# Leg and Round kick questions



## deanjones (Oct 31, 2006)

So, last night my right foot was pretty swollen after class.  This morning I get up and it's completely bruised and still swollen.  The top of my knee is skinned as well as my elbow!  Good stuff...  haha

My question is, what am I doing wrong with kicking?  When I hit the bag, I'm hitting it with my lower shin, but my foot always smacks the back part of the bag.  Which, leaves this bruise.  There are a few guys in my class that don't have messed up feet like this.  So, obviously I'm doing something wrong.  I tried hitting the bag with my upper shin, but I don't feel like I get nearly as much power as I do with the further reach and swing that comes from contacting with the bottom part of my shin.  

I haven't asked my instructor to watch my form yet, but everytime he walks past me to watch when I kick he says "Good."  So, I assume that my form is pretty good at least.

Also, with all the skinning of knee's and elbows on the bags and bruised swollen feet, how do you train on a daily basis and at the same time heal?


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## SFC JeffJ (Oct 31, 2006)

Could just be a matter of conditioning.  It can take a while for your body to get used to all the impact.  Take a couple of days off and see how it feels.  Also, talk to your instructor about it, I'm sure he'll have some great advice.

Jeff


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## thaistyle (Oct 31, 2006)

Oh yes, the bruises.  Well you could be hitting a little more with the foot or as said previously it could be part of the conditioning.  It's hard to say without actually seeing you kick.  How long have you been training and how long has this been a problem?  I know when I started muay Thai, that was one of my problems.  As for the daily training, I used a butt load of thai liniment on my bruised shins and feet at first.  Now only when necessary.


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## King (Nov 1, 2006)

Are you doing a low swing kick? It's very common for people to throw lower swing kicks for practice because it's easier to keep balance. If you look at the angle your shin hits the bag you'll see why your foot connects. Does your shin hit completely horizontal or is it slightly angled down? If you raise your swing kicks to about hip (to lower rib) level, it should reduce the foot clipping.

It's also a good note that you found out about the reduced power when you started kicking higher up the shin. You'll get that response if you are too close to your opponent. However that doesnt' mean you can't kick them from that range. Step out (to the side) with your lead foot (just an inch or so) to open up your hips and deliver a full power close range swing kick. Remember kicking has a lot to do with angles - you won't always be presented with prime targets so you have to constantly move around to look of openings. Play with different kicking ranges when working on the heavy bags, don't just keep kicking from the same spot. 

Good luck with training


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## DKSMuayThai (Nov 1, 2006)

Aim with your knee and not your instep (ankle). The kick is not a snap like in TKD, but more like a solid limb being swung through the target. Place a lot of focus on swinging with the hip (the turning of the waist is the powerband).  Always aim for a point beyond the bag so that if you are kicking with a right back-roundhouse, your left foot should be at  "10 o' clock", or a few inches to the left of the bag.  Your foot hurting indicates that the motion of your kicks is resembling TKD where the blow is directed from the sides.  Unless you are going for ankle chops, always throw the kick with your weight leaned in and with the intentions of breaking through the opponent/bag.  

   The kick should be 'thrust' forward at an angle, and not 'swung' to the side.  Your balance will be off as you practice, but fight the temptation to go at it repeatedly striking your hardest. Instead, keep rehearsing the kick slowly and eventually once your balance synch's with the motion, you'll be delivering more and more power.  

I hope that helped. I tried to be as concise as possible. Best wishes to you and your camp. And always remember FORM > POWER.  With FORM comes POWER, but focusing on POWER alone will discourage FORM.


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## chris_&#3617;&#3623;&#3618;&#3652;&#3607;&#3618; (Nov 1, 2006)

deanjones said:


> So, last night my right foot was pretty swollen after class. This morning I get up and it's completely bruised and still swollen. The top of my knee is skinned as well as my elbow! Good stuff... haha
> 
> My question is, what am I doing wrong with kicking? When I hit the bag, I'm hitting it with my lower shin, but my foot always smacks the back part of the bag. Which, leaves this bruise. There are a few guys in my class that don't have messed up feet like this. So, obviously I'm doing something wrong. I tried hitting the bag with my upper shin, but I don't feel like I get nearly as much power as I do with the further reach and swing that comes from contacting with the bottom part of my shin.
> 
> ...


 

i had the same thing , after a few months i stopped getting the bruising and and barely get red marks now either , so just wait and you should be fine

hope i helped

chris


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## deanjones (Nov 2, 2006)

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help!

I had my instructor watch my kicks and look at my foot and he just told me that I'm not kicking high enough on the shin.  He said my foot should clear the bag and then kicked me very lightly with 3 points on his leg.  The ankle area (which is where I was kicking), the mid shin and the upper shin.  He then asked me which one I felt more?  I sort of got his point...  But, I think a lot of my problem is that I'm not using the hips enough and I'm not loose enough in the hips.  For some reason, I can't get that part down...


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## King (Nov 3, 2006)

That's a cool point mr jones. Visualizing your targets makes a difference because it gives the kicks purpose. One tip I enjoy giving is to imagine bringing your leg over a drawn rope while you kick. It's like how your body naturally twist when you are brining your leg over a small fence. Also don't forget to use your arms as leverage, keep them extended between you and your target/opponent. Good luck


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## Thunder Foot (Nov 8, 2006)

deanjones said:


> Thanks guys, I appreciate the help!
> 
> I had my instructor watch my kicks and look at my foot and he just told me that I'm not kicking high enough on the shin. He said my foot should clear the bag and then kicked me very lightly with 3 points on his leg. The ankle area (which is where I was kicking), the mid shin and the upper shin. He then asked me which one I felt more? I sort of got his point... But, I think a lot of my problem is that I'm not using the hips enough and I'm not loose enough in the hips. For some reason, I can't get that part down...


Yes, hip flexibility is a MAJOR portion of the correct Thai kick. Just work on excercising stretches that while stretch your hip flexors, and you should be fine. That, and practice kicking the air, will purposely trying to open your hips. Over time, you will build the needed muscles in our hips, to fully utilize the power from that area.


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