How to do an ax kick?

[tsdclaflin]

How do you do an ax kick?

I was first taught a tight tuck with knee bent, then extend and drop. My second school said bring straight leg up and then down. First school only did "inside-out". Second school taught inside-out and outside-in.

If you reply but do another art than Tang Soo Do, please identify the art too.

 

[TigerWoman]

I'm TKD. We do the axe bringing the knee up, straighten, then down with the weight forward, strike with the heel. This is mostly an forward straight movement. In regards to inside or outside, I believe those are for the not as flexible or quad strong as they have to use the outside swing for momentum to get up. TW

 

[Marginal]

How do you do an ax kick?

I was first taught a tight tuck with knee bent, then extend and drop. My second school said bring straight leg up and then down. First school only did "inside-out". Second school taught inside-out and outside-in.

I do TKD. The way we're taught, we keep the knee straight during floor exercises, but are taught to bend it in sparring situations where speed's more important than power. We end up with three variations. Inside and outside downward kick, and then there's a third called pick shaped kick which is more of a straight up and down motion with the leg locked.

 

[Andrew Green]

What way gives you the most power and the highest land ratio? DO it that way regardless of what anyone else says

 

[bignick]

In TKD, we chamber the leg just like a front kick, extend as high as possible and snap back down, striking with the heel. The benefit of the bent leg variation is that it allows you to strike at a greater range of distances. With your leg straight you've really only got one distance you can hit effectively from. The snap down using the knee also generates a lot more power and speed, in my experience, than the straight legged version.

The inside-out, outside-in variations are a bit slower, but if done with same general mechanics as above, they can be very effective. Especially in competition situations, people have a tendency to get tunnel vision and if they have, for example, the left leg forward. If you throw the kick coming over their shoulder slightly from the outside, they may never see it coming. If you watch high level TKD competitions, this is often how you will see the axe kicked used. In close, and thrown over the shoulder so they don't see it coming.

 

[mtabone]

I have to agree completely with Big Nick on this one.
I am a Tang Soo Do Mi Guk Kwan stylist.
I would also add that with the knee bent on the way up, you can then, if need be, change the kick to a front kick or what have you…more options.

TANG SOO!!!

Michael Tabone

 

[Makalakumu]

I train in Tang Soo Do. I usually throw the ax kick from the chambered knee position, however, I almost never use the straight down angle for execution that I was taught. I've hung my leg up a few times and wound up in some pretty bad positions because of that. With that being said, I've found that if the angle of my kick resembles a parabola I can strike with the heel and the side of my foot on really high targets and still get a good retraction and recovery.

 

[MSUTKD]

Also using the heel as the impact point is very dangerous. If it is blocked you could very easily get hit on your Achilles tendon. Then it is you who are out of the game.

ron

 

[Makalakumu]

Also using the heel as the impact point is very dangerous. If it is blocked you could very easily get hit on your Achilles tendon. Then it is you who are out of the game.

ron

Very, very important point. Just as there is a proper way to punch without injury, this also a proper way to kick.

 

[terryl965]

Well I too agree with Big Nicks point of views here.
Terry

 

[IcemanSK]

Also using the heel as the impact point is very dangerous. If it is blocked you could very easily get hit on your Achilles tendon. Then it is you who are out of the game.

ron

Good point!

 

[matt.m]

Ok, I was hapkido first and now tkd as well. The way my dad taught is like a crescent kick cut in half. In other words begin the crescent and at the apex (highest point) bring your leg down straight like a baseball bat. You strike with the heel. It is down inside and outside. In my Tae Kwon Do class no one has ever told me to do it differently.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Keep the knee bent until the apex (for gods sake!) that way it can be usefull before the apex if need be.
Sean

 

[fireman00]

originally we were taught leg straight and did inside/ out and outside/ in.

then through experimenting it was found that an axe kick can be used very effectively when in close by keeping the knee bent then snapping the leg out and down.

 

[Touch Of Death]

In Kenpo, our pull drag kicks are often called dead leg kicks because its easier to pull off with the leg straight, but I prefer a bent knee there as well. Now that I mention it I imagine most TKD and HapKido People do the Axe Kick out of a pull drag so the subject is related.
Sean

 

[Tony]

Just lift your left straight up and straigh back down as fast as you lift it up!

 

[karatekid1975]

I was taught the ax kick in Tang Soo Do first. We did it like a front kick chamber, bring it up, then down striking with the heel.

I do TKD now. They are taught the straight leg variation. But I still do the above. And no one has told me to change it.