Tips for Front Leg Roundhouse - Help!

[Rumy73]

Hello Everyone,

As always, I truly appreciate your knowledge and generosity. I'm in of them both, again!

My front leg roundhouse isn't the best. I have trouble getting it in the air, because all my weight is on the leg. Can someone please recommend some technical tips and offer some practice advice.

Thank you!

 

[granfire]

Hello Everyone,

As always, I truly appreciate your knowledge and generosity. I'm in of them both, again!

My front leg roundhouse isn't the best. I have trouble getting it in the air, because all my weight is on the leg. Can someone please recommend some technical tips and offer some practice advice.

Thank you!

Grab a hold of a door frame
Assume the perfect kicking position
then kick
at medium/slow speed. 15 or so on each leg.

Make sure the leg you are standing on is pointing in the opposit direction from your assumed target
Make sure your knee is pointed at the target. The foot moves parallel to the ground.

This exercise trains all the muscles (if you don't feel it in your stomach you are not doing it right) and lets you practice in a controlled manner.

(BTW the principle applies to all kicks)

 

[andyjeffries]

My front leg roundhouse isn't the best. I have trouble getting it in the air, because all my weight is on the leg. Can someone please recommend some technical tips and offer some practice advice.

I would say you've suggested your own improvement.

The problem you're having is because all your weight is on the front leg. The reasons for this I would offer are:

1) your stance is too long making weight shifting difficult

2) your stance is front-weighted rather than 50-50 increasing the effort required to shift to 100% back leg

3) your knees are straight combined with weak calves (either one would help) making it difficult to push off the front foot to go to the back foot.

Without seeing you do it, I couldn't guess at which it is (or some other problem).

However, a general solution I would offer would be to forget about doing front leg roundhouse kicks! That may sound counter-intuitive, but concentrate for a while just "knee kicking" (bringing your knee up as if kicking but don't straighten it out/rotate the hip). Do this for a while every session, just to train your body to be able to quickly shift the weight back to the back leg and raise the front foot.

Then when that comes easy, start adding a kick but waist high. Then work the height up.

 

[Rumy73]

I would say you've suggested your own improvement.

The problem you're having is because all your weight is on the front leg. The reasons for this I would offer are:

1) your stance is too long making weight shifting difficult

2) your stance is front-weighted rather than 50-50 increasing the effort required to shift to 100% back leg

3) your knees are straight combined with weak calves (either one would help) making it difficult to push off the front foot to go to the back foot.

Without seeing you do it, I couldn't guess at which it is (or some other problem).

However, a general solution I would offer would be to forget about doing front leg roundhouse kicks! That may sound counter-intuitive, but concentrate for a while just "knee kicking" (bringing your knee up as if kicking but don't straighten it out/rotate the hip). Do this for a while every session, just to train your body to be able to quickly shift the weight back to the back leg and raise the front foot.

Then when that comes easy, start adding a kick but waist high. Then work the height up.

My stance is narrow. I was told to put most of my weight on the front foot for Olympic style sparring. I was told 80%, 20% split. So I am working from these parameters.


I like your last tip. It makes sense. Perhaps I am not shifting the weight well. Thank you so much.

 

[StudentCarl]

What you're describing has 80% of your weight on the leg you want to kick with, and that won't work...particularly for sparring. Try a 50/50 stance with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders. A more defensive kick is to bring your body weight onto your back foot so you can chamber. A more offensive method is to shift your rear foot forward so it plants underneath you as your front leg comes up.

 

[andyjeffries]

My stance is narrow. I was told to put most of my weight on the front foot for Olympic style sparring. I was told 80%, 20% split. So I am working from these parameters.

I'm also Olympic style sparring and we've always gone with 50-50 - for the reason that you aren't limited in mobility forward or backward (in the same way as you are if you "commit" your weight in either direction).

I like your last tip. It makes sense. Perhaps I am not shifting the weight well. Thank you so much.

No worries, good luck.

 

[terryl965]

Wow who told you to put 80% of your wieght on the front foot? I have trained with National Team coaches and Olympics coaches and never have I heard that most will tell you 50/50 with you being center for getting maximum out of all your kicks.

 

[d1jinx]

One thing that I do, that helps with Speed and reflexes is knee to chest, Front leg, 10 times, fast as you can, switching each set. then front leg, knee to outside shoulder, same way, switching each time.

You can do as many sets as you want, but doing it as fast as you can is the key. It is a daily exercise along with situps, pushups ect.

The key to front leg kicks is speed. the faster you get your knee up, the faster you can deliver the kick. for most people, raising the knee is the hardest part.

Try it and see if it works for you.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Part of doing a roundhouse is shuffling up with the back foot just before lifting the knee.
Sean

 

[granfire]

Part of doing a roundhouse is shuffling up with the back foot just before lifting the knee.
Sean

Explain please.

part of using the front leg is to kick fast without a lot of telegraphing of what's on the menu.

The only time I shuffle anything (besides tripping over myself) is if when I want to put the advantaged leg behind me for rule reasons (ITA rules: a BB may leg check another BB if the target is the front leg and the kick being administered with a back leg)

A weight split 80/20 (shucks, we only ever did 70/30 on a long front stance) is something we only ever did in drills and only pretty much in beginner drills. Regular "back" stance was usually around 60/40 on the back leg...probably closer to 50/50.
One just can't move fast when al the weight in on the leg that needs to move. It's just not happening.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Explain please.

part of using the front leg is to kick fast without a lot of telegraphing of what's on the menu.

The only time I shuffle anything (besides tripping over myself) is if when I want to put the advantaged leg behind me for rule reasons (ITA rules: a BB may leg check another BB if the target is the front leg and the kick being administered with a back leg)

A weight split 80/20 (shucks, we only ever did 70/30 on a long front stance) is something we only ever did in drills and only pretty much in beginner drills. Regular "back" stance was usually around 60/40 on the back leg...probably closer to 50/50.
One just can't move fast when al the weight in on the leg that needs to move. It's just not happening.

For one thing, you are hopefully not just standing there. If you are actually fighting, it is conceivable that you are on the move; so, shallowing your stance to take the weight off your lead leg is not the least bit of a telegraph. It is just how you roll. If you want to simply teeter on your hip in a counterbalance, it is possible, but not very realistic on the street considering its a stationary concept.
Sean

 

[granfire]

For one thing, you are hopefully not just standing there. If you are actually fighting, it is conceivable that you are on the move; so, shallowing your stance to take the weight off your lead leg is not the least bit of a telegraph. It is just how you roll. If you want to simply teeter on your hip in a counterbalance, it is possible, but not very realistic on the street considering its a stationary concept.
Sean

Ah, yes, happy feet. You should have said so in the first place!

Fly like a butterfly.....

 

[Touch Of Death]

Ah, yes, happy feet. You should have said so in the first place!

Fly like a butterfly.....

I float like Ivory, and sting like Bactine. :ultracool

 

[granfire]

I float like Ivory, and sting like Bactine. :ultracool

Beats swimming like a lead brick....