Hips and Lower Back

[Transk53]

This came to me this morning in regards to high kicking. Now my question is this. How much influence, if any, does the lower back have over executing a high kick. Now I would assume that the technique and power comes through the hips. I would interested in your opinions, because this may answer a previous thought of mine.

 

[ACJ]

It can have a pretty big effect. A dormant core (of which the lower back is a part of in this particular discussion) can lead to a few problems in executing a high kick. Mainly though it will be the instability of a dormant core which often causes the hamstrings and hip flexors to tighten to provide structure. This will obviously impact a high kick. In the end, a strong lower back will lead to the ability for a higher demonstration of power in the extended range of motion of a high kick.

 

[Zero]

There is definitely a connection, be it to a high kick or even a thigh/torso-height kick executed with torque. An over-tightness in the hamstrings and/or tight or poor conditioned lower back can cause problems. Often times issues with the hamstrings will be interconnected with the lower back in any event, and vice-versa.

I never put much thought (mainly focusing on leg and hip flexibility) into the place the lower back has with kicks but a while back I strained my lower back and hamstrings on the right side while powerlifting performing deadlifts. It wasn't a tear but quite a strain and my hamstring was quite tight and needed a lot of work. Once my hammie had healed up I noticed at karate training when throwing high kicks repetatively that my lower back would hurt afterwards, sometimes pretty badly - something I never experienced before. The issue has gone now through addtional rehab work on the lower back (and a lot of yoga actually) but it made me realise that issues with the lower back can play into how we perform our kicks.

An overly tight or damaged lower back comes into play when we chamber the knee high and when we torque through the hips.

As a throw-away, I would add I am trying to keep up as much yoga as I can alongside the stretching and conditioning I do. It's a time thing as always, but yoga seems to really benefit an MA's training and conditioning (particularly if you want to be in it for the long long haul). Outside of striking, from a grappling perspective it has improved by upper body and shoulder flexibility a lot.

 

[Transk53]

There is definitely a connection, be it to a high kick or even a thigh/torso-height kick executed with torque. An over-tightness in the hamstrings and/or tight or poor conditioned lower back can cause problems. Often times issues with the hamstrings will be interconnected with the lower back in any event, and vice-versa.

I never put much thought (mainly focusing on leg and hip flexibility) into the place the lower back has with kicks but a while back I strained my lower back and hamstrings on the right side while powerlifting performing deadlifts. It wasn't a tear but quite a strain and my hamstring was quite tight and needed a lot of work. Once my hammie had healed up I noticed at karate training when throwing high kicks repetatively that my lower back would hurt afterwards, sometimes pretty badly - something I never experienced before. The issue has gone now through addtional rehab work on the lower back (and a lot of yoga actually) but it made me realise that issues with the lower back can play into how we perform our kicks.

An overly tight or damaged lower back comes into play when we chamber the knee high and when we torque through the hips.

As a throw-away, I would add I am trying to keep up as much yoga as I can alongside the stretching and conditioning I do. It's a time thing as always, but yoga seems to really benefit an MA's training and conditioning (particularly if you want to be in it for the long long haul). Outside of striking, from a grappling perspective it has improved by upper body and shoulder flexibility a lot.

Thanks, that answers a previous thought I had on this. My lower back is a bit of a mess due to spinal surgery years ago. I could never accomplish a high kick with any real force back in the day. Anything higher than the shoulder was a bit tricky to execute. Yoga is a route that I have been thinking of. Problem is the many styles or interpretations, which I find a bit confusing. However, one flavour I have a lot about is Bikram yoga. Very intense by the accounts I have heard. More importantly though, need to find a balance, so if you have any further thoughts on the yoga!