Kicks & Palm Strikes

[Xue Sheng]

After my abysmal training session with my Sanda Sifu last week I am wondering about something.

1) How many high front snap kicks can you do at one time? (Meaning one right after the other per leg)

2) If you train palm strikes, how many do you train at one time? (Meaning one right after the other per palm)

The kick is (if you saw the Human weapon in China) very similar to the kick they did at the Police training academy, a high kick to the bottom of the other guys jaw. It is a front snap kick but at the last second before impact the ankle bend and you end up kicking with the toes. The idea is you are wearing shoes so your toes are protected and as with many things Sanda you are not exactly being nice to the other guy so you really are trying to hurt him really badly.

I will admit I have not been training high kicks for awhile, like I have said many times, why kick them in the head when the knee is there just asking to be kicked. But he explained the reasons; let’s just say for expedience it is just another weapon in the arsenal. And at this level it is also for increasing the strength and speed of kicks.

He wants me to do about 300 per side per day. He really does not care if I do Right, Left, Right, Left, repeat 150 times or left 300 then right 300 or any combination thereof. I use to (when I was young) train 150 to 200 kicks per day (various kicks) but not 600 (of the exact same kick). And I have been working on this and it pains me to admit I am old and not in the shape I use to be so I can do about 50, per leg, correctly. From then on it ain’t pretty so I tend to stop there. But my legs are never stiff or sore the next day (which has me wondering if I am pushing myself enough) and I am doing these kicks after 20 minutes on a treadmill and some stretching. Remember I am old and need a long warm up and stretching lest I hurt myself at this stage.

Palm Strike, same thing about 300 per hand, he prefers I use a tree but he has conceded to allow me to use a heavy bag since I tend to train at night, it is winter and the temp has been getting down into the teens or below in my area of the world. I actually think 300 per hand on a heavy bag is not that big a deal, I did 100 per hand the past couple of evenings and by arms are a bit stiff but it actually feels good but then as someone on MT once called me a "genuine, certifiable MA House O' Pain maniac" :EG: (thanks exile) so that is really not all that surprising.

 

[Tez3]

I have been told by a few instructors that the more you kick the faster you get, I can't remember the exact timings ( I'm sure someone will know here)but for every so many kicks you get so many seconds faster.

 

[jlhummel]

I dont think the number you do is the point, your teacher is just giving a number to make you practice till you do it right everytime, as well as some conditioning most likely. "Do as many as you need to get it right and then do ten more" was what one of my teachers always said when he was asked how many should i do.

 

[charyuop]

I say immediately that I don't kick hee hee, but the many time repetition excercise in my Art (Aikido) I learnt most of the times have a purpose. I'll use an example.
We have an exercise where you do 1000 cuts with a bokken (wooden sword). That doesn't mean that every cut is done to learn the movement, but to get tired. If in the middle of exercise you get your shoulders tired, it means you are doing the exercise wrong (as in you are doing all cuts with your shoulders). Getting tired at that point will show you the correct way to do the cut, because it gets harder and harder, the closer you get to 1000 cuts, to do a cut with your shoulders, thus you will tend to do it correctly.

I wonder if the same reasoning is worth for most of the many repetition exercises.

 

[KempoGuy06]

Im going to try this kicking drill with some of my high kicks. I might start with my low kicks first since im having issues with my knee but Ill get there eventually

B

 

[Xue Sheng]

I have been told by a few instructors that the more you kick the faster you get, I can't remember the exact timings ( I'm sure someone will know here)but for every so many kicks you get so many seconds faster.

I do believe that is part of it, he is fast, damn fast and powerful but he has been doing Sanda for about 30 years.

I dont think the number you do is the point, your teacher is just giving a number to make you practice till you do it right everytime, as well as some conditioning most likely. "Do as many as you need to get it right and then do ten more" was what one of my teachers always said when he was asked how many should i do.

Thanks I will do that tonight.

I say immediately that I don't kick hee hee, but the many time repetition excercise in my Art (Aikido) I learnt most of the times have a purpose. I'll use an example.
We have an exercise where you do 1000 cuts with a bokken (wooden sword). That doesn't mean that every cut is done to learn the movement, but to get tired. If in the middle of exercise you get your shoulders tired, it means you are doing the exercise wrong (as in you are doing all cuts with your shoulders). Getting tired at that point will show you the correct way to do the cut, because it gets harder and harder, the closer you get to 1000 cuts, to do a cut with your shoulders, thus you will tend to do it correctly.

I wonder if the same reasoning is worth for most of the many repetition exercises.

Actually in part it is the same reasoning and I can tell because my form, height and execution with my right is much much better than my left and although after 50 my right leg is tired I am forcing my left to keep up in numbers and it is not as easy with my left. To many old injuries I guess.

Im going to try this kicking drill with some of my high kicks. I might start with my low kicks first since im having issues with my knee but Ill get there eventually

B

I start low, but I do not count the low kicks only the ones at the height my Sifu wants.

 

[Flying Crane]

Be careful with doing high reps of high kicks. Over time it can destroy your hips. Hip replacements are never as good as the real thing...

Front kicks are less damaging, but if you start doing really high side kicks and roundhouse kicks, and wide crescent kicks it can lead to problems. The hips just aren't designed for that range/direction of movement.

I do a few high front kicks on a regular basis, mostly training them as part of my stretching routine. Some of my Chinese forms have some high kicks in them so I also keep them for that. But otherwise, I have really moved away from high kicks for the most part.

My regular kicking training includes various types of front, side, roundhouse, back, crescent, and hook kicks. I probably hit 200-400 or so when I run thru them, but I don't do them every day. And I keep them pretty low, hips and lower. I don't think you need to do huge repetitions to develop good kicks. Train smart. Keep you old age in mind. You still wanna walk when you are 80, right?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Be careful with doing high reps of high kicks. Over time it can destroy your hips. Hip replacements are never as good as the real thing...

Front kicks are less damaging, but if you start doing really high side kicks and roundhouse kicks, and wide crescent kicks it can lead to problems. The hips just aren't designed for that range/direction of movement.

I do a few high front kicks on a regular basis, mostly training them as part of my stretching routine. Some of my Chinese forms have some high kicks in them so I also keep them for that. But otherwise, I have really moved away from high kicks for the most part.

My regular kicking training includes various types of front, side, roundhouse, back, crescent, and hook kicks. I probably hit 200-400 or so when I run thru them, but I don't do them every day. And I keep them pretty low, hips and lower. I don't think you need to do huge repetitions to develop good kicks. Train smart. Keep you old age in mind. You still wanna walk when you are 80, right?

It is only the front snap kick.

From what I can tell so far Police/Military Sanda is not big on high kicks. There are a lot of kicks that focus on the other guys knee and various things from the waist down:btg: but only this one that is high and it is literally for purposes of trying to kick someone in the jaw fast and with a whole lot of force and with your toes, so I am not sure if it is actually considered a high kick by what I have seen called a high kick in the past, it is just higher than I have been training but considerably lower than the axe kick I use to have to do way back in my tkd days.

Not a whole lot of fancy with Sanda just a lot of direct stuff. It is not big on a lot of extra stuff that will put you in jeopardy like many high kicks (in my opinion) do. And as I have said before it is just a quick way to learn how to hurt someone real bad, but then look at its origin.

I have just never had a sifu or Sensei or teacher tell me do 300 kicks per leg per day and do 300 strikes per palm per day before and I have been at this a long time. So it made me wonder what others did.

 

[kidswarrior]

I have just never had a sifu or Sensei or teacher tell me do 300 kicks per leg per day and do 300 strikes per palm per day before and I have been at this a long time. So it made me wonder what others did.

I haven't either, although in classes I've been pushed beyond my limit (but then after boot camp, how bad can any of it be? ). And I push students pretty hard (for them). I should do more of this on my own, though. This thread is a good reminder.