Stay light on your feet in your fighting stance, and practice shifting your weight from foot to foot. [2] X Expert Source David EngelMuay Thai Instructor & Self Defense Trainer Expert Interview. 5 May 2020. When you kick, you’ll be shifting your weight quickly, so being stiff will give you slow, weak kicks.
Focus front kicks at your opponent’s midsection and torso. You could aim for the head if you can kick high enough, but most competitions ban head kicks. Never make contact with your toes or you could break bones in your foot. For a less powerful but faster attack, try performing this kick with your front leg instead of your back leg. It could catch your opponent off guard.
If you throw the kick with your right leg, extend your left arm behind you at the same time. Do the opposite if you kick with your left foot. This helps maintain your balance. Like with front kicks, aim side kicks at the opponent’s midsection. Side kicks are also a good kick to break boards with because they have a lot of power.
Extend the arm on your kicking side down as you kick to maintain balance. While movies show martial artists roundhouse kicking opponents in the head, this is very difficult to do. It’s also dangerous because you could tear a muscle or your opponent could catch your leg. Instead, aim for your opponent’s thighs. Low kicks are harder to defend against and can do a lot of damage. Never make contact with the top of your foot when doing a roundhouse kick. The small bones here can break easily if you hit something hard.
Look behind you when you throw this kick so you can aim it better. Aim for the opponent’s midsection. Like with a side kick, extend your arm on the opposite side to stay balanced. For a more complicated move, spin before throwing this kick to execute a spinning back kick.
Your heel doesn’t have to be off the ground for all kicks, but make sure the majority of your weight isn’t focused on this point. You’ll be stiff and less balanced with all your weight on your heel. Different kicks require your supporting foot to be in different positions. In a side kick, for example, your supporting foot faces backward. But no matter what the foot position is, always focus your weight on the ball of your foot.
A chamber is the position you enter to prepare for a kick. The position changes depending on which kick you’re throwing. If you’re going to kick with your right leg, stand with your left side closer to the wall. Press your left hand against the wall and kick with your right leg. Do these motions slowly so your body gets used to kicking. Touch the wall as lightly as possible. Just use it to help maintain balance. Don’t lean all your weight against it because then you won’t learn how to kick properly.
Different kicks have different chamber positions. For a front kick, bring your leg straight up with your knee bent. For a side kick, lift your leg to the opposite shoulder from your kicking leg with your knee bent. For a roundhouse kick, turn your body to the side and lift your leg forward, keeping your knee bent. Go through these motions to improve your balance. Add the chamber positions for different kicks if you know them. If you have trouble balancing in the beginning, try adding a few short hops to maintain your balance. As you improve, you’ll be more stable when your leg is in the air.
Shift the direction and weight distribution on your support foot as you change positions and keep your support leg straight.
Repeat this motion for all the kicks you know. Remember to train both legs as well. Don’t just drop your leg after you complete the kick. This is an incomplete motion and won’t train your balance. Slowly retract your leg and re-enter your fighting stance for a full motion. Even if this feels difficult at first, keep practicing. The more you improve your mechanics and balance, the less you’ll have to think about it, which will allow you to focus more on power. [11] X Expert Source David EngelMuay Thai Instructor & Self Defense Trainer Expert Interview. 5 May 2020.
Some martial arts use specific words for different moves. This forces you to exhale when performing attacks and represents a release of power.
Use the side of the hip that you’re kicking from. If you’re kicking with your right leg, snap the right side of your hip towards the target when you throw the kick. The hip snap goes in different directions depending on what type of kick you throw. In a front kick, for example, snap your hip straight forward. In a roundhouse kick, snap your hip sideways in the direction you’re kicking. Use your hips when you perform other attacks as well. A hip snap right before a punch adds a lot of power.
Common impact points are the ball of the foot for a front kick, the blade of the foot for a side kick, and the shin just above the ankle for a roundhouse kick. Some other kicks up different parts of the foot. A hook kick, for example, uses the heel as its impact point.
See if a local gym has a heavy bag and train on it a few times per week. If no gyms have heavy bags, try to find a nearby martial arts dojo. If you want to hang a heavy bag at home, make sure you have a strong point that can withstand its weight. Mounted heavy bags are more convenient for home use. They are portable and have a base filled with water or sand.
Squats and deadlifts are compound, full-body exercises that especially target your legs and back. Short-distance sprints and deep squats will help you build leg strength, especially if you work out with a weighted vest. [15] X Expert Source David EngelMuay Thai Instructor & Self Defense Trainer Expert Interview. 5 May 2020. Plyometric exercises like box jumps, burpees, vertical jumps train your legs for the explosive power of kicking. [16] X Research source
