Kicking into the thin air may hurt your knees soon or later

[Kung Fu Wang]

Do you know that kicking into the thin air may hurt your knees soon or later. It may not hurt your knees today. But it may hurt your knees some day in the future. I believe kicking on heavy bag won't have this issue.

- Last week, I did my daily 4 miles walking/kicking, my right knee hurt a little bit.
- This week, I did my daily 4 miles walking/punching, my right knee didn't hurt at all.

May be kicking into the thin air every day is not a good idea. What's your opinion on this?

 

[isshinryuronin]

Do you know that kicking into the thin air may hurt your knees soon or later. It may not hurt your knees today. But it may hurt your knees some day in the future. I believe kicking on heavy bag won't have this issue.

- Last week, I did my daily 4 miles walking/kicking, my right knee hurt a little bit.
- This week, I did my daily 4 miles walking/punching, my right knee didn't hurt at all.

May be kicking into the thin air every day is not a good idea. What's your opinion on this?

Two thoughts on this:

1. Kicking air, you are more likely to snap your kick back. Kicking a heavy bag, you would tend to drive into it without a snap. The snapping back may be a problem for your knee, but I have never experienced this.

2. Kicking air, you are more likely to over-extend the knee as there is no visual or physical target. Kicking a heavy bag, you would likely make solid contact before the knee could over-extend. In MA you must be careful of over-extending any joints and always keep some bend in them.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I think kicking and punching in air is a skill. I try not to stop my punch in a way where the force from stopping is placing a big demand on my ligaments and tendons. I think of it like a thin stick where one can snap the stick by whip it in the air. But one can also still swing the stick without breaking it.

Just thinking about hyper extending elbows when punching in the air. Much of that happens because the energy is exiting at the wrong place. Instead of exiting at the end of the punch it is exiting at the elbow. I can only assume that kicks are the same way.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

hyper extending elbows when punching in the air.

Hook punch, uppercut, and overhand are easier on the elbow joints than jab and cross on the elbow joints.

Leg skill (such as front cut, inner hook, outer hook, ...) are also easier on the knee joints than the front kick or roundhouse kick. One day I did my 4 miles walking along with leg skill, my knees felt fine.

Leg skill - inner hook:

 

[Fungus]

I think of it like a thin stick where one can snap the stick by whip it in the air. But one can also still swing the stick without breaking it.

Just thinking about hyper extending elbows when punching in the air. Much of that happens because the energy is exiting at the wrong place. Instead of exiting at the end of the punch it is exiting at the elbow. I can only assume that kicks are the same way.

I agree.

I have no knee issues atm, but back issues and I definitely agree that kicking in air will impose more stress on both joints and also the back depending on the exact kick or punch. As when the energy is not transferred to the bag (or your opponent), the energy is reflected back to be absorbed there. I also do not like this.

Kicking too much in thin air feel awkard and is also worse for my back. This is why I really like working on the heavy bag. Full power blows on the heavy back feels better for my back than trying to simulate power kicks in the air, and then have to deal with the reflecting energy.

 

[Fungus]

2. Kicking air, you are more likely to over-extend the knee as there is no visual or physical target. Kicking a heavy bag, you would likely make solid contact before the knee could over-extend.

I agree with this too, this is the other reason I try to practice all techniques with full power on heavy bag. I also practice all blocks on the heavy bag (but then such that a "block is a strike") so that it does not just becomes a dance, but that I know how to align the supporting structure (rest of the body) in case I have to block something with more power than foot flapping.

In the beginning (the first halft year) before I started fighting and work more on the bag, I put ALOT of force into my kihon, I envisioned trying to break somethiing on each strike, while that is good an I got compliments for my kime even as a beginner, it was not good for the joints. So I don't do that anymore. I save my chinkuchi for the heavy bag, thats where i practice that fully.

 

[Fungus]

I also found that in kumite, of course sometimes you opponets moves out of the way from say some roundhouse kick, and they you have two options: pullback and reset your kick or follow through with a spin, and then follow up with the either leg. The latter feels is more circular and easier on my back and more energy conserving than snapping and resetting repeatadly.

 

[Darren]

Do you know that kicking into the thin air may hurt your knees soon or later. It may not hurt your knees today. But it may hurt your knees some day in the future. I believe kicking on heavy bag won't have this issue.

- Last week, I did my daily 4 miles walking/kicking, my right knee hurt a little bit.
- This week, I did my daily 4 miles walking/punching, my right knee didn't hurt at all.

May be kicking into the thin air every day is not a good idea. What's your opinion on this?

i kick into thin air and yes one day it will hurt!! of course almost snapped my leg in two doing BJJ, i am vert very sure that advanced the problem with my left knee maybe should have stuck with music, but i mean you can`t kick and punch not do any BJJ on musical instruments neither!!

 

[Buka]

Bill Wallace only kicked air and people, never heavy bags.

Joe Lewis only kicked heavy bags and people, never air.

Maybe it’s different for different people, I don’t know.

 

[MuayJitsu]

If we stopped doing things because they may hurt you later then we wouldn’t be doing anything I’m sure hitting and kicking a bag will probably some sort of damage at some point it is what it is come what may