Rear leg side kick tips?

[hansenator]

The rear leg side kick has always been my nemesis. If I practice slowly, step-by-step, my form is good but I struggle to improve it. I just can't speed it up without sacrificing technique and smoothness. My lead leg side kicks are pretty good overall but the rear leg kick has always been a struggle.

I almost posted this on the Tae Kwon Do forum because kicking is their specialty but I don't practice Tae Kwon Do and I wanted to try to reach a larger audience.

Are there any tips or technique drills that can improve performance on this kick? I'm not even trying to kick higher, just trying to develop a solid mid-level kick.

Thanks.

[sensei8]

The kick that you're describing can be challenging for a lot of student. Balance must be maintained at all times with the kick, for obvious reasons.

Are you...

*Lifting the heel of the supporting leg off the ground??

*Not lifting the leg or bending the knees adequately??

*Leaning the body too far in the opposite direction from the kick??

*Kicking diagonally in front of the body, instead of directly to the side towards the target??

*Are you pointing the toes of the kicking foot upwards, and away from the target??

In Shindokan, we emphasize a four-count to all kicks:

Up

Out

Back

Down

This four-count must be executed one at a time, albeit, each of the counts must be completed before the next count can begin. If not, the kicks sloppy, rushed, and ineffective. We also emphasize that the supporting foot should be turned away from the kick; otherwise, balance and transmission of power are sacrificed.

Drill it slow, keeping everything in check as you've been taught, then slowly increase speed and power, but never ever sacrifice balance and the like for speed and power. As you do increase speed and power keep sure that everything is happening as it should. Don't shortcut everything that must happen because you're only shortcutting yourself in the long run.

Good luck...train hard!!

[cathal]

The kick that you're describing can be challenging for a lot of student. Balance must be maintained at all times with the kick, for obvious reasons.

Are you...

*Lifting the heel of the supporting leg off the ground??

*Not lifting the leg or bending the knees adequately??

*Leaning the body too far in the opposite direction from the kick??

*Kicking diagonally in front of the body, instead of directly to the side towards the target??

*Are you pointing the toes of the kicking foot upwards, and away from the target??

In Shindokan, we emphasize a four-count to all kicks:

Up

Out

Back

Down

This four-count must be executed one at a time, albeit, each of the counts must be completed before the next count can begin. If not, the kicks sloppy, rushed, and ineffective. We also emphasize that the supporting foot should be turned away from the kick; otherwise, balance and transmission of power are sacrificed.

Drill it slow, keeping everything in check as you've been taught, then slowly increase speed and power, but never ever sacrifice balance and the like for speed and power. As you do increase speed and power keep sure that everything is happening as it should. Don't shortcut everything that must happen because you're only shortcutting yourself in the long run.

Good luck...train hard!!

This. Keep practicing it and you'll get it.

[CDraper]

Basically what Sensei8 said Alot of time I see people focusing on the kicking foot while ignoring the food they are standing on. Sometimes i will just focus on that by chambering the kick and checking that the support foot has turned into place. In the case of a side kick I like for my support heel to be pointed towards the target with the toes going away from the target. This should help get your body in better position to produce more power on target.

Good luck

Chuck

[hansenator]

Thanks for the tips, I'll have to pay attention them.

It seems chambering is the part I most struggle with. The support foot turns over alright, it's the kicking side hip action. Maybe a problem with internal hip rotation, on the left leg especially. I don't think it's a mobility issue because, if I'm slow and deliberate, I can do it well. It also seems to help if I do something to activate the internal rotators before kicking.

[DWx]

It's an awkward kick and not really intuitive like a front kick or roundhouse. Best thing is to slowly build it up and get faster and faster whilst still concentrating on the correct mechanics. Try doing it over an obstacle like a low chair to ensure you get the chamber position high enough rather than swinging the leg through.

It's also a good idea to have a good grasp on lead leg side kick first as it is halfway there. This tutorial might help:

[hansenator]

I've been paying attention to some of the above tips and found that my support foot isn't turning as much as I thought. And I'm not careful, the hip turns over too far and interferes with the leg extension. Something to pay attention to during practice.

[bushido_man96]

Practice getting to the chamber position, and then pivot the foot and the hips at the same time, then go back to the chamber position and neutral foot position.

The back leg side kick is a "long" kick, and is not one usually used on its own as an offensive kick. Its better in a combination of moves. Perhaps use a reverse punch from a front stance as a set up move to help you get into the side kick position.

Perhaps you could post us a video of your kick, and we could provide some better feedback to you?

[yamesu]

I've been paying attention to some of the above tips and found that my support foot isn't turning as much as I thought. And I'm not careful, the hip turns over too far and interferes with the leg extension. Something to pay attention to during practice.

Solid advice here, along with all of the advice given by others (Sensei8 in particular up there).

Conversely, I have found many a student don't rotate enough and are trying to generate speed with only the leg instead of the full hip rotation, causing hyperextension at the knee and pelvis. This also causes a loss of power as they cannot generate the linear force that this kick needs to be devastating.

EDIT - this can also often be a case of low flexibility too.

To counteract both under and over turning of the hips, I like to explain this as visualising the finishing position (where the kick is executed with the leg fully extended) as being in between two walls. The entire body, in particular hips and spine, should be in line with the supporting leg. This tends to promote alignment from which speed and power can be developed.

[hansenator]

Quick update.

It's improving with practice. Not fast yet but getting smoother. It's actually easier when I kick a target like a heavy bag. Maybe because the body knows to expect resistance?

The short answer seems to be to keep practicing your kick. Specific conditioning drills might be more useful at an advanced level but I think my kicking muscles are getting enough work just practicing the kick.