strength faster. I want to master this kick. Even though it's not very practical in a real fighting situation, it's still a technique that takes a lot of time to master. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

[Toptomcat]

Thinking of the Goju people I've trained with, and looking at the limited video I can find on short notice of Goju roundhouses, I can't think of anything that makes the Goju roundhouse more 'specific' or four-step than a roundhouse of another style. (In my experience, if anything, Goju puts rather more hip into the kick than is typical.) This is probably a school difference rather than a style difference. Could you further describe what makes your school's roundhouse technically distinct, so we can help you with it?

[AyaShindou]

Well, it's all suppose to be done in one swift step, but by breaking it down, five steps are required.

(1) in fighting stance... forward foot pivots so that's it's horizontal.

(2) back leg goes up behind you.

(3) hip rotates as you throw out the kick. supporting foot is pointing in the opposite direction.

(4) kick must be high enough (which takes a lot of leg strength)

(5) kick can't land until it is brought back into its original place (behind other leg in fighting stance)

In addition, you do not aim for the side of the head, ribs, or legs when performing this kick. It strikes out at the sternum or face (depending on where you want to kick) The only thing that makes it a round house kick is that you have to pivot your foot, then rotate your body as you throw the kick out. But then it just strikes out straight ahead.

[Kuma]

Holding mawashi geri chambers at jodan height (as high as you can) for 30-60 sec a day can help a lot, and every other day try doing 3-4 sets of 10 slow, slow roundhouse kicks as high as you can. At full extension hold for a count of 3 and then bring it back. Do it every other day so you can actually walk normally throughout the week.

[AyaShindou]

Correction on the kick aiming for the face or chest. I thought it was a kick to the face or chest because it's not an instep kick. I was talking to my sensei tonight and he said the technique is to curl the toes back as much as possible, the kick is still meant to hit the side of the body, but with the bottom of the toes. The reason behind it is so that you're not risking breaking any of tarsal, metatarsal or phalange bones in your foot.

[Toptomcat]

By 'bottom of the toes' you mean the ball of the foot, right? Actually connecting with the toes proper, while not entirely unheard of in the old, old Okinawan stuff, is not something I would wish om anyone.

[ninjanurse]

I teach both style of roundhouse at my school which is TKD based but has a strong karate influence. The difference is in the angle at which the kicking leg is chambered and the position of the hips prior to executing the kick itself-"open" for TKD, "closed" for traditional (by this I am talking about the angle of the thigh in relation to the hip-such as sitting in a chair the angle would be "closed", standing it would be "open"). Of course their are other subtleties, including the foot shape, but this is the largest "gross" movement pattern to identify and the easiest to see. You have to develop a new "muscle memory" by repetition of the chamber-the rest will follow suit.

[AyaShindou]

Yes, you kick with the ball of your foot. I misunderstood what my sensei was telling me when he said you have to curl the toes back. The kick takes a lot of leg strength, it's as simple as that. A round house in sports TKD is much easier to do and a lot faster, and it's what I'm use to. I've never been in a classical system before that's so serious about getting every kick, movement, stance, just perfect. My sensei corrected my posture, punches, kicks, stances, blocks, everything tonight. I know I can kick my way throuygh this style, but mastering proper form in another story altogether. I personally prefer the sports TKD round house over the classical. It takes less technique, time, and effort. lol

[Kuma]

The ball of the foot is actually great for roundhouse kicks to the body, you get a lot of penetration with it. I prefer shin for legs, ball of foot for body, and instep for head.

[AyaShindou]

Yea, in TKD and Kung Fu I was taught to use my shin when kicking the legs. There's a lot more power in the kick than if you were to kick with your instep. That may just tick your opponent off. I would have to agree with you, except I'm not use to using the ball of my foot with anything but a front kick, and even that's not apart of the kicking curriculum in classical Goju Ryu. When we do a front kick, we have to kick with the heel of our foot.