Side Kick which way for you

[Jonathan Randall]

I was so amazed at the converstation over the back kick I wanted to see evryone views about the sidekick, do you step behind when throwing it or are you a slide in type of thrower or do you do both?
Do you hit with the heel first or with the blade?
Terry

I always hit with the heel first and never the blade. When I worked out with an instructor years ago who taught to hit with the blade it drove me crazy. I alternate step behind as my Shotokan instructor taught me but I prefer, when I think about it, the sport TKD slide - better balance that way, IMO.

Good questions and good threads Terryl965!

 

[Fluffy]

The only time I have used a step accross side would be for power breaks. But if the situation warrents it I'll try anything twice. I tend to use my heal and not the blade.

-Fluff

 

[green meanie]

I use both the step behind and the slide and I kick with the heel with both. Using the blade is hard on my ankles and I don't like the step across method at all.

 

[Miles]

As far as stepping sidekick, we do primarily step-behind method to do side kick. This is (IMHO) a stronger kick than step-accross as the attacking tool (and body weight) is in a straight line with the target. If you step-accross, you are taking your weapon off-line and then having to readjust so that it hits properly. Think of the hip of your kicking leg-it has to be aligned with the target.

You can throw pretty much any kick in 6 different ways-front foot, back foot, skipping/sliding, jumping, flying, and falling. The challenge is to sufficiently practice each of these methods with all of the kicks. As Shu2jack mentioned, there's a kick for each circumstance-just need to be ready for that circumstace and have practiced the kick.

Miles

 

[FearlessFreep]

I usually tend to think of several major kicks mostly in terms of how the weapon is delivered

1) Snap (front) kick
2) Roundhouse Kick
3) Side Kick
4) Back Kick

This is just a general idea. Such kicks as cresent kick or hook kick could possibly be considered to fit in f of the above categories...or that might be stretching it.

Most of these kicks can then be modified in several ways. The first point of modification is whether you are delivering it wth the front or rear leg (assuming normal fighting stance). The other major modifiers are jumping and spinning. Another set of modifiers is any footwork you use to a) deceive or b) change distance. This includes switch stance, step behind, step in front, slide step, hop-to,etc...

So for example, a sidekick can be delivered as
1) Rear leg
2) Front leg
3) Front leg (Hop to)
4) Step behind
5) Step in front
6) Spinning
7) Jumping
8) Jumping & Spinning
9) etc....

Between two instructors I've learned two kinds of switch stance. One is a complete switch, including rotating the shoulders, so that you are in the opposite stance. The other is a quick foot switch from the waist down but without the shoulder movement. I'm finding the first one sets up a spin kick well if I can do it fast while the opponent is adjusting to my stance change. The second is effective to bring your front leg back to kick with what was originally your front leg but with a bit more torque (and deception).

What was my point? Oh yeah, just agreeing with Miles that there are *lots* of variations to basic kicks. Different variations work better for different situations, but you should practice the ones you are going to use.

I've never used a step-in-front in sparring, but it seems to me that if you are in a standard fighting stance, right leg back, and want to throw a step-in-front that your rear leg is going to go straightforward toward the target and then your kicking foot is going to come up and fire at the target while your shoulders/hips rotate into position. A step-behind requires you to bring your rear leg over a bit so that it can step behind your kicking foot. At that point, your hips and shoulders are aligned for the kick, but you have to get in that position which either ends up telegraphing a bit or you can do it if you've naturally ended up a bit skew from your opponent. Coming from limited experience I don't see how either is really more powerful, they just seem to be differenet ways of using our footwork in response to your opponents positioning

 

[searcher]

I do a little hop-skip to advance with it. I hit with the knife edge in point tourneys and I use the heel in knockdown. All depends on what I am trying to accomplish. I rerly use the step-behind and I do occasionaly use a jumping.

 

[Adept]

I often train in sneakers or street shoes. Choosing between a heel or blade of the foot is more difficult, and the result tends to be (but is not strictly) a whole foot kick. You can choose to impact mostly with the heel, or mostly with the blade, but it is much harder to isolate the point of impact than it is in bare feet or TKD shoes.

As to the method, well, it varies depending on the situation. I use a quick step-up sidekick off the front leg more often than the more powerful kick from the back leg, as the kick from the front leg is much quicker, telegraphs less and is still a powerful kick.