Anyone else have/had a hell of a time learning muay thai kick?

[bloodinbloodout]

I'm having a pretty hard time learning the mechanics of the roundhouse and the switch. I think I have taken the teep and knees pretty well (they aren't hard at all to learn however.) I've been looking online for instructional videos but haven't yet found any. Anyone else having this problem? Did shadowing help correct it? I find it real hard to learn the form without actually striking something, but my coach says I should be spinning through the kick when doing it and it will come easier. Let's hear your thoughts.

 

[megamania500]

I had an explanation but it wasn't very good

 

[tmk123]

Your Instructor is right, if you ever watch a Muay Thai fight, you'll notice that if they kick and miss, they always (ALWAYS) spin through it, thats because they dont pull there kicks at all, they put everything into it(Shoulders,Hips).

Its really hard to give you advice on doing a Roundhouse Kick when i cant see you do one, but i'll try and give some tips on proper forms(My opinion on proper form)

-Keep your back as straight as possible
-Make sure you pivot your front foot before you kick(if its a rear leg kick)
-Dont go Horizonal with your side or chest (leaning back to much, this will throw you way off blance)
-Get your hips and Shoulders into it, your shoulder are the pivot point, if they turn your entire body will.

Thats all i can think of,

Hope this helps

-TMK

 

[MikeMartial]

-Make sure you pivot your front foot before you kick(if its a rear leg kick)
-
Hope this helps

-TMK

All the advice was sound, but this is probably THEE biggest problem most students have.

The supporting foot has to turn away from the kick. Period. If it doesn't, all mechanics go out the window.

 

[Kane Fan]

I'm having a pretty hard time learning the mechanics of the roundhouse and the switch. I think I have taken the teep and knees pretty well (they aren't hard at all to learn however.) I've been looking online for instructional videos but haven't yet found any. Anyone else having this problem? Did shadowing help correct it? I find it real hard to learn the form without actually striking something, but my coach says I should be spinning through the kick when doing it and it will come easier. Let's hear your thoughts.

it's easier for me to do it with a target as well
I assume you mean the low kick?
what's the teep
and what's a switch
do you mean a high roundhouse?
I trained in tkd for 3 years so most kicking is pretty easy for me
have some difficulty with ax kicks tho that I never did get over so I just tend to skip them

 

[Kane Fan]

hmm I often am almost leaning back like I'm trying to do a cartwheel for a low kick
it actually helps me with balance as opposed to trying to do it standing
I dunno I'm often odd

 

[Big Rick Rock]

It came pretty natural to me.


-BRR

 

[tmk123]

hmm I often am almost leaning back like I'm trying to do a cartwheel for a low kick
it actually helps me with balance as opposed to trying to do it standing
I dunno I'm often odd

If it works for you, go for it

There is proper form, but noone said you couldnt modify it to fit your body and needs

Thought of a drill that we use to do at my dojo:

Go up and load for a roundhouse kick, dont accually kick just load up for one, try and hold it for as long as possible, and then try again, try and beat your last time, when you can hold it for around 20 seconds, close your eyes and try(this makes it much more difficult), this really helped me with my balance when i was starting out.

-TMK

 

[Kane Fan]

yah
well much as I'd like to kick my instructor feels that I"m going to be a lousy kicker
I'm still going to practice it tho
he's been into martial arts for a long time now and if he looks at me and thinks 'bad kicks' I hope my future opponents will do the same
nice to suprise them
only kicks I really see myself using are the low kick an the push kick anyway but I'd still like to be able to do more

 

[tmk123]

yah
well much as I'd like to kick my instructor feels that I"m going to be a lousy kicker
I'm still going to practice it tho
he's been into martial arts for a long time now and if he looks at me and thinks 'bad kicks' I hope my future opponents will do the same
nice to suprise them
only kicks I really see myself using are the low kick an the push kick anyway but I'd still like to be able to do more

Your instructor says your gonna be a lousy kicker?

Very supportive he is :-D

Might want to try and tell him your not born a kicker, you have to practice? hehe

 

[Kane Fan]

well he likes to focus on natural strengths more then improve weaknesses
he improves our weaknesses just not as much as he wants to improve our strengths
he said my low kick looked good when I tried it

 

[bloodinbloodout]

Kane, switch kick is the opposite foot of your roundhouse, so for me it's my left foot. I guess it's called the switch because you have to switch your stance. The Teep is what you called the "push" kick. Same mechanics as a knee as far as thrusting with your hips. It's like a jab (to the legs or chest) which I really use to create distance.

 

[tmk123]

Switch Kick:

-Start in Left Side Forward Stance
-Rear Leg Round Kick
-Switch to Right Side Forward Stance
-Rear Leg Round Kick

Kindof a jumping switch is what we use, and you do it fast

Most poeple do a rear leg round and then come down with the leg they kicked with in front, but this makes you loose power.

If you switch your Hips will be ready to put alot of power into the kick.

 

[tzaroff123]

3 advices,

1 get a good professional trainer and i mean as in one who can compete with titles to show off as his credentials.

2 practise hard...very very hard.

3 get more flexibility...the twisting and trusting and rotation of the hips and knees need these...and these are jus teh basic fundementals of Muay Thai.


Good luck

 

[Big Rick Rock]

For the switch kick. You want to bring your left leg back FIRST, just as your toes make contact with the ground (even in line or just past your right foot) THEN you want to take a short skip and put your right foot forward. I see a lot of guys who try to switch their feet at the same time in one hop... Don't do that! Left leg back FIRST then bring the right foot forth as the left foot touches. Once you do it a few hundred times it will feel very natural... Also, when in your normal stance your lead leg(Left) points forward and your rear leg(Right) points at a 45 degree angle.... When you switch your feet for the kick, they stay the same, your Left foot points forward and your right points at a 45 degree angle. Even when your right foot is in the lead just before the kick, it still points at 45 degrees. (Unless you are switching stance to South P. )




-BRR

 

[Yarg!]

Screw roundhouse kicks, use tornado kicks like Shogun. Even if they don't land your opponents will be so dazzled, they will have no choice but to knock themselves out.

 

[Kane Fan]

Kane, switch kick is the opposite foot of your roundhouse, so for me it's my left foot. I guess it's called the switch because you have to switch your stance. The Teep is what you called the "push" kick. Same mechanics as a knee as far as thrusting with your hips. It's like a jab (to the legs or chest) which I really use to create distance.

thanks
so a switch is a rear roundkick? or lead?
I use the Teep/PushKick to create distance to and hopefully put them of fbalance so I can move in for Clinch

 

[Kane Fan]

ok so the switch is switching stances under cover of a kick?

 

[Big Rick Rock]

A switch kick = A roundhouse kick you perform with you lead leg, you first switch your stance to bring your lead leg back... Thats where the "switch" comes from.




-BRR

 

[Snypr]

If it works for you, go for it

There is proper form, but noone said you couldnt modify it to fit your body and needs

Thought of a drill that we use to do at my dojo:

Go up and load for a roundhouse kick, dont accually kick just load up for one, try and hold it for as long as possible, and then try again, try and beat your last time, when you can hold it for around 20 seconds, close your eyes and try(this makes it much more difficult), this really helped me with my balance when i was starting out.

-TMK

good good stuff

 

[Kane Fan]

A switch kick = A roundhouse kick you perform with you lead leg, you first switch your stance to bring your lead leg back... Thats where the "switch" comes from.




-BRR

ok so you start in a stance
switch stances and throw a roundkick with the back leg?
or you start in a stance
switch stances and throw a roundkick with the lead leg?
(leg possition I'm using meaning after the kick?)

 

[tmk123]

Ok, suppose your left side forward.... You then jump and switch to right side forward and throw a round kick with your left leg.

Or you can...

Start left side forward, Throw a right side round kick, bring it back switch, throw a left side round kick, switch and so on and so forth.

Pretty much its a jump with a switch in your feet and then a round kick from the rear leg.

 

[Kane Fan]

ok
I kind of prefer doingit the other way
switching and throwing with what is now the lead

 

[tmk123]

Cool, do you use that for like a distracting kick?

Most of the time front leg kicks are to distract or push your opponent back (there set up kicks)

Rear leg is where you get your power.

-TMK

 

[Kane Fan]

my lead is solid for power
but I used to use it a lot in point sparring where power isn't really an issue

 

[tmk123]

Your lead is solid for power? its therotically impossible for your front to be stronger than your rear.

 

[Big Rick Rock]

Your lead is solid for power? its therotically impossible for your front to be stronger than your read.

If he is snaping the kick at the knee with his "off" leg(rather than putting his hip into it) , there is a good chance he is generating more power than a roundhouse with his dominant leg that is not performed correctly.
Even some soccer players have more power with their "off" leg, it comes from the quad muscle snaping the leg forward like in a Karate kick , rather than the synchronized movement of your whole body of a roundhouse.


I could be wrong though, I need to see a Vid of him kicking pads or a bag to really be able to tell.



-BRR

 

[tmk123]

If he is snaping the kick at the knee with his "off" leg(rather than putting his hip into it) , there is a good chance he is generating more power than a roundhouse with his dominant leg that is not performed correctly.
Even some soccer players have more power with their "off" leg, it comes from the quad muscle snaping the leg forward like in a Karate kick , rather than the synchronized movement of your whole body of a roundhouse.


I could be wrong though, I need to see a Vid of him kicking pads or a bag to really be able to tell.



-BRR

I really cant see how you can generate more power this way, on a rear leg round kick you have the entire motion to generate power where as the front leg you have like you said the knee(this totally takes away the hip) which are the main source of power IMO.

I mean, im not disagreeing with you(because you have a viable poing), i just think that the rear leg is more powerful(for me atleast).

-TMK

 

[Kane Fan]

Your lead is solid for power? its therotically impossible for your front to be stronger than your rear.

I didn't say it's stronger I said it's solid for power
as in if I kick you with my lead you know I am attempting to harm you not just score contact

 

[Kane Fan]

I could see it going the way he's talking tho
like if your timing is off a bit with your rear leg because of the extra turning

 

[tmk123]

Hmm, no idea, my take has always been:

Front: Speed
Rear: Power

:-D

 

[Saintinistic]

yah
well much as I'd like to kick my instructor feels that I"m going to be a lousy kicker

Thats as sad as they come. Everyone has potential. But not everyone has the same abilities. Relaxed form may help, if your too tense then it goes to shit.

as for improving the effectiveness of the kick to the thigh, try the small "step in" to place the lead foot in the position for a good pivot, and by default your body already has momentum building as it follows through behind the step in. grinding a flat foot wont be as effective.

 

[Spanky11]

Hmm, no idea, my take has always been:

Front: Speed
Rear: Power

:-D

it is possible to get alot of power into your front kicks - your rear foot needs to move into right position though.

I have made alot of damage with a switch kick to the ribs, head, and even the guys back leg (think of a normal leg kick but to the guys outer leg).

the front puch kick can set up things very nicely, if need be...

it all comes with timing and experience.

 

[Judo Tom]

All the advice was sound, but this is probably THEE biggest problem most students have.

The supporting foot has to turn away from the kick. Period. If it doesn't, all mechanics go out the window.

anyone got pics or vids that will show this..

if not can someone go into greater detail for a righty

sorry i havent studied striking much but its almost time to start stepping it up a bit

 

[shamrock11]

probably one of the biggest thing that peoplle don't realize about a good round house kick is it come froms the hips and the hipe flexors and if you have tight hip flexors following through with a round house will just feel weird. This is the key to a good powerful follow through round house. Most peope don't actually notice it until they do a art like Muay Tai kicks since most other arts don't follow all the way through so you never notice.