Lesson 4: White Belt
Page 10 of 16
Kicks
Taekwondo stylists are known for their quick, powerful, and accurate kicks, not for their "trick" kicks, but for practical, useful kicks. If you cannot kick quick, powerfully, and often, then you will never become a proficient Taekwondo black belt.
- The legs and hips are used for kicks; the rest of the body is pretty much not used at all except for providing support for the kick.
- When kicking, the guard is maintained; the arms are not used for balance, they are using for blocks and follow-up attacks.
- The only indication an opponent should get that a kick is coming is seeing the foot approaching; the rest of the body moves very little.
- The kicking foot stays flat on the floor. Do not rise up on the ball of the foot in an effort to get more height in a kick. This causes instability and loss of power.
- Try to keep the torso and head as upright as possible. If you lean backward in an effort to get more height, you decrease your stability and you take your arms out of the action. While leaning backward, you cannot use the arms for follow-up attacks or to block a counter kick that is faster than your kick. The only time leaning backward is useful when avoiding a kick to your head while firing your counter kick.
- Do not kick from the floor; kick from a chamber. Kicking from the floor may be a microsecond quicker, but it does not have the power of a chambered kick. A proper kick moves through the chambered position so quickly that the time it takes to chamber is negligible. However, chambered kicks are difficult to learn and take lots of practice. Many times students opt for the weak from the floor kick since it easier to perform.
- Most students try to kick as high as possible when practicing kicks. While practicing, all students, especially beginners, should only kick as high as they may kick while still performing the kick as technically perfect as possible. The goal is to perform correct kicks, not high or quick kicks. As a kick gradually gets more technically perfect, height and speed will gradually increase without trying. Try to kick at least waist high; however, many times beginners have difficulty kicking even this high. They should only kick as high as they may properly kick, even if it is only knee high.