Taekwondo Side Kicks

[myataschool]

I've been practicing Taekwondo for about 12 years now and have noticed the biggest discrepancy in technique between schools is in side kicks.

I was raised in an Olympic-style school and start all of my side kicks by bringing my knee straight up in front of me. From there, I pull my knee back towards my belt knot on one side and drive my leg straight out. I always tell my students to imagine they're "pushing" someone away.

My theory: Pulling your leg back as far as possible gives your kick as much space as possible to build up speed.

I've seen a lot of different takes on side kicks. Some involve kicking with the heel, others with the blade of the foot. Some people pull their knees back tight like I do, while others don't chamber back as far. How do you throw a side kick?

[DWx]

Depends on what my goal is and what position I am in when I decide I want to kick. But if we're going for a technical point of view, I guess we tend to not pull back as far as you do. True it gives you more distance in order to build up speed but that is also more distance to be seen. In non-technical scenarios, such as sparring, I won't even chamber as far back as I do in basics, in order for a quicker kick. It does sacrifice some power but the kick arrives sooner.

For foot positions I used blade of the foot for striking but when I want a pushing kick I use heel.

[myataschool]

Depends on what my goal is and what position I am in when I decide I want to kick. But if we're going for a technical point of view, I guess we tend to not pull back as far as you do. True it gives you more distance in order to build up speed but that is also more distance to be seen. In non-technical scenarios, such as sparring, I won't even chamber as far back as I do in basics, in order for a quicker kick. It does sacrifice some power but the kick arrives sooner.

For foot positions I used blade of the foot for striking but when I want a pushing kick I use heel.

Which style of forms are you doing? I teach Songahm Taekwondo, and we're taught all of the kicks in our forms should be delivered as they would be for a board break.

Great point about sparring. I'm hardly worried about perfect form when I have someone rushing me. I'm more concerned with delivering something quickly and effectively.

[DWx]

I do ITF Taekwon-Do. Board breaks I tend to do off the lead leg standing side on. But even then I don't pull back the knee further than the centre line. If its coming off the back leg as in bring the leg through and knee up, I barely pull back once the knee is lifted. As the leg is already travelling forward, I rotate it in the air and continue going forward. Otherwise I think its wasting that forward momentum to pull it back on itself.

[myataschool]

I do ITF Taekwon-Do. Board breaks I tend to do off the lead leg standing side on. But even then I don't pull back the knee further than the centre line. If its coming off the back leg as in bring the leg through and knee up, I barely pull back once the knee is lifted. As the leg is already travelling forward, I rotate it in the air and continue going forward. Otherwise I think its wasting that forward momentum to pull it back on itself.

When you say "center line," I'm assuming you mean the center line of your body. I don't bring my side kicks past my belt knot. When I bring my knee up, I'm bringing it up the center line. As I pivot my leg, I move my knee keeping it close to my belt knot in a chamber.

It would be a lot easier to demonstrate in-person. Maybe a YouTube video is in order?

[bushido_man96]

I can give a view of both worlds; I hold a 2nd dan in ATA TKD, and a 3rd dan in my current style, which does the ITF forms.

In the ATA, we did more of a level-legged chamber, more parallel to the floor, with the knee tucked back toward the belt, the heel tucked to the butt, and the chamber up like a table top; I can remember drills with a pad placed on the kicking foot while holding it in chamber, and kicking slowly out and back, making sure the bag didn't fall off.

Now, I do a chamber with the heel pointing down, the leg up high and tight, but perpindicular to the ground. Then, when I kick, I pivot and use my hips to propel the side kick out. But its not like a snap kick; I use the pivot and the hips to drive the kick out.

I have to say, I never did like doing the kick the ATA way. I have big legs, and its hard to get them up high and back toward the belt knot like that. I prefer the way I do it now, and don't feel as I've lost any kind of power in doing it.