The importance of the side kick in TKD

[IcemanSK]

In the dvd "The Revolution of Taekwondo," which features GM Kang Shin Chul, he says something I thought was interesting. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1w--TjqVY&feature=related Bad audio.

"Some say your proficiency in Takwondo can be observed in your side kick."

Do agree with this emphasis on the side kick in Taekwondo's arsenal? If so, why? If not, why?

 

[exile]

In the dvd "The Revolution of Taekwondo," which features GM Kang Shin Chul, he says something I thought was interesting. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1w--TjqVY&feature=related Bad audio.

"Some say your proficiency in Takwondo can be observed in your side kick."

Do agree with this emphasis on the side kick in Taekwondo's arsenal? If so, why? If not, why?

It's funny—I've worked on my side kick more than any other single technique in TKD, on the grounds, probably, that a lot of people do actually have the attitude alluded to in that quote. The thing is, I don't believe it myself; I believe that your proficiency in TKD or any MA is most clearly apparent in your ability to use its strategic principles and tactical resources in the real-time pressure test of a self-defense situation. To me, that's the ultimate clue to technical proficiency. And I try to train along those lines... but I still spend a disproportionate amount of time working on that damned side kick! Go figure...

 

[Kwanjang]

The side kick is ONE of the signature kicks of TKD. It is very important. When you are executing a side kick, many muscles are engaged. Great for building strength, However I agree, you should not live the side kick alone.

Some observations regaurding the underlings Side kick:

in one clip, the shoulder over rotates which is counter productive to the power of the kick. Foot goes out to the target, and the shoulders rotate away from the target.

When he is on the floor (a great way to practice the leg mechanic) the foot is not pulled back enough. to me, it looked like he was kicking with the ball of the foot. He also keeps throwing his rear arm down. For me, what your upper body is doing (while kicking) is as important as the leg machanic itself. Just my observation of the video. Overall pretty good form on the leg machanic.

I tell my students, true confidence is not knowing how to kick or punch....but knowing WHEN to kick and when to punch!

 

[bluekey88]

In the dvd "The Revolution of Taekwondo," which features GM Kang Shin Chul, he says something I thought was interesting. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1w--TjqVY&feature=related Bad audio.

"Some say your proficiency in Takwondo can be observed in your side kick."

Do agree with this emphasis on the side kick in Taekwondo's arsenal? If so, why? If not, why?

I'm not reading that quote as an emphasis on side kick per se. Rather, GM Chul seems to be saying that ones sidekick proficiency is a good indicator of overall TKD proficiency. I can kind of see his point, of all the basic kicks, the sidekick is perhaps the most complex and difficult to really master (that is combine balance, focus, speed to get real power).

The question to me then is, doe sone's sidekick improve as one's other basic kicks become proficient. Is there carryover into something like the sidekick from rounhouse mastery or vice versa?

Peace,
Erik

 

[dancingalone]

The question to me then is, doe sone's sidekick improve as one's other basic kicks become proficient. Is there carryover into something like the sidekick from rounhouse mastery or vice versa?

Consider the muscle group strength and hip flexibility required for a superior sidekick. Definitely if you have a good sidekick, it will carry over into other kicks as well. One tip I give my students is to also work on abdominal strength. It's an underrated facet of kicking well.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Chul, I believe, was refering to what it takes to do a 'perfect' sidekick. And it takes alot.

The amount of stretching, stengthening, timing, and coordination needed to do the kick and it's variations with great speed, power, and accuracy just takes tremendious effort.

But it's more than that. It's the reflection as to what it took to perfect that kick that shows the students commitment. Chul would see the student cared about what they learned and would put the effort needed to master the art.

I think by judging how much one has strived toward perfection shows in how they perform the techniques. It's a window into what the person is like.

Deaf

 

[IcemanSK]

I'm not reading that quote as an emphasis on side kick per se. Rather, GM Chul seems to be saying that ones sidekick proficiency is a good indicator of overall TKD proficiency. I can kind of see his point, of all the basic kicks, the sidekick is perhaps the most complex and difficult to really master (that is combine balance, focus, speed to get real power).

The question to me then is, doe sone's sidekick improve as one's other basic kicks become proficient. Is there carryover into something like the sidekick from rounhouse mastery or vice versa?

Peace,
Erik

This is how I saw it as well. The side kick is a difficult kick. I feel GM Kang was saying "if your side kick is good, your overall proficiency is probably good."

Does that change anyone's views on the subject?

 

[YoungMan]

I believe having a good sidekick is a strong indicator of having good overall Taekwondo. The people I've met with good sidekicks were great in other areas as well. But as a Chung Do Kwan black belt, I tend to support the sidekick above other kicks.
Converesely, those with poor sidekicks (no accuracy, no stopping power, poor waist action etc.) tend to have poor overall technique.
Have you ever really looked at the technique of many Olympic fighters? A lot of it really is not that good.

 

[exile]

The side kick is a difficult kick. I feel GM Kang was saying "if your side kick is good, your overall proficiency is probably good."

Like a Little Leaguer's fastball. A lot of good young players can develop very capable curveball pitches, knuckleball pitches and so on—but the recruiters are looking for the youngsters with blazing fastballs, because if you have that, pitching is pretty much a natural gift you were born with. I remember long ago reading an interview with Whitey Ford in which he talked about that... WF said that the fastball is the one pitch you have to have been born with. And he should know—he didn't have a doppler-shift fastball and had to compensate using other kinds of pitch...

The sidekick is a technically very difficult kick: your upper body has to be making very fine continuous adjustments in position off the vertical, smoothly, to maintain balance all along the length of your leg extension, with a very sharp hard jolt at the end, and that leg extension requires very strong hip flexors and abdominals, as was pointed out by a couple of posters earlier. It's a brutal test of strength, balance and accuracy all at once. That's the reason why I work on it so much, I suppose. But I see the benefits of that strength, and those balance and accuracy skills, being cashed out in the availability of low, hard, damaging short-range kicks in SD situations.

In a way, the sidekick is the ultimate exercise: it's kind of to TKD what the bench press is to weightlifting. (Or the squat, for you quad fanatics! ) Terrific strength developer, but what you're really after, if you're like most people, is functional strength. I think of the side kick more along those lines—as a rigorous drill that stresses all the major requirements, and as a great demo/showoff movement; but the real payoff is the application of that strength, balance and accuracy to survival in a down-and-dirty unsought combat situation....

 

[terryl965]

My GM has always said if you are unable to throw a sidekick you can never throw a power kick The sidekick is one of the most devestating kick in all of TKD becous eof the proper body alignment with the power of the leg, hip and upperbody behind it. I personal look at people sidekick to determine how good there TKD is. Maybe I shoud'nt but I do.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I agree a side kick is very powerful and very important to tkd. However ever since the back injury that put me out of tkd I have not been able to throw a proper tkd side kick.

 

[terryl965]

I agree a side kick is very powerful and very important to tkd. However ever since the back injury that put me out of tkd I have not been able to throw a proper tkd side kick.

Sorry to hear that Xue have you adapted it to fit your needs?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Sorry to hear that Xue have you adapted it to fit your needs?

Oh most certainly.

In the CMA styles that I train or have trained a TKD type side kick is not as important. I can still throw a side kick like you would see in Chen Laojia Yilu

And I can still throw something similar to the TKD style side kick the problem is I have to turn a bit further.

But back to topic it is certainly a rather nice and powerful weapon in the arsenal of TKD.

 

[BrandonLucas]

The side kick, to me, is the hardest kick to get right. We start learning it at whitebelt, and by the time a student hits blackbelt, they are most of the time still having a hard time executing the kick properly. For me, it's my worst kick, hands down. But, for me, it's the hardest kick.

I can agree with the statement that the profeciency of a student's sidekick shows the students proficiency in TKD as an art...to a degree. There are, of course, other aspects of the art itself, in which a student can measure their profeciency, but since the sidekick is the hardest kick for me to master, for lack of a better term, I would say that I have alot more work to do before I can effectively say that I'm profecient in the art.

 

[zDom]

I don't know that I would judge someone ENTIRELY on their sidekick, but I agree: it IS a good indicator.

 

[Miles]

The sidekick is an awesome technique and I agree with the premise that it gives a general idea of the ability of the student. It is a technique we use a lot in self-defense drills but not something you see in sparring because it is slower than other kicks. What it lacks in speed it compensates for in power...

 

[tko4u]

The sidekick is an awesome technique and I agree with the premise that it gives a general idea of the ability of the student. It is a technique we use a lot in self-defense drills but not something you see in sparring because it is slower than other kicks. What it lacks in speed it compensates for in power...

agreed!

 

[exile]

The sidekick is an awesome technique and I agree with the premise that it gives a general idea of the ability of the student. It is a technique we use a lot in self-defense drills but not something you see in sparring because it is slower than other kicks. What it lacks in speed it compensates for in power...

The way I see it, a kick which lacks speed is one which can be evaded, unless the attacker is controlled so that he has no chance to do so. And if he is, that power can be brought decisively to bear to end the attack, if properly applied. Put those two considerations together and you get the kind of app we stress for the side kick at our school: a damaging strike on a controlled attacker's lower body—typically the inside of the knee joint, which can easily be ruptured by such a kick in a way that won't easily heal, while the attacker is kept at close range by a hikite/pin combination or something similar. At that kind of range, he won't even see the knee coming, and a good hard strike will bring him to the ground without much chance of getting up unaided. We practice side kicks high, as serious training in balance while applying major force, but as a terminating strike we treat it as a CQ tactic.

 

[Kacey]

The sidekick is an awesome technique and I agree with the premise that it gives a general idea of the ability of the student. It is a technique we use a lot in self-defense drills but not something you see in sparring because it is slower than other kicks. What it lacks in speed it compensates for in power...

I use side kick in sparring all the time - lead leg side kicks are quite fast, and very hard to stop.

 

[IcemanSK]

I use side kick in sparring all the time - lead leg side kicks are quite fast, and very hard to stop.

One of my instructors (years ago) taught me tremendous respect for a lead-leg side kick. He'd throw it right at your beltline as you came in. One learned quickly to try to use an angle to get in. Nasty when done well!