How can i trainmyself to do high kicks

[DJ QUIK JR]

what do i have to do stretching wise to learn high kick. i dont want to go the van damme route of bloodsport and kickboxer lmao but what can i do to ease myself into it.

 

[dbell]

what do i have to do stretching wise to learn high kick. i dont want to go the van damme route of bloodsport and kickboxer lmao but what can i do to ease myself into it.

I'm not sure why you would want to kick high anyway? Competition, or self defense?

For self defense, keep your kicks below your waist, much better.. (At least from what I have seen and experienced in the last 40-41 years of studying the arts...)

 

[KenpoVzla]

Tips:

#1 is about improving flexibility, that means stretching in the Dojo and outside regular training sessions also. When you really want to get better at something you need to put some time in outside of group training. For me at least this has worked very well when I need to improve any technique.

#2 advice would be to.... get used to it! Every time you kick, aim high if that's your goal. It will more or less become second nature at some point. I find kicking high extremely easy and and it seems natural but that's because I've been kicking this way for a long time now.

#3 Which split is the most difficult for you, side or front?... work on that one! Which leg is hard to kick with for? Kick with that one! Do drills with that one! People always think I'm a lefty because of how much a geek with my left leg and how natural it comes, but that's only because I always do drills with this leg as much as possible. I don't leave the right leg out either, he just doesn't need as many repetitions. Splits are a key in flexibility and kicking high (though I've seen exceptions).

#4 As for a particular drill, the very first drill seen in the video below works wonders towards kicking high. Do it also in time intervals, 20s non stop kicking, 30s and so forth. we do at the Dojo and it's really helped me on balance, leg control and kicking high.

hope that helps.

 

[Mark Jordan]

Why would you think that high kicking is important?

In a real situation, high kicks are not effective. When you throw kicks, aim for the groin, knees shins or the side of the knee.

I would not recommend high kick for self-defense but if you want to learn high kicking to show off - do a leg raise to the side exercise and learn and practice the right body alignment by tilting your pelvis forward as you raise your leg sideways.

 

[ap Oweyn]

Are you training at an actual school or gym? What do your trainers have to say about it? Being able to kick high needs to begin and end with being able to kick well. High isn't the priority. Good technique is. Without that, you're not learning to kick high. You're just learning to fling your leg up.

So how are your kicks generally?

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Why would you think that high kicking is important?

In a real situation, high kicks are not effective. When you throw kicks, aim for the groin, knees shins or the side of the knee.

I would not recommend high kick for self-defense but if you want to learn high kicking to show off - do a leg raise to the side exercise and learn and practice the right body alignment by tilting your pelvis forward as you raise your leg sideways.

My experience has been that having good high kicks improves low kicks. I train to kick the head and train to kick at that height with maximum power (I also train a lot of lower kicks). For me personally, the flexibility and technique required to have strong high kicks definetely transcends into my low kicks and the flexibility required helps me in many other facets of my martial arts training. I love training high kicks, I would rarely, if ever, use them to defend myself but it doesnt mean they have no value. Again, just my opinion.

 

[Grenadier]

While the usefulness of high kicking isn't quite what the world of Hollywood portrays it to be, it still does have some use.

For one thing, being able to lift the leg higher, can improve all of your kicks. Just because you start a kick high, doesn't mean that you have to kick high. If anything, some of the nastiest round kicks I've ever seen (and felt) came from a flexible individual, whose leg started high, and the foot actually flew in a downward motion. Low kicks can also be done this way, too.


As for training, start with good mechanics. For example, try to keep your round kicks as parallel to the ground as possible. Also, make sure that you're used to snapping that foot back at least as fast as it flew forward.

Once you get those mechanics in place, then improve your flexibility. There are stretching machines you can buy from any number of places (Century, AWMA, etc) that can help. You can also warm up the muscles a bit, and then start some light stretching, followed by more warm ups, and then slightly more aggressive stretching, using conservative increments.

The reason why I emphasize cleaning up your mechanics first, is that those who have faulty mechanics, and try to focus on being able to kick higher are going to end up with high kicks that have no power, and the same junk mid and low level kicks that aren't going to be nearly as effective as they could otherwise have.

Build a quality foundation first, and then add the nice walls and roof.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

While the usefulness of high kicking isn't quite what the world of Hollywood portrays it to be, it still does have some use.

For one thing, being able to lift the leg higher, can improve all of your kicks. Just because you start a kick high, doesn't mean that you have to kick high. If anything, some of the nastiest round kicks I've ever seen (and felt) came from a flexible individual, whose leg started high, and the foot actually flew in a downward motion. Low kicks can also be done this way, too.


As for training, start with good mechanics. For example, try to keep your round kicks as parallel to the ground as possible. Also, make sure that you're used to snapping that foot back at least as fast as it flew forward.

Once you get those mechanics in place, then improve your flexibility. There are stretching machines you can buy from any number of places (Century, AWMA, etc) that can help. You can also warm up the muscles a bit, and then start some light stretching, followed by more warm ups, and then slightly more aggressive stretching, using conservative increments.

The reason why I emphasize cleaning up your mechanics first, is that those who have faulty mechanics, and try to focus on being able to kick higher are going to end up with high kicks that have no power, and the same junk mid and low level kicks that aren't going to be nearly as effective as they could otherwise have.

Build a quality foundation first, and then add the nice walls and roof.

I can definetely relate to the round kicks you speak of where the leg starts high, they can be vicious. People who have the ability to throw high kicks open up a heap of new options for themself.

 

[MA-Caver]

Twenty years ago when I was MUCH younger and more limber and studying (briefly) TKD, I was able to perform a standing triple kick.... hitting in succession the head/face, chest and stomach ... now-a-days I'm lucky to be able to hit the stomach, groin and knee-cap or groin, knee-cap and then shin. I've noted that those latter three target areas are most effective in bringing someone down long enough to get away from them.
It is all about stretching. It took Van Damme, Bill Wallace and numerous others months and even years of constantly stretching their legs wider and wider apart to be able to perform those standing high kick's to head height.
But to echo's everyone else's question ... why would you need to? To be intimidating? Cool? A interesting addition to your present repertoire?
Being ABLE to do it is one thing... Being ABLE to do it quickly and effectively enough before your opponent/attacker can see it coming is quite another.

Still if you want to ... then you're gonna have to go through constant stretching of those muscles that lie along your legs where the muscles/tendons lie underneath your groin. That means going the route that the aforementioned MA-ists went through... There are leg stretchers you can buy that lie on the floor and you slowly and incrementally widen as your body adjusts and the muscles tear and heal to accommodate the wide spread of legs. This is one of many variety of those type of devices http://www.amazon.com/Best-Martial-Stretcher-Adjusting-Wheel/dp/B0015QX3IE
Kung/Gung-fu and Chinese Opera/Gymnastic students place their legs along a vertical wall and hold it there sometimes for hours (a very painful way to go).
I try to keep my leg stretching ability to at least chest/groin height by lifting my leg up and propping it up along a high table, fence, rock or whatever and holding it there for as long as I can stand it. It's gonna hurt and it's gonna be uncomfortable because it's unnatural. But you'll find after a while it's not so bad... until you go up another inch or two. You'll also find out that if you DON'T do it often your leg muscles will shrink back to normal and you'll have to start all over again.

Recommend talking with a PT or at least a doctor before doing this and finding out more about the possible damage you CAN do if you don't do it correctly or beyond your body's present capability. Read THIS before considering... http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10552486#post10552486

Hope it helps.

But do give a long think as to the reasons WHY you would want to.

:asian:

 

[Bruno@MT]

what do i have to do stretching wise to learn high kick. i dont want to go the van damme route of bloodsport and kickboxer lmao but what can i do to ease myself into it.

You find a teacher and let him teach you, and relieve yourself of the notion that you can teach yourself decent technique. You would be the blind leading the blind and while you may or may not get your leg high, your technique would likely suck.

 

[ATC]

This thread should help. http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80117&highlight=Dynamic+Stretching

 

[DJ QUIK JR]

I'm not sure why you would want to kick high anyway? Competition, or self defense?

For self defense, keep your kicks below your waist, much better.. (At least from what I have seen and experienced in the last 40-41 years of studying the arts...)

im not being funny im serious i always wanted to learn bekuz it looked good and van damme used to wow me doing it.. it makes u look so much better as a martial artist like u actually know what ur doing and experienced. and its so graceful

 

[DJ QUIK JR]

Are you training at an actual school or gym? What do your trainers have to say about it? Being able to kick high needs to begin and end with being able to kick well. High isn't the priority. Good technique is. Without that, you're not learning to kick high. You're just learning to fling your leg up.

So how are your kicks generally?

i havent started training yet but i want to do muay thai and krav maga

 

[Cirdan]

Find a teacher. One hour in a good school is better than years of backyard jumping around trying to do fancy movie fu kicks.

Also, you might want to work on your spelling.

 

[seasoned]

My experience has been that having good high kicks improves low kicks. I train to kick the head and train to kick at that height with maximum power (I also train a lot of lower kicks). For me personally, the flexibility and technique required to have strong high kicks definetely transcends into my low kicks and the flexibility required helps me in many other facets of my martial arts training. I love training high kicks, I would rarely, if ever, use them to defend myself but it doesnt mean they have no value. Again, just my opinion.

My sentiments exactly. One of the tenants of being a black belt is knowing when and where.

 

[The Last Legionary]

How old are you? Suggestions will vary depending on if you're a flexible teen, or old codger in a walker.

 

[ap Oweyn]

i havent started training yet but i want to do muay thai and krav maga

Then the answer is flat easy. Wait until you're actually training, see what they're telling you to do. Then you're better equipped to ask and answer this sort of question. Proper stretching benefits from a knowledge of proper kicking. And you'll learn that with an actual trainer.

 

[MJS]

what do i have to do stretching wise to learn high kick. i dont want to go the van damme route of bloodsport and kickboxer lmao but what can i do to ease myself into it.

As I said in another post to you, there are no shortcuts to training. IMHO, it seems to me, that you're looking for some fast track method to getting good. Sorry to break the news to you, but there are no secrets, despite what some people in the magazines will try to tell you. Hard work, hard work, and more hard work, is what it takes.

Frankly, as far as kicking high goes, I often ask myself why would someone concern themselves with that. I mean, I have an option, some fancy jump spinning 360 degree kick, some roundhouse kick aimed at the head, or a kick to the leg or any other targets stomach level and below. Hmm....which will I pick? Oh yeah, the lower kicks. Then once they come down to my level, I can reach the head.

To each their own I suppose. For me, I'll stick with more practical and simple things.

 

[Balrog]

IMNSHO, the object is not to kick high, it's to kick correctly. I'd suggest spending your time working on basics and don't sweat the high kicks. Most head high kicks are delivered incorrectly because people are trying so hard for height that they sacrifice technique to do it. And they usually wind up injuring themselves when they do.

My $0.02 worth....