Equilibrum32
Yellow Belt
I am still doing corona training alone. If I want a kick that encompasses everything - power, form, control, can I still do a rechamber? It feels as if rechambering polishes rather than adds to the motion
Kicking with rechamber vs no rechamber
- Thread starter Equilibrum32
- Start date
I am still doing corona training alone. If I want a kick that encompasses everything - power, form, control, can I still do a rechamber? It feels as if rechambering polishes rather than adds to the motion
_Simon_
Senior Master
There are different types of kicks. Some are designed to use the re-chamber and some are designed to step through. It makes a difference, which one you do. If you are doing a kick that is designed for a re-chamber, you body is in a different position than if you are doing a kick that steps through. The kicks work differently. The important part is to follow through correctly, for the kick you are throwing. If you throw a re-chamber type kick, and then don't re-chamber... you are asking for it to be caught, but more importantly, you will be off balance. If you throw a step through type kick, and then re-chamber it... you are not on balance and would not have proper structure. Both types of kicks are aware of the catching option, however, both defend that in different ways.
And yes, you can throw a full power kick and re-chamber, without sacrificing speed or power... provided that you are throw a kick designed to be re-chambered. If you are losing power, when re-chambering, you are either doing it wrong or you are not throwing the type of kick you think you are.
And yes, you can throw a full power kick and re-chamber, without sacrificing speed or power... provided that you are throw a kick designed to be re-chambered. If you are losing power, when re-chambering, you are either doing it wrong or you are not throwing the type of kick you think you are.
skribs
Grandmaster
Even the ones you step through, you typically rechamber so your step-through is controlled. The difference is usually whether you re-chamber right on impact or after the follow-through.
It looks to me like Muay Thai guys rechamber...sometimes...
Everything is a tradeoff. And no two people are exactly alike. So yes, you can certainly find a compromise that gives good power, form, control, etc. But you will also find that giving up some of the form or control can increase power. And giving up a bit of the power can increase the control.
And sometimes doing each of those things is good.
Here's an example. I have had good results by teaching my opponent to respond the way I want them to. One way to do this is to throw a few fast, low front kicks. These kicks aren't really powerful. I don't care. I want to encourage my opponent to bring his hands down to block, and I don't want them to be able to grab the kicks. So speed and control is more important. After throwing a few of these, I throw a high roundhouse. My roundhouse starts out exactly like the front kick. Their trained response will be to bring their hands down to block. At which time I pivot and bring the kick up to their head.
Equilibrum32
Yellow Belt
One thing I experienced is that rechambering has the added benefit of strength and conditioning. It takes more flexibility and durability to rechamber than to drop it. And I kinda liked that.
Sure, but I was keeping my comments limited to sparring. In forms, I'd say the whole rechamber or not question is simple; you do it that way the form dictates.
Equilibrum32
Yellow Belt
What If you only train for SD. Which way would you focus on then?
All of the above. I like options.
Equilibrum32
Yellow Belt
Doesn't it confuse your muscle memory?
I'm right there with you. Options.
Some kicks you chamber, some you don’t. And sometimes, when you land a kick - where you want to go from there will dictate what you do. If I throw a roundhouse to your body my leg is coming down to the floor as quickly as possible as I like to fight in the kitchen.
As for someone catching the kick it also depends, on several factors. Is it a competition, and if so what are the rules? Is it sparring in the dojo, and if so what are the house rules and who are you sparring with? Can’t very well go catching an under belt's kick and smash him from there - unless you’re purposely making a point.
Back in my competition days, in kickboxing you weren’t allowed to catch kicks, which I always thought odd, but you play by the rules. But in point tournaments you could catch them. I would often intentionally let a competitor catch my roundhouse kick so I could spin and head kick him with the other foot. A wheel kick or spinning hook if the catch was at my foot or low on my shin, a spinning outside crescent if it was up by my knee. There’s a real easy defense to this - just let go when he starts to spin. He’ll crash harder to the floor than you can throw him.
If it’s a self defense situation, ain’t nobody catching your kick. SD situations don’t work that way. And if they did catch your kick, you shouldn’t have been throwing that foolish kick in the first place.
As for someone catching the kick it also depends, on several factors. Is it a competition, and if so what are the rules? Is it sparring in the dojo, and if so what are the house rules and who are you sparring with? Can’t very well go catching an under belt's kick and smash him from there - unless you’re purposely making a point.
Back in my competition days, in kickboxing you weren’t allowed to catch kicks, which I always thought odd, but you play by the rules. But in point tournaments you could catch them. I would often intentionally let a competitor catch my roundhouse kick so I could spin and head kick him with the other foot. A wheel kick or spinning hook if the catch was at my foot or low on my shin, a spinning outside crescent if it was up by my knee. There’s a real easy defense to this - just let go when he starts to spin. He’ll crash harder to the floor than you can throw him.
If it’s a self defense situation, ain’t nobody catching your kick. SD situations don’t work that way. And if they did catch your kick, you shouldn’t have been throwing that foolish kick in the first place.
If your opponent catches your kick, he will have 1 or 0 arm to deal with your head punch. If you extend your leg between his legs, and control his head and leading arm, the striking game ends, the wrestling game starts.
It's not the end of the world when your opponent catches your kicking leg.
Why on earth would it?
Equilibrum32
Yellow Belt
Because your body will automatically want to do one of them, depending on which you do more often.
So you're practicing wrong. That's not a problem with muscle memory.
Agreed. Whether you chamber or not depends upon the kick, the situation, and your intended follow up.
I realize this is a TKD forum, but just for contrast consider short-bridge arts like Wing Chun. In WC we don't pull back and re-chamber since our kicks are typically low and our follow-up is usually closing to punching range. So, instead of re-chambering, we typically drop our kick firmly to the floor and use it as a closing step. The traditional motto is "Every kick a step, every step a kick".
If the leg is caught (less common because the kick is at waist level or below), instantly bending the knee so the shin points vertically downward, and stomping the foot to the floor often frees the leg. If not, you are well situated to clinch your opponent's head and drive your knee forward into his chest, or if you can pull his head downward, drive it into his face. Pretty much like what Tony was describing.
Yes, there is a compromise when you decline/drop, you are one step forward and possibly into "the zone" where you can get hit by a counter easily.
I believe in modern martial arts we train kicking backing the leg back to the start position in order to develop a set of skills related to any kind of strike like control, precision, speed, muscle memory, but also to keep us safe in the first place. Then we can evolve into the gameplay of a fight and think about strategy when kick with maximum force, risking open up and so.
Like some people said, I believe it depends on the situation. Are we talking about sports Martial Arts? If so is it full contact that you can/should try to knock out your opponent or is it point based? Or are we talking about a "real life situation"? Is the opponent bigger than me? Stronger?... There are so many variables.
In taekwondo I was taught that when you rechamber your leg the velocity of leg comming back should be the same as the velocity of the leg comming out, that's what makes the difference when you choose to kick this way (but of course rechambering isn't a strict rule in TKD).
Equilibrum32
Yellow Belt
So you've never done two things at the same time by alternating too much?
No. If I do two things at once it's because I want to.
Is your muscle memory really that easily confused?
