# Help - Ushiro Mawashigeri - Turning Hooked Round Kick



## JonWal (Jun 30, 2014)

Just wondering how different Karateka perform this.

Im currently a 6th Kyu going for a 5th Kyu in Wado Ryu and really struggling with the turning/spinning kicks.

 They are just being introduced to us at this level and are being taught by breaking down the movements. 

We're being taught as follows:

From Hidari Hamnae Gamae stance >
 Left foot across in line with the back foot whilst changing guard to face opposite direction >
Turning completely around to face the front while lifting the back knee, once you can see your opponent flicking the kick around, hooking to the body.

I find the kick really difficult and will 90% of the time end up landing off balance, with my hands flailing all over the place due to this.

Has anyone got any tips for performing this technique? 

Cheers, jon


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## ST1Doppelganger (Jun 30, 2014)

I'm not a karate guy but do understand how that kick can be a pain. 

I originally learned it from a friend and got really good at it but when I hit the level in my Kung fu where they were teaching it. It was totally different and I probably  felt the same way as you do now. 

The details that helped me the most to get my balance was straight spine, eye focus on opponent and make sure your guard hands are where they are suppose to be before throwing the kick. 

I would stand there and twist in to it with those details till I felt comfortable then I would throw the kick after I got that segment of the kick down. 

It might help it might not but I can honestly say I'm pretty damn good at throwing both styles of this kick now because of it.


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## JonWal (Jun 30, 2014)

Thanks for the tip, I will try and focus on the opponent. The guard hands bit is a nightmare though. They do fly all over the place. Hopefully its something that will come with practice/perserverance.

I was hoping that I could smoothly transition through the kick however for the grading we have in a months time we're supposed to break each movement down. 

Its also very difficult to practice this outside of the dojo due to space and a different floor, lol.


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## ST1Doppelganger (Jun 30, 2014)

JonWal said:


> Thanks for the tip, I will try and focus on the opponent. The guard hands bit is a nightmare though. They do fly all over the place. Hopefully its something that will come with practice/perserverance.
> 
> I was hoping that I could smoothly transition through the kick however for the grading we have in a months time we're supposed to break each movement down.
> 
> Its also very difficult to practice this outside of the dojo due to space and a different floor, lol.



Don't get discouraged like I said I had the spinning kicks down until I had to do it from a low horse stance and broken down the way the school wanted me to do it. 

Like i said the way I broke it down for myself was to get your eye focus locked on to your target and make sure I got my guards hand where they should be thru out the kick before unleashing it. It was awkward as all get out to begin with but became second nature after allot of training. 

Ask your instructor to break down where the guards should be and the transitions of the guard hands thru out the kick they are there for multiple reasons and really do help your balance.


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## Buka (Jun 30, 2014)

Hidari Hamni really isn't conducive to spin kicking. At least at an advanced level. However, most loss of balance in spin kicking is due to the alignment of the body going out of whack, many times by a slight bend at the waist. The faster you try to throw the kick, the easier and more dramatic loss of balance.

You might want to try and work backwards. Position yourself where you would be just as the kick is released, practice a bit from there. Then add a few more degrees (towards Hidari Hamni) and practice from there. Then a few more degrees etc.

The other thing is there's two basic types of balance in kicking. Kicking air, or practicing the kick from stance and returning to that (or another stance) and hitting an object, be it bag or person, whatever. The balance will be different, especially the faster the kick.

Keep at it, bro. And keep your hands up while throwing that kick!


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## OldKarateGuy (Jul 1, 2014)

I'd suggest this video as a good starter, since the practitioner moves fairily slowly, so you can see what he's doing, plus he stops for a moment after turning and before kicking. I have no idea who is in the video, style, etc. I just watched a few and picked one that looked good for a beginning lesson. 
Karate trening: ushiro mawashi-geri - YouTube
When you're learning any of the spin kicks, I think it helps to break them down into discrete motions with a stop between them, but once you get the sequence, it's actually easier if you flow through them without stopping. Forget trying to be strong or high, just go for smooth (and low) in the beginning. 
So, from right foot back fighting or rear stance, first, just shift your hips to turn 180 degrees so you're facing the opposite way. Make sure your feet are not crossed. You don't necessarily have to assume a normal width stance as you turn (note in the video, the practitioner actually puts his feet together), but you have to shift your right (back) foot as you turn, so your have some separation between your feet. Stop. Relax. Look over your right shoulder. Always head leads the body, so look first. (Once you're doing this without a stop, everything will flow in a nice, smooth sequence. But for now, turn, stop, look, stop, then spin.) Now, use your hips to rotate in the direction of the kick. Bring your right knee up, fairly tight against your body as you do. Eventually, you'll use snapping the knee up in the direction of the turn to help with the rotation and also give you some range. But keep your knee and leg in tight. Don't snap your kick out too soon. This is probably the most common beginner error, that is, starting the kick maybe 90 degrees from the direction of the target. That's way too soon. Watch the video again. Snap the kick out only when you are almost on the target. One more thing. Don't use your arms to make the turn work, you know, by sticking them out wide and trying to jerk your body around. Keep them in pretty tight too. You'll need them to protect yourself, because when you try spin kicks against your senior belts, they will just wait for you to come around and punch or kick you in the body if your arms are waving all around. Elbows in as you spin. If you lose your balance, you're probably spinning on your heel. Wrong. You must - must - spin on the ball of your foot. If you still lose your balance, you're spinning too hard, slow down and go easier. Think smooth. 
Once you get a nice, smooth kick, however low, start removing the stops. Eventually, you'll kick like the guy in the video, with a minimum of movement of the kicking foot from the turn to the target. It's almost like his foot goes from the floor straight to the bag, even as he turns. very nice. Once you can do the kick in one, flowing move, then start working on aiming and speed. This is a kick for the groin or abdomen I think. Something low anyway. Be careful getting too high with this, or someone will grab your leg and take you for a walk. Good luck.


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## OldKarateGuy (Jul 1, 2014)

I just re-read my reply, and thought I'd add a couple of things. You're going to start by turning 180 degrees and stopping. This way, your spin kick will only be another 180 degrees, not a 360 turn. Eventually, when you get good at this, it will be a complete spin kick, but for now, make it only a half turn. When I teach this to my kids, I usually just have them assume the same stance correctly, facing in the opposite direction, to make certain they have a nice foundation for the turn, that they don't wobble, etc. You might do that, just turn (mawate) and assume a proper stance. Then look,etc.
Also, when I teach my students any of the spin kicks, I usually have them practice just the set-up, stop, look, stop and then spin...but no kick. Work on getting your knee up tight and using it to spin. When you face front, just drop your your right foot back to the floor. So, work on the turn to the back, stop, look over the shoulder, spin on the ball of your left foot, and when you're facing front again, drop the right foot to the floor and stop. When you can do this smoothly, not necessarily fast, but without losing your balance, then add the kick. It will only take you a few times without kicking. We train in a gym, and use a dance studio room, so I have the students place their left hand on the barre (for right foot back stance), and as they turn, they change to the right hand on the barre to maintain their balance. Just a light touch will do it. I find that having their hand on something for 5 or 10 repetitions makes things a lot easier.


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## Grenadier (Jul 7, 2014)

JonWal said:


> We're being taught as follows:
> 
> From Hidari Hamnae Gamae stance >
> I find the kick really difficult and will 90% of the time end up landing off balance, with my hands flailing all over the place due to this.
> ...



If your hands are flailing all over the place, then that can be a strong indicator that you don't have proper upper body tension.  

There are good types of tension (abdominal muscles tensing, tension under the arms) and types of tension you want to avoid (neck or shoulders).  By using good tension, you'll be able to control your upper body better in all aspects of kicking, not just the spinning hook kick.  A simple way to experience the good tension is to keep your hands in their usual pullback (hikite) position, and emphasizing squeezing the elbows towards the middle of the back.  

This will properly tense those muscles under the armpit, and will help stabilize your upper body when kicking.  Once you've experienced this to the point where it feels more natural, you can do this with a less basic method, and accomplish it by simply giving your armpits a gentle squeeze, as if you were holding a piece of paper under each arm.


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