Several years ago competing at a tournament I saw a guy do a 540 degree kick. It was really neat to watch. Can any of our members do this kick? How hard was it to learn?
540 Degrees
- Thread starter Rob Broad
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karatekid1975
Master Black Belt
I was learning it, and I've landed it a few times. But I messed up my knee (landing on my kicking leg hurts like heck), so I can't do it anymore. For me, it was difficult to learn. But I still have a mean 360 
This kick is required in my form - I severed my ACL just landing from a jump a couple of years ago and I'm very tentative about even 360s.
Sigh - workin' on it, though!
Sigh - workin' on it, though!
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Somehow I remember my instructor talking about that once but can't remember how it works. We haven't had to do it. Although with my bad knee, either one actually, it wouldn't be pretty. Shesulsa can you describe it? Just wondered. TW
Sure, TW -
The kick is a jumping, spinning heel kick. You begin facing one direction, spin and jump and heel kick around until you've made one and one-half revolutions and end facing the opposite direction as you began.
There are ways to "cheat" the kick - I think you're actually only doing one revolution when all is said and done anyway. Done properly (or at least, the way my teacher taught me) - once you set your heels forward, your hips are already facing the other direction, then when you twist your upper body and lift your hip for the kick, you're gonna start to jump and kick the remaining 360 degrees.
I guess if you want to cheat the kick, you swing your leg out of the kick about 90 degrees early and bring it behind you and simply set into your desired destination posture.
Now I think y'all know I'm nervous about blowing out my knee again - so my teacher told me to make your hips do the kick - once you set your heels forward and twist your upper body around to spot the hip must come up right away. It's the LANDING I'm also concerned about - but I think if I keep my knees in line with my hips I'll be okay.
The kick is a jumping, spinning heel kick. You begin facing one direction, spin and jump and heel kick around until you've made one and one-half revolutions and end facing the opposite direction as you began.
There are ways to "cheat" the kick - I think you're actually only doing one revolution when all is said and done anyway. Done properly (or at least, the way my teacher taught me) - once you set your heels forward, your hips are already facing the other direction, then when you twist your upper body and lift your hip for the kick, you're gonna start to jump and kick the remaining 360 degrees.
I guess if you want to cheat the kick, you swing your leg out of the kick about 90 degrees early and bring it behind you and simply set into your desired destination posture.
Now I think y'all know I'm nervous about blowing out my knee again - so my teacher told me to make your hips do the kick - once you set your heels forward and twist your upper body around to spot the hip must come up right away. It's the LANDING I'm also concerned about - but I think if I keep my knees in line with my hips I'll be okay.
Han-Mi
Purple Belt
there seem to be 2 ideas of which kick is the 540 kick, I say it is the hook kick. but some people that have seen me do what I consider a 360 kick( an inside spinning crecsent in which I jump off of, kick with and land on the same foot) have called it a 540. I think I need one more half turn with a hook kick from my other foot for it to be a 540. Depending on how you define It, I can do one or the other, and I have done the hook kick a couple of times, but I'm not consistant, though I have seen others do it.
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shesulsa said:
When you start where is the target-or where in the circle do you kick? I can't visualize it. TW
Hmmm...good question....I always assumed the target is in front of you and you land to face the opposite direction to face a sequential opponent. Gonna have to research that one, TW.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #9
The 540 kick I was referring to was to the front and it was more like one and a half version of a tornado kick. The kicker did an inside crescent kick with th eright leg, and propelled themselves off this foot when it landed in front of them, then spun up into the air and landed on the left foot as after they had spun a full revolution and a half in the air. The right foot was brought down in the form of an axe kick at the end of it.
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Rob Broad said:
Sounds like you are just going around once. Starting with right stance-left foot out? Or left stance and you are doing the crescent with the right lead leg? You are turning right, I assume and both targets are forward from the beginning? Sounds like a 360 ax kick with the crescent additional. Normally you just turn for a 360 axe. Like the tornado. Would make it more tricky, doing the crescent first because that foot going down would be critical for placement for the second jumping kick. I can't figure it for the right foot axe when you are jumping off the right though. Wish we could draw pictures! :erg: This is going to bug me now. ???? TW
I think Rob and I are talking about two different kicks.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #12
By over commintting the inside crescent kick you have your back towards the target, then when you spin 180 degree would put you facing the target, 360 degrees would have your back to the target, and 540 degrees would put you back facing the target. This all done with the body in a diagonal to almost horizontal position.
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Well it sounds like something I don't want to try - something akin to a whirling dervish! TW
