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• Forward or Backward. Hips are normally moved forward and backward to help maintain balance and stability, but, in Taekwondo, this movement is also used in a forward thrusting motion to add power to a kick without committing the body into taking a forward step. When the hips (mid-section of body) are thrust forward behind a kick, such as a front kick, the body's mass is added to the force of the kick. To maintain balance during a thrust, the upper and lower sections of the body are held back. After a thrust kick, the kick may be retracted without stepping forward. As long as stability is maintained, the retracted foot may be placed anywhere the person chooses. The hips are thrust forward for power, not to increase the range of the technique. The hips are thrust forward with focus at the proper time, with only a two or three-inch movement. If the hips are thrust to reach out to the target, both power and stability are lost, which defeats the purpose of the thrust. Some say that the thrusting motion limits follow-up techniques since the hips must be brought back over the base to attain a stable base before any appreciable power may be applied to another attack or a block. While this is true, it is also a known limitation, which means the user is aware of the limitation and only uses thrusts when conditions are favorable.

• Sideways. Hips may be moved to the sides to maintain stability, to avoid a mid-section attack, or to thrust the point of the hip in an attacking motion.

• Twisting. Hips may be moved in a horizontal twisting motion around the vertical axis of the body. This is movement is primarily used to add the body's mass to the force of an attack without upsetting stability. Most martial arts, including traditional Taekwondo styles and Olympic style, World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), Taekwondo, use hip twisting (hip snap) when performing blocks or attacks. Rather than just adding more force to a technique, hip snapping adds "devastating" force to a technique. Hip twisting should not be confused with body rotation, where the entire body is rotated into a technique. See Hip Snap for more information.

• Roll. It is difficult thrust the hips behind kicks other than front type kicks, such as the front kick, axe kick, or twist kick. To add body mass to these types of kicks, such as the side kick or round kick, the hips are rolled over and inward as the kick makes impact. The hip roll adds "devastating" jolting power to these kicks just as the thrust does for front type kicks.

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