# help with my kicks...



## lll000000lll (Aug 22, 2006)

i need some help with my kicks.

i want to get some height on my side kicks, right now they are about stomach level which works OK for me. but i want to be able to kick at about throat and head level. 

any suggestions?

maybe i am not stretching correctly.


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## MJS (Aug 22, 2006)

lll000000lll said:
			
		

> i need some help with my kicks.
> 
> i want to get some height on my side kicks, right now they are about stomach level which works OK for me. but i want to be able to kick at about throat and head level.
> 
> ...


 
I'd say that stretching is a good way to improve height in kicks.  What types of stretching are you doing already?  As for being able to kick high...personally I'd focus on kicking no higher than chest level.  Once you start to go too high, you're risking telegraphing and counters.

Mike


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## Xue Sheng (Aug 22, 2006)

Kick shorter people 

But seriously folks, I agree with MJS, but I try not to even kick that high anymore. 

And same question, what type of stretching are you doing?


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## terryl965 (Aug 22, 2006)

Mid level is the best place for any type of sidekick, but to get hieght one must be limber.
Terry


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## Drac (Aug 22, 2006)

Xue Sheng said:
			
		

> But seriously folks, I agree with MJS, but I try not to even kick that high anymore.
> 
> And same question, what type of stretching are you doing?


 
They speak the truth..I've sen TKD guys deliver awesome kicks to the head..Try it in constrictive clothing..I agree with*  Xue Sheng *and *MJS..*


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## pstarr (Aug 22, 2006)

Yes, kicking that high is certainly impractical - but if you want to be able to do it, train your stretches so that you stretch heavy every other day with light stretching on off days (kind of like weight lifting).  Bill Wallace has some excellent material available regarding effective stretching-


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## Drac (Aug 23, 2006)

pstarr said:
			
		

> Bill Wallace has some excellent material available regarding effective stretching-


 
Yep, "Superfoot" is the one to turn to for help with high kicks..Saw him at a seminar last year and he is STILL AWESOME...


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## Sam (Aug 23, 2006)

Make sure to drop your head as you kick, and keep your knee down.


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## Grenadier (Aug 23, 2006)

Keep consistently stretching, but do it in very conservative increments.  There are lots of folks who tried to be too aggressive when it came to stretching, and heard that awful popping sound from their hip flexors, hamstrings, groins, etc.  

Also remember, that what was easy to do at 18 years of age might not be the same when you're 35.  Ligaments can take years to fully heal.


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## KenpoSterre (Aug 23, 2006)

high kicks=groin exposure

my style doesn't even practice kicks above waist level(if both people are standing). If you do want to attempt them try to slide into spilts after warm baths and workouts. Do leg raises in all directions it should help. Dont expect to see big improvment within a week though. Gaining flexability takes a while.

Good Luck,

KenpoSterre


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## zDom (Aug 23, 2006)

lll000000lll said:
			
		

> i need some help with my kicks.
> 
> i want to get some height on my side kicks, right now they are about stomach level which works OK for me. but i want to be able to kick at about throat and head level.
> 
> ...



In addition to flexibility, it also takes some strength - I think the muscle groups are the hip abductors and the oblique abdominals.

One way to build this strength is to hang on to a stretching bar or counter and to slowly lift the leg into the extended kick position - as high as you can - and hold it there for as long as you can.

The supporting foot should be pointing the HEEL toward the target, and try to keep your body in a straight line behind the kick - don't "checkmark" your body.

Also, just keep pushing yourself - keep striving for high kicks (being sure to maintain good form - it can be dangerous to do so with sloppy form).

The more high kicking you attempt, the more you build those muscles you need for high kicking.

While I agree high kicks usually won't have a place for self-defense on the street (usually), they sure are FUN during free sparring.

AND - if you are comfortable throwing head-high kicks, then solar-plexus or other mid-range kicks can be executed with even more confidence and ease.

By the way, the muscle groups you work to achieve a head-high side kick should also enable you to do head-high roundhouse and hook kicks.

Good luck!


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## still learning (Aug 23, 2006)

Hello, There is lots info on stretching.   But to make it easy to understand...most will say...stretch everyday, do not over stretch, hold for at least 30 seconds to 2 minutes. (legs straight) front ,sides.

also just kicking everyday will increase your heights.  Do not expect fast results...this may take a years OK?  (Read  about proper ways to do this)

It is nice to be able to kick to the head! ....but really is NOT neccessary in a real fight. Good luck...never give up...Aloha


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## matt.m (Aug 23, 2006)

zDom said:
			
		

> In addition to flexibility, it also takes some strength - I think the muscle groups are the hip abductors and the oblique abdominals.
> 
> One way to build this strength is to hang on to a stretching bar or counter and to slowly lift the leg into the extended kick position - as high as you can - and hold it there for as long as you can.
> 
> ...


 
Scott,

He's telling it like it is.  Look for head high side kick, get good with head high hook and round kicks first.  If you have great, I mean in all sincerity - great, hip and hamstring flexibility pulling off a head high side kick is no problem.


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## kingkong89 (Aug 31, 2006)

hello 

keep on streching and doing your regular warm ups, and when you go to pivit for your side kick tilt your upper body back futher. me personaly my instructor reqiures his upper belts to kick at least belt high.:ultracool


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## Touch Of Death (Aug 31, 2006)

lll000000lll said:
			
		

> i need some help with my kicks.
> 
> i want to get some height on my side kicks, right now they are about stomach level which works OK for me. but i want to be able to kick at about throat and head level.
> 
> ...


Don't kick higher than the tension you feel once you lift your leg past a certain point.
Sean


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## sinistersamuri (Nov 20, 2007)

hi as i suggested to another member there is a machine that looks like a medevil torture device. you sit on it with leg holders. it has an adjustable back and a wheel which you crank at your own pace. its has done wonders for my high kick and i can roundhouse most anyone to the head. however as im sure you have heard, be careful in a combat situation w head kicks. one of my styles is aiki and if someone tried that on me i would make them pay dearly, depending on the background of your opposition


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## yoshin (Dec 17, 2007)

There are three parts to mastering high-kicks as I see it:

1. Flexibility
2. Strength
3. Technique

Without flexibility you'll never get up there - the regular stretches which people cover in this area are generally enough to give you the flexibility you need.

Strength is required because apart from the basic need of getting your leg up there in the first place, you want to be able to do it in a powerful way.  You want strength throughout your range of motion - this will help with power and control - if you're high kicking on momentum alone then you're much more likely to be injured, not to mention the fact that the kick will look silly, and be feeble.

Technique is definitely important - nice high kicks rely on good technique.  If you don't have the technique down pat, then even though you may be nice and flexible, you may find your kick not getting up there where you want it.  Not knowing what type of kick you're trying for, you're better off asking your instructor about this - however for side and round kicks, remember you need to counter balance your leg with the weight of your torso, and you also need to rotate your hip over enough to accomodate the kicking action.


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## Franzfri (Dec 30, 2007)

I found all of your advice interesting.  Since I am 63 and have never been very flexible it is a real effort to kick.  FYI I do Guang Ping Yang Taiji, Yang Beijing Short Form Taiji, Taiji broad sword and am learning Taiji double edged sword.  My bigest problem is that my rooted foot rolls to the outside when I kick.  Mly sifu suggested orthotics.  The only over the counter ones that I have found that may be helpful support the heel, but have a neutral ie. flat front.  I may have to have a custom sho insert made.  Does anyone have an opinion or advice.  The orthopedist who has a class just before mine thought that Lynco Orthotics should have something for me...but I don't see anything on their website that isn't in our local store.


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## kaizasosei (Dec 30, 2007)

i'm sure you're kicks are fine but it sounds like you need to practice all the various types of kicks equally.  that means everything from axkick to flyingkick to spinkick.  just stretch and put your leg up on stable supports and stretch.  
  make your kicks nice.  try to do them in steps as well as really quickly but dont hurt your knees by snapping too hard.  
if you don't warm up with exercise or a bath and stretch completely, it could even be risky. 
one needs to stretch until one can feel a little(give or take) muscle soreness for the following days.  and sometimes even when the muscles are some rested but still not completely regenerated to warm up and stretch again.
  stretching must be with a straight back.  should include all the major stretches equally. don't neglect the feet and feet positions even toes, but it is the hips, aductors and hamstrings as well as back that are your greatest obsticals.


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## Sanchin-J (Feb 1, 2008)

In Sanchin-Ryu at least, our kicks are primarily chest level or lower, granted we're a close quarters Self Defense orientated karate system. We utilize Sanchin stance, star stepping, and 3/4 extension strikes, take downs and numerous locks and things.  I once asked my instructors about why we kept our kicks lower than some of the other Martial Art forms out there and I received a few different responses.

One instructor said, "How many street fights have you been in or seen where someone has tried to use a jump kick or any high kicks for that matter."

Point noted.  I hadn't seen very many at all, and the one time I did see it happen, it was telegraphed and too ineffective to have ever been used in the first place. 

Another instructor took the time to explain it on a more traditional level based upon the style of karate we practice. Since we're in close quarters to our opponents during confrontations it would be highly compromising to try an attempt a high kick, instead we use a direct line approach keeping our kicks ay chest or lower levels and use our basic fundamentals for upper chest and head strikes. It was then that I was made a class punching bag for demonstration purposes which proved to me and those that were there for the class, that while we don't do any flashy high kicks, simple fundamentals like Ni front snap kick or a Kyu side kick can be extremely effective.

From my past experience in a few other arts, it always seemed to me that my kicks stayed strong and fast at chest or lower levels but when I bring up a higher kick targetting the neck or head of an opponent, I lose a certain amount of power that my stance allows with the lower kicks. It also compromises the delivery in some cases since the kicks take more time to reach their target and can often be seen coming.


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