One small step closer...

[Tez3]

Do you really want someone who has been practicing for a few weeks to kick at your face and trust they have the control to not hit you yet?

Yes. I do. You did read the part about starting slowly, right?

Besides, if I do MY part of the exercise correctly, it doesn't really matter how much control they do or do not have.

Damn, DD I read the first, was about to reply just to find out you'd already said what I was going to!
Not many who have been training a few weeks can kick to someone's face, though if you can and you're experienced you aren't going to stand and take the hit lol. One moves/blocks/whatever.

Long term I see myself becoming an instructor so it's awesome to start getting that training now

Well done, there's a lot to instructing especially children that isn't actually technique or even martial arts related so it's good to learn how to be an instructor, many take their black or whatever belt they need and think they can teach, they often can't however good they are at martial arts.

 

[serietah]

Only two classes left til belt testing!! I am so nervous and excited all in one. We have been focusing this week on details and really fine tuning everything. I don't have anything to compare us to but the plethora of youtube videos of belt testing and I have to say for white belts I think we are all doing awesome. I really hope I'll be able to get video of the test to share with you guys. I do have a kind of crappy video of my mom and I practicing our kicking combination though (with a guest appearance by my awesome cat, Percy).

 

[Dirty Dog]

You might want to tweak your YouTube settings, since the video cannot be played from here...

 

[Dirty Dog]

Cute cat.
What is the reason for kiaping AFTER the kick? Typically, a kiap is done WITH the strike, not later.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I've got the same question as Dirty Dog-Why kiai after words? Outside of that, it looks good, you've got the motions down for each of those kicks well! If you don't mind a slight critique, make sure that you focus on your hands for each kick. Not going to comment on your guard itself, as this changes between styles and I no nothing about TKD guards, but you should make sure to have your hands consistently going back to the guard afterwards, and not leave it too much during the kick itself. It's a tough habit to break once you have it.

 

[serietah]

Thanks guys! I set the video to be viewable with the link only since I'm quite self conscious over it haha. To be honest I'm not sure why we kiap after, but it's what we were taught to do just for this specific combo. For everything else it's with the kick itself.

I haven't been paying much attention to my hands, so I'll work on that! I appreciate the feedback.

Edit to add I figured which setting I messed up. Whoops! I'll fix it. Apparently I'll fix it after class because I don't see the setting on my phone. Apologies!

 

[Azulx]

Thanks guys! I set the video to be viewable with the link only since I'm quite self conscious over it haha. To be honest I'm not sure why we kiap after, but it's what we were taught to do just for this specific combo. For everything else it's with the kick itself.

I haven't been paying much attention to my hands, so I'll work on that! I appreciate the feedback.

Edit to add I figured which setting I messed up. Whoops! I'll fix it. Apparently I'll fix it after class because I don't see the setting on my phone. Apologies!

First off, I would like to say I think it's awesome that your mom does this with you. I wish I still did activities with my parents, unfortunately our schedules don't match at all, so I don't get to do much with them. Second, for the front kicks, I can't tell if you are doing them with the ball of your foot or top? Third, I find your side kicks impressive for a white belt. I have been in my school's instructor program since September of last year, and the side kick almost always gives our white belts trouble. They just don't get that you have to push out with your heel and not snap the kick out like a round house. So, great job on that! As far as the Ki-haps, your school may use that just a substitute for counting, instead of yelling one/hanah, two/dhool, etc. you just ki-hap.

 

[serietah]

First off, I would like to say I think it's awesome that your mom does this with you. I wish I still did activities with my parents, unfortunately our schedules don't match at all, so I don't get to do much with them. Second, for the front kicks, I can't tell if you are doing them with the ball of your foot or top? Third, I find your side kicks impressive for a white belt. I have been in my school's instructor program since September of last year, and the side kick almost always gives our white belts trouble. They just don't get that you have to push out with your heel and not snap the kick out like a round house. So, great job on that! As far as the Ki-haps, your school may use that just a substitute for counting, instead of yelling one/hanah, two/dhool, etc. you just ki-hap.

Oh wow thank you so much! We work really hard on side kicks and Master Kim always stresses how the chamber is different than roundhouse kicks and that the foot needs to be turned. He's very detail oriented, which I love! For the front snap kicks we use the top of our foot. I am pretty sure that we learn it that way so we don't hurt ourselves on targets while we work on proper form, but I've never thought to ask. And I think you may be right on the counting thing; that makes sense!

 

[Tames D]

Keep up the good work. You remind me of how passionate I was when I started back in the early 70's as a young teen.

 

[Azulx]

Oh wow thank you so much! We work really hard on side kicks and Master Kim always stresses how the chamber is different than roundhouse kicks and that the foot needs to be turned. He's very detail oriented, which I love! For the front snap kicks we use the top of our foot. I am pretty sure that we learn it that way so we don't hurt ourselves on targets while we work on proper form, but I've never thought to ask. And I think you may be right on the counting thing; that makes sense!

Ah I see, for front kicks we are taught to use the ball. The reason behind this is because the top leaves your foot more vulnerable to fracture, if it strikes an elbow, for example. If you see an opening at the ribs , you can front snap kick with the ball, and dig right under the rib cage.This will cause some damage. With your foot locked down it becomes difficult to strike the body with front kicks. When I first started Tae Kwon Do I wanted to do front kicks with the top. I played soccer for 15 years and I wanted to kick as if I was hitting a volley. This is how my instructor taught me not to do so, because he'd say I would break my foot kicking that way. If this how your instructor wants the kicks done, then it is important to do so. I am curious as to why he teaches the front kick with the top.

 

[Jaeimseu]

Ah I see, for front kicks we are taught to use the ball. The reason behind this is because the top leaves your foot more vulnerable to fracture, if it strikes an elbow, for example. If you see an opening at the ribs , you can front snap kick with the ball, and dig right under the rib cage.This will cause some damage. With your foot locked down it becomes difficult to strike the body with front kicks. When I first started Tae Kwon Do I wanted to do front kicks with the top. I played soccer for 15 years and I wanted to kick as if I was hitting a volley. This is how my instructor taught me not to do so, because he'd say I would break my foot kicking that way. If this how your instructor wants the kicks done, then it is important to do so. I am curious as to why he teaches the front kick with the top.

In Korea we always practice front kicking targets with the instep. For poomse we pull the toes back.

 

[Azulx]

In Korea we always practice front kicking targets with the instep. For poomse we pull the toes back.

This is interesting, because this is how we do for turning kicks. Is it because you may hurt yourself kicking the target? Is there a purpose for the differentiation of technique?

 

[Azulx]

@Jaeimseu in sparring do y'all front kick with the top as well?

 

[Jaeimseu]

This is interesting, because this is how we do for turning kicks. Is it because you may hurt yourself kicking the target? Is there a purpose for the differentiation of technique?

I suspect it's as simple as it makes a better sound, though it may just be preparing students for round kick.

 

[Jaeimseu]

@Jaeimseu in sparring do y'all front kick with the top as well?

I've never seen a front kick used in sparring. Very occasionally I'll see the pushing variety.

 

[Azulx]

I've never seen a front kick used in sparring. Very occasionally I'll see the pushing variety.

Are you in an Olympic Sparring School?

 

[Jaeimseu]

Are you in an Olympic Sparring School?

We're Kukkiwon Taekwondo, so yes.

 

[Azulx]

We're Kukkiwon Taekwondo, so yes.

Oh I see, I have a very limited knowledge of Olympic Sparring (Youtube Videos), and I don't see any front kicks during sparring . Just a lot of turning kicks, and spin kicks.

 

[Jaeimseu]

Oh I see, I have a very limited knowledge of Olympic Sparring (Youtube Videos), and I don't see any front kicks during sparring . Just a lot of turning kicks, and spin kicks.

Yeah, it's a round kick game. 90-95% round kicks (generally speaking) with most non-round kicks based on countering round kick.

 

[TrueJim]

Only two classes left til belt testing...

I particularly like that you're chambering the ankle too, not just the knee. For example when I'm working with beginner students on a front kick (ap chagi) I find that some beginners spend so much time focusing on chambering the knee (i.e., lifting up the knee, but keeping the shin pointing downward) that they are unable to also pay attention to the ankle (straighten the ankle as the knee is lifted, so that the instep of your foot is already prepared for the kick). Your technique shows that you are successfully avoiding many bad habits.


To some of the other comments in this thread...

The school I attend is a Kukkiwon-style school and we're taught to pull the toes back on front kicks and roundhouse kicks when doing poomsae, but curl the toes down for sparring, breaking, and demonstrating combinations. Admittedly though, we're not taught this distinction until we're fairly far along in our training. For beginners, we just teach them to keep the toes curled even for poomsae.

I started in traditional taekwondo back in the 1970s and we always pulled the toes back, back then. When I first saw kids breaking boards with their insteps at this school I'm at now, I was like "Wha-a-a-at.....?" But actually, a person's instep is apparently much stronger than I realized!

Also, when doing basic kicking drills at our school, we too kihap on the kicks. When practicing kicking combinations, we call out the Korean name of the kick as we perform it (this makes it pretty easy for even the littlest kids to learn the names of the kicks...in fact, many of our littlest kids don't even know the English names for these kicks!).