how do you get more power in head kicks?

[chris_มวยไทย]

does anybody have any tips or advice?




thanks in advance,

chris

 

[tellner]

Kick his legs out. Then kick him in the head.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

does anybody have any tips or advice?




thanks in advance,

chris

Improve your flexibility then hit the heavy bag. Also I would look into adding some lower leg weight training in.

 

[terryl965]

really getting more power with head kick is in proper techniques, turning the hips over at the right point of attack plus chambering the kick to get the most out of the hip rotation is the best way

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

really getting more power with head kick is in proper techniques, turning the hips over at the right point of attack plus chambering the kick to get the most out of the hip rotation is the best way

Excellent post Terry. Good technique plus the required flexibility and some leg strength will definately get you going in the right direction.

 

[terryl965]

Excellent post Terry. Good technique plus the required flexibility and some leg strength will definately get you going in the right direction.

Thanks I had to pull that out of the brain man did it hurt

 

[The Kidd]

Terry you did have a good suggestion of course I like Tellner's as well, kick their legs out and then really kick them in the head while they are down.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

does anybody have any tips or advice?




thanks in advance,

chris

Why not practice running up to a guy and punching him in the toe? I can offer some reasons...it causes you to compromise your mechanics; it's strategically a bad idea as it leaves you vulnerable to being crashed into and overtaken, just for starts.

Kicking to the head creates the same problems. Use upper-body weapons for upper body targets, and lower body weapons for lower body targets. You get to keep your health longer that way.

D.

 

[chris_มวยไทย]

my main strengths are knees and kicks, i have good technique, strong legs, and i can almost do the splits and can kick higher than my own head, but for some reason i just cant out much power in my head kicks, it doesnt make sense :S

 

[wade]

Then it's mental, not physical. You have to want to hit some one hard in the head to do it right. Hitting a heavy bag or a hand target and hitting a person are really different things. Too many players, no matter how good their head kicks are, sometimes pull them because deep down they really don't want to hurt anyone. One of my students, a 5'1" blue belt High School TKD Varsity player calls it the joy of hitting. She is very good at it. When you are ready mentally it will happen. Just relax and let it go.

 

[Kacey]

Terry and Wade have it pretty well nailed... also, remember, you don't need to hit anyone in the head that hard, if you're precise - it doesn't take a whole lot of power to the temple to knock someone down, but you have to aim very carefully.

 

[searcher]

Without having a look at your technique I will wager a gues that you are "short-chopping" your chamber. Make sure you get a good full chamber and keep it. This made a world of difference in my head kicking power. How often are you kicking a heavy bag? You may want to do a little more.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

Kick his legs out. Then kick him in the head.

what he said. we kick to the head in kenpo. after we knock him down.

 

[Tames D]

Why not practice running up to a guy and punching him in the toe? I can offer some reasons...it causes you to compromise your mechanics; it's strategically a bad idea as it leaves you vulnerable to being crashed into and overtaken, just for starts.

Kicking to the head creates the same problems. Use upper-body weapons for upper body targets, and lower body weapons for lower body targets. You get to keep your health longer that way.

D.

I couldn't have sais it better.

 

[zDom]

really getting more power with head kick is in proper techniques, turning the hips over at the right point of attack plus chambering the kick to get the most out of the hip rotation is the best way

This is well stated.

Also, the advice about heavy bag training, combined with the above: learn to sink you body weight into the kick and penetrate the target instead of just slapping at the surface plane.

As for the kenpo/kempo discouragment for head kicking: ignore them. They are just jealous because they CAN'T kick to the head. Sour grapes parable comes to mind

Head kicking is VERY effective — you just have to know WHEN to use it (in addition to knowing HOW to do it).

 

[matt.m]

hip and hamstring is an absolute must......no question about it, period end of story.

Not only that but proper technique that is learned and sunk in by doing reps upon reps upon reps.

Another thing to do is mentally see yourself kicking through the target.

 

[Fuzzy Foot]

Some of course were making the point of the usefulness (or lack of) of head kicks, practicality aside, you're training & challenging your body. One thing where some err is in their alignment & distance with the target i.e. centerline which goes to technique/mechanics. If your alignment or distance is off by too much one way or the other you will either be reaching, hit too early or too late in the technique and power delivered will suffer. Excuse me if I'm telling you something you were already aware of.

 

[tradrockrat]

Another thing, and I'm not saying you are doing this, but... In my day I've come across more than a few people who swore they could kick head high, but had to lean so far backwards to get their leg up they robbed all of their power generated from momentum going backwards with their body.

Just because your foot is 6 feet in the air doesn't mean you are kicking...

The solution for that issue is increased flexibility

 

[still learning]

Hello, Turning the hips is the most important thing in any kicks or punches...the hips add additional power from the rotation of the body.

In most kicks...you will be turning the hips in a downward direction (even for head kicks. Study this well, watch the hips on the people who can hit with huge power.

Also if you follow thru the kick and not stop to pull it back...the forward motion will add more destructive power.

We teach two ways here... after throwning kicks, the follow thru and pull back...on the kicks.

Practice till you find the proper body mechanic's for your type of body and size...maintain your balance is also very important.

One more thing....You have to believe when you hit someone....it is one strike one kill (karate theory in striking with power). Your level here! .....Aloha

PS: For those with two heads? take the bigger one out first!

 

[Drag'n]

Your style is Muay Thai right?
You say you have the flexibility and the leg strength.
So it can only be technique thats holding you back.
For MT you dont chamber the leg. You keep it only slightly bent through the swing. Just let it fly like a baseball bat.

The power comes from FULL rotation of your hips, cutting straight through and past the target.
Check your support leg. Are you swiveling on the ball of your foot? You should be. Is your heel rotating fully around so its pointing toward your opponent on impact? This is the only way to get full rotational power.
Your support leg should be straight too.
You should " step" with the support leg when you start the kick too.
Not a big telegraphing step.More like "pushing" the ball of your foot into the floor.

Check your body position. Are you leaning back and thereby loosing the power of having your body weight drive forward?
Leaning to either side will also loose your power.
Your body should be straight, not leaning to either side, not leaning back.
And keeping body upright and driving forward as much as possible.
You should be doing all these things on your middle kicks as well. So if you're getting the power there, you should be able to get it on your high kicks too. Its the same mechanics.
If you're doing these things right you can get full hip rotation with balance and forward driving power.

Speed could be an issue too. Acceleration=more power. Dont try to go fast though. Just try to stay as relaxed as possible. Push off the ground explosively with your kicking leg to initiate the movement and let er rip.
Hope this helps.
Oh and 1 more point.
Kick ALOT! Practise makes perfect.