I have heard to get faster kicks you need to practice throwing light and fast kicks. Not hard and slow techniques. It looks like when you practice like this you have almost zero tension in the body and are dancing. Is this the art in martial arts? Does this improve agility and speed?
Dancing and Agility
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Yes this will help with agility and speed but you must also fit in power and speed as well.
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When you first start training like this is it supposed to look silly (well not really but other people who dont know what you are doing will) and then as you progress more speed and power. My butterfly kicks and jump spin cresents look really ugly, slow, and rigid.
I agree with Terry, one must have both. A friend who has trained in JMA & CMA for 40+ years saw me doing forms one day & said, "you look so tense, relax." I said, "it's a hard-style Art, you're gonna be tense."
He encouraged me to do my forms at a nearly Tai Chi-paced way in order to really feel the forms in a different way. Since he's a 7th Dan & my friend I humored him. To my surprise, I was more relaxed & focused. When he said, "good, now do them the way you were," I was amazed at how much better I did them: sharper & with more power!
He encouraged me to do my forms at a nearly Tai Chi-paced way in order to really feel the forms in a different way. Since he's a 7th Dan & my friend I humored him. To my surprise, I was more relaxed & focused. When he said, "good, now do them the way you were," I was amazed at how much better I did them: sharper & with more power!
I would hope so. You do them slowly to get the technique. They only look pretty when they're fast:wink1:
Practice slow. Exaggerate the movements a bit. As you get comfortable increase speed. Once you've gotten a little more speed work on the power. You can't develop speed or power unless you're relaxed. If you're not relaxed then you are working against yourself and will lose both speed and power.
Form, speed, and power should be in the same sort of three-legged race as knowledge, understanding and ability. One should never get too far ahead or too far behind. Don't worry about how it looks. Worry about doing it correctly. Smoothness, coordination and confidence in your form are the important ingredients in appearance.
Hard and soft? There's a lot there. Don't worry too much about it yet.
CuongNhuka
Senior Master
Ahh my freind, you and I are two of the same heart, atleast with the 'martial arts + dance' part. for more ideas along that line:
http://www.kcdance.com/Dancing/martial_arts_and_dance.htm?idkey=mackey
http://www.alliancemartialarts.com/tinikling.htm
http://www.kcdance.com/Dancing/martial_arts_and_dance.htm?idkey=mackey
http://www.alliancemartialarts.com/tinikling.htm
Dunno about coming at it from that way. The dancers starting TKD I've known tend to have a really hard time with the stances (dance postures always win) and one's knee kept popping out of joint cause she'd over stretched when she was younger.
DArnold
Purple Belt
There are so many variables to what you ask:
Speed, Power, Focus, Mass, Muscle tension...
For example:
My leg has more muscle and as you tighten up it tends to slow down any technique - So legs even more so!
But, the leg is quite larger than other tools so it can hit harder. (More mass)
Depending on the target you don't need as much power. (Many find it impressive to fold a heavy bag in half. However if I kick you in the temple I need about 1/100th of that power to drop you! - FOCUS)
Tightening up can cause you to Ki so as you perfect kicking it looks like there is less and less effort.
The art is the perfection of the movements, understanding of techniques, and understanding of power! (Understanding demonstraited through performance)
Cheers,
igillman
Purple Belt
We have an ex-ballet dancer at our do-jang and she can perform the kicks with no problem. However, she kicks as light as a feather. She could not break a regular board and she had to use a board that the under 7's use. She is also good at doing the forms. She is an extreme example but it is interesting that the dancers I have seen all have the same issue with power when they start. I have the opposite issue, I have lots of power but I look like a muppet when doing my form.
