kicking shields

[Manny]

Good morning all, I've noticed in dojans the kicking shields (domies) are not used anymore. In my golden days in the mid80's-mid90's we use a lot the kicking shields to develop good strong kicking techniques, I used to kick visciously those shields even using combinations developing good kicking technics and conditioning the legs too. I asked my actual sambokinin why he use not the kicking shield anymore and he answered me these shields tend to develop injuries?? is that true? I feel kicking the air does nothing to develop strong kicks, ohhh boy how I missed the old days.

Manny

 

[dortiz]

Oh cmon..tell me this is not true. Is it getting that bad in TKD now. You need a shield to feel the true effect of driving power. It also helps a the holder to understand what those kicks can do coming in.
If schools are pulling these I am just blown away.

 

[FearlessFreep]

I use a kicking shield a lot (have one of my own at home, a Century "Blast Master"). I use it mostly for back and sidekicks (ie... 'moving' kicks') but also for working power on the roundhouse.

Never heard the injury claims before

I also use a couple of smaller Muay Thai shields for hand strikes and roundhouse kicks. I work a drill with my son for doing hand strikes and roundhouse kicks off either leg with them that is quite a bit different than what I see people doing with the 'porkchop' pads as I do it for power against resistance as well as speed.

 

[dancingalone]

I'm not a fan of the kicking shield, preferring the heavy bag because it is sturdier and does not rely on having someone else hold my target for me.

 

[FearlessFreep]

I'm not a fan of the kicking shield, preferring the heavy bag because it is sturdier and does not rely on having someone else hold my target for me.

I keep kicking the heavy bag out of the ceiling of my garage I haven't yet found a safe and practical (and affordable) way to hang it. It's a great tool

 

[terryl965]

Hanging Bags, kicking shields and target pads are use on a daily basis in my dojanng. It is one of the building block to have more power and techniques for kicks.

 

[Miles]

Hanging Bags, kicking shields and target pads are use on a daily basis in my dojanng. It is one of the building block to have more power and techniques for kicks.

I have never heard of a TKD dojang which does not use shields?

My training outline is that we use paddles on Tuesday, when we are working on technical aspects of various kicks. Thursday, we up the progression to shields which allows footwork and power (as well as a moving target). Saturdays we do the same kicks with or without footwork, but now against the hanging bags. Then we spar....

I like changing the target from paddle to shield to bag to hogu because each brings a little bit of a different challenge to the student (and holder).

Keep kicking!

Miles

 

[jim777]

We use the shields, porkchops, bags, and whatever else we have all the time. Sorry if your teacher has decided not to use them, but I don't think he's on the cusp of a new trend in that regard.

jim

 

[FieldDiscipline]

I've seen them less recently, which is annoying as they are one of my favourites. They actively prevent injuries. Locking kicks out with no resistance isnt good news.

 

[IcemanSK]

I use them all the time & have never had injuries with them.

 

[Tez3]

Hanging Bags, kicking shields and target pads are use on a daily basis in my dojanng. It is one of the building block to have more power and techniques for kicks.

What he said!!
We even have small ones for the children to use, we have Thai pads too (they're Thai Thai pads as they were brought back from Thailand lol!)

 

[terryl965]

What he said!!
We even have small ones for the children to use, we have Thai pads too (they're Thai Thai pads as they were brought back from Thailand lol!)

We also have Thai pads as well, are you training with me!!:highfive:

 

[IcemanSK]

What he said!!
We even have small ones for the children to use, we have Thai pads too (they're Thai Thai pads as they were brought back from Thailand lol!)

I went looking for my Thai pads for class tonight & they are A.W.O.L. If they're not in my wife's car, I'll have to buy new ones. :fanboy: I love going to the MA supply store.

 

[terryl965]

I went looking for my Thai pads for class tonight & they are A.W.O.L. If they're not in my wife's car, I'll have to buy new ones. :fanboy: I love going to the MA supply store.

You do not need a reason just go.

 

[IcemanSK]

You do not need a reason just go.

In my case, my school is very part time & still need the $$ to make ends meet. I have to buy gear in bits & pieces. Since I thought I had some Thai pads, I can't just go & buy new ones. The house needs to be torn apart, first to make sure I don't have them, somewhere.

But, if I must replace them, then I have too.artyon:

 

[exile]

I'm not a fan of the kicking shield, preferring the heavy bag because it is sturdier and does not rely on having someone else hold my target for me.

No question, the bag rules. The problem is usually logistics: in our setup, a rec center, we have places to hang bags but no bags of our own. So for kicking practice, it's shields or nothing...

I've seen them less recently, which is annoying as they are one of my favourites. They actively prevent injuries. Locking kicks out with no resistance isnt good news.

I use them all the time & have never had injuries with them.

Still, in spite of what I wrote above, I love shields. We just did some kick training with them yesterday, in fact. They convert the smallest space into a real dojang, I think. Bags have their advantages too... practicality rules everything, in the end. I envy people with 5000 square feet of dojang space, a board-holding setup for high kicking breaks, and a dozen heavy bags... but we ain't got 'em! Shields help you eke out the limits on your resources... plus, they give you a very, um, personal sense of the power of each of your students' kicks.

We have a father and very young son in our school whose English is minimal. The child is almost pathologically shy. But he's getting better. His father is lean to the point of skinny, a bit stoop-shouldered, very hesitant... but in the past month he's suddently come on like gangbusters: My instructor and I were holding the full-body shields for two separate lineups in our class, and when this fellow came up to deliver a series of good-form roundhouse kicks (knee chamber dead-parallel to the floor, all the rest), he practically knocked me onto my back with the force of his kick. It felt so good!!! A huge amount of progress in a very short time was reflected in those kicks... if it had been a bag, I really wouldn't have had any idea of just how good his kicking has gotten in the very recent past.

 

[K31]

We use kicking shields. I would not have thought them a hazard until the other night we were practicing combinations of kicks, a front kick followed by a round house. The guy paired with me wasn't turning quite 90 degrees to take the round house even after the instructor corrected him. I know he took a few on the shoulder and else where.

 

[FearlessFreep]

We use kicking shields. I would not have thought them a hazard until the other night we were practicing combinations of kicks, a front kick followed by a round house. The guy paired with me wasn't turning quite 90 degrees to take the round house even after the instructor corrected him. I know he took a few on the shoulder and else where.

In all this conversation I never considered the injury to the holder

I found out tonight that my son (15 yo, my height, 40 lbs lighter) doesn't want to hold the Muay Thai pads for me any more because when I kick, I hit them so hard that the jarring force through his body gives him headaches after a few rounds...

 

[Kacey]

We have several sizes and shapes in my class; they are used as appropriate.

 

[turtle]

I've heard a few people complain that they didn't like holding the shields because they injured their wrists or arms, which was probably the result of incorrect technique. I'd rather kick a bag but that's just personal preference.