Are you better with different legs for different things?

[skribs]

I've noticed something weird regarding my TKD kicks. I seem to be better at doing basic kicks with my right leg, and advanced kicks with my left. For example, my axe kicks are smoother with my right, my front kicks snap harder, and my roundhouse and tornado kicks are much more accurate with my right leg. However, my back kicks are a bit better with the left, and my spinning hook kicks (especially jump) are significantly better from my left leg than my right.

Has anyone else noticed this? That you do some kicks better with one leg and others better than the other? I wonder if this has to do with my being cross-eye dominant (i.e. right-handed, left-eyed).

 

[Dirty Dog]

In my experience, this is nearly universal, especially with newer students. And like you, which leg is "better" varies with the kick. I don't know for a fact what causes it, and it's certainly not something that's ever been formally studied. I doubt if it's in any way related to cross-dominance, since it is, after all, near universal. I suspect that it's more a matter of balance, flexibility and just plain being used to doing things certain ways.

The fix, of course, is simply to train the "weaker" side more. If you do 10 kicks with the "good" leg, do 20 with the other.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

In theory, we should train both sides equally. In reality, we will always be better in one side than the other. I like to develop different skills on different side of my body. This way, I can develop twice as many skills and twice as good. A Judo guy who can do both sides "hip throw" is very unusually. A guy who can shoot hand gun with both hands with accuracy is rare.

 

[skribs]

Yeah, I am working on practicing the weak side more, but I have a tendency to practice strong side.

 

[RTKDCMB]

I am right handed (and legged) but I find it easier to do the turning kick with the ball of the foot (due to slightly less flexibility in my toes on that leg) and running jumping back kick with my left leg.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Yeah, I am working on practicing the weak side more, but I have a tendency to practice strong side.

Not surprisingly, so do most people.

 

[Earl Weiss]

You are right leg dominant which would lead you to believe that all kicks would be better with the right. However "More Advanced" kicks as you describe are hugely dependant on the ability of the support leg and hip to pivot and rotate properly. So, when you are pivotating and rotating on the dominant right, the left works better because it achieves positional efficiency more easily and the converse is true.


I find that "difficulties" with certain kicks or kicks on certain sides are typicaly "Mechanical" rather than "physical". What I mean by this is that the mechanics of the kick, rotations, positions, flexing, have mistakes in them not caused by Physical issues (Lack of range of motion or flexibility).

Have someone with a good eye watch your kicks - try not to do them at full speed and see if they can tell you what the difference is on one side versus the other. Then conform the weak side to the strong side. You will need to practice the conformed method at an easy speed or broken down into parts numerous times to get rid of the old habits.

Simply practicing more may not work because practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Also, practice the better side a few times so the body gets used to the mechanics and then switch to the bad side. You want to do this before fatigue sets in which will not be good for technique.

Hope the above description is understandable.

 

[drop bear]

Do you guys switch stance?

 

[Dirty Dog]

All the time.


Sent from an old fashioned 300 baud acoustic modem by whistling into the handset. Really.

 

[Touch Of Death]

In theory, we should train both sides equally. In reality, we will always be better in one side than the other. I like to develop different skills on different side of my body. This way, I can develop twice as many skills and twice as good. A Judo guy who can do both sides "hip throw" is very unusually. A guy who can shoot hand gun with both hands with accuracy is rare.

You only have one dominant eye; so, all spinning kicks should be done on that side. This is also true of moves done in front of you. If you keep that eye to the rear, it gives you a better view of what is going on, and if you keep it to the front, you end up with blind spots. Practice on the other side all you want, but you need to focus on the techniques that favor your left or right handedness and eye-ness. LOL

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Also if you cross train the throwing art, you will have "rooting leg" and "attacking leg". You will also have "major hand" and "minor hand". It's not easy to develop both sides to be equal.

 

[drop bear]

All the time.


Sent from an old fashioned 300 baud acoustic modem by whistling into the handset. Really.

Fair enough then the dominant Leg thing is going to be an issue.

 

[bluewaveschool]

I kick mostly with the left. I'm right handed. It's very much because I'm more comfortable with my right leg as my support leg. However, I find it extremely difficult to do a tornado kick with the left leg. I also find it difficult to get off the ground...

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

I think there is the concept of a preferred leg, but also a preferred direction of spin. For me, I prefer a spinning hook kick with the left leg, and a tornado kick with the right leg. Both are rotating anticlockwise.

 

[Takai]

You only have one dominant eye; so, all spinning kicks should be done on that side. This is also true of moves done in front of you. If you keep that eye to the rear, it gives you a better view of what is going on, and if you keep it to the front, you end up with blind spots. Practice on the other side all you want, but you need to focus on the techniques that favor your left or right handedness and eye-ness. LOL

So you would advise focusing on being a one-sided fighter? What happens if you get into a position that doesn't allow that? Or you end up with an injury on the "preferred" side? While you may never get both sides to be perfectly equal ignoring one for the other seems for lack of a better word...foolhardy.

 

[skribs]

I think there is the concept of a preferred leg, but also a preferred direction of spin. For me, I prefer a spinning hook kick with the left leg, and a tornado kick with the right leg. Both are rotating anticlockwise.

This makes a lot of sense. Whether I'm doing a right-leg tornado kick or a left-leg spinning kick, I'm spotting with my left (dominant) eye.

In class, we usually practice with both legs, although doing odd numbers before turning around sometimes yields more on one side (i.e. 3 kicks down, 3 kicks back, is usually 4 right, 2 left). During freestyle, I have a tendency to try to perfect my counterclockwise techniques and ignore my clockwise, which I'm trying to reverse.

This thread has been very enlightening.

 

[RTKDCMB]

Do you guys switch stance?

Why wouldn't we?

 

[Touch Of Death]

So you would advise focusing on being a one-sided fighter? What happens if you get into a position that doesn't allow that? Or you end up with an injury on the "preferred" side? While you may never get both sides to be perfectly equal ignoring one for the other seems for lack of a better word...foolhardy.

I didn't say don't practice un-useful stuff, "practice all you want", I am saying it is un-useful.
Sean

 

[drop bear]

Why wouldn't we?

I don't that much. Most boxers kickboxers etc. Don't bother that much. Generally considered not with the effort.

 

[Touch Of Death]

I don't that much. Most boxers kickboxers etc. Don't bother that much. Generally considered not with the effort.

Exactly. It is, of course, a good idea to be able to do it, but it isn't your A game.