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Which is more important for kicks, would you say? Legs or core?
Psoas isn’t the only one, but it’s a major one (no pun intended) that most haven’t heard of.Core connects the upper and lower body. It is the stabilizing muscle called the Psoas major. It connects the spine to your legs.
Absolutely. But when you’re holding that kicking position, you’re strengthening those muscles involved. Kinda like a plank. The stronger they get, the easier it is to lift that leg up higher like that. Flexibility obviously plays a role, but so does strength. And the neural pathways, aka muscle memory.Unless you do isolation exercises, like on a weight machine it is difficult to separate the two when practicing MA anyway. Not to the OP's point but people who are naturally more limber and in average or better shape have no trouble lifting their leg. But it's what they can do with their leg after it is lifted that is really important for what we do. The best gains I can remember doing to help my kicks regarding balance and technique are static exercises. Set your body in the finished position of a side kick for example. Use mirrors if you have them. Make sure your technique is correct and hold the position for 30 seconds. Rest 15 seconds and go again. This very much works both the leg and the core. Much like a gymnast doing parts of their floor routine. You can also use the rail. If you have a wall with a stair rail on it, set yourself in the finish position of a kick, then work your leg in and out in the kicking motion being mindful to use your core as you should in a full speed kick. As you gain stability, let go of the rail and go through your kick slowly with good technique. Really helps set the muscle memory also.
You are being spoon fed.
For kicks? Those are useless. Neck day is far more important.Bicep curls.