Dynamic Stability Strengthening Poses

[Alan Armstrong]

As martial artists there is a freedom to express movements and also a discipline to practice proper form.

Example, throwing a sidekick and guiding a sidekick.

Throwing a sidekick is easy to do for most martial artists and guiding a sidekick to hit a target, can take a long time to learn.

This sidekick example works the same way for front, round house, hook kicks, axe kicks and back kicks.

I'm trying to discern the differences between throwing and guiding.

It could be said that yes, throwing a kick is quicker than guiding it.

It could also be said that yes, placing a kick guides it better to the target.

In warfare, to have a guided missile was an advantage, as it could could change direction in mid flight to hit the intended target.

Before the guided missile, coordinates were punched in to the launch and it would land where it was sent.

As we can see that the guided missile has an advantage due to being more under control than just being thrown at a target.

I am just using missiles as a metaphor here.

We have all seen in movies (hopefully) when one missile is fired from one modern day jet fighter at another. The one being attacked sounds warning signals and flashing lights (to warn the pilot) to make some drastic changes to avoid being blasted out of the sky but if it is a guided heat seeking missile, it will find the nearest heat source and change its direction to find it.

Dog fights in the sky between fighter airplane that were propeller driven fired machine gun bullets at each other, that were aimed (fixed) at each other head on.

Back to kicking. So that it could be said that throwing kicks is over committing them as opposed to guiding kicks are subject to finding the target no matter if the target moves or not.

I believe that with practice and more practice is the key here, is to do dynamic

stability strengthening exercises on a daily basis. Guiding your kicks to targets instead of throwing them. Slowly at first and eventually speeding up over time

I am very sure that many martial artists will not try to have controlled stability whilst kicking and their foot will not be guided to the target but to fall back on the throwing principles.

The real advice here is to not give up trying to guide your kicks to the target, it does take time to coordinate balance and muscle memory with expertise. Is it difficult to learn, the answer is yes but not impossible.

Start of doing all your kicks slowly and above all posed and controlled as if a photographer wants to take a photo of your kicks un- blurred.

 

You will feel the dynamic strengthening feeling as your muscles tense up, remember the moving part of your kick needs to stay relaxed.

Body postures and alignment are also important factors to consider as not to lean back or inwards or backwards, instead use the strength of your waist to pick your leg up and balance on one foot pointing directly behind you.

Ballet turnout exercises can help with this aspect, as many martial artist do not practice hip turn outs like all ballet dancers do.

If you do happen to give up trying to guide your kicks instead of throwing them, nothing lost here, because you may find that your throwing kicks have improved unknowingly to you.

[sensei8]

Solid OP Alan; thanks for starting this thread!!

Oh, yeah, the differences from a quick kick to a slow guided kick to said target are, imho, day and night. Sure, both types of these kicks require one to properly stretch beforehand in order to prevent any unnecessary injuries.

But that slow guided kick require so much more from the practitioner because the kick isn't that quick and fast as lighting kick, whereas all of the body uncoils and extends and this and that at one immediate moment.

Takes more of balancing! Takes more time! Takes more of aligning! Man oh man, it just takes time, but the time spent to do a well guided kick is worth it all. Flaws are highlighted much more than biff bam...I'm done.

The visual for this, for me, is the scene from Enter the Dragon where Bruce is "working out" in his room, and O'Hara opens the door to Bruce's room to announce the Daily Ritual, and that Bruce must be in uniform. All the while Bruce is doing a slow guided side kick, and HOLDS IT the whole time that O'Hara is speaking, and then is still holding the side kick while ordering O'Hara to close the door, in which, O'Hara does as he's been instructed to do, and then Bruce slowly returns his kicking foot to the ground...in perfect form.

The slow guided kick should be mindlessly performed, but this, as in anything, takes some time. Not mindlessly as though one's not paying attention to detail, but mindlessly as though one's done it as much as one has tied his shoe laces; effortlessly.

[Alan Armstrong]

Solid OP Alan; thanks for starting this thread!!

Oh, yeah, the differences from a quick kick to a slow guided kick to said target are, imho, day and night. Sure, both types of these kicks require one to properly stretch beforehand in order to prevent any unnecessary injuries.

But that slow guided kick require so much more from the practitioner because the kick isn't that quick and fast as lighting kick, whereas all of the body uncoils and extends and this and that at one immediate moment.

Takes more of balancing! Takes more time! Takes more of aligning! Man oh man, it just takes time, but the time spent to do a well guided kick is worth it all. Flaws are highlighted much more than biff bam...I'm done.

The visual for this, for me, is the scene from Enter the Dragon where Bruce is "working out" in his room, and O'Hara opens the door to Bruce's room to announce the Daily Ritual, and that Bruce must be in uniform. All the while Bruce is doing a slow guided side kick, and HOLDS IT the whole time that O'Hara is speaking, and then is still holding the side kick while ordering O'Hara to close the door, in which, O'Hara does as he's been instructed to do, and then Bruce slowly returns his kicking foot to the ground...in perfect form.

The slow guided kick should be mindlessly performed, but this, as in anything, takes some time. Not mindlessly as though one's not paying attention to detail, but mindlessly as though one's done it as much as one has tied his shoe laces; effortlessly.

A funny situation in the sports park today.

Found an excellent new spot for working out, incorporating a cement ramp with handrails on either side.

Attaching thick Thera Bands for stretching, to the handrails and some leg exercises ballet style.

This must have been very amusing for some, as there were two couples (Very muscular) were out to do some sun tanning.

The men started to mimic my movements to make the girls laugh. OK I'm fine with that.

But it seems that their joking backfired when I started working on the slow high kicks and the girls were waiting for them to try and copy them also.

As they became the butt of their own joke and the girls were laughing at them and not with them.

Of course they quickly reverted from trying to copy my kicking compilations and started doing bodybuilding poses.

Slow or fast kicking with control does take time learn. I spend about three to four hours a day conditioning myself to do this.

I'm still along way away from my personal goal in the kicking Dept but hey, I do at least get a kick out of practicing and a laugh now and then from onlookers.