Side Kick Training

Hi again, it’s a beautiful sunny Sunday morning and I'm inside writing a blog about martial arts, I must be mad? This week’s discussion is on 'side kicks' and using YouTube to improve technique. The reason for this is my side kick is not good enough and I've got grading in two weeks time and the side kick is part of that grading. So what have I done about this?

The basic problem with a side kick is balance and either the flexibility or strength of your supporting leg. In my case it’s all three, I've spoken to my Subumnim (teacher) who has given me some great exercises to practice and has also incorporated the side kick into a lot of our martial arts classes. This approach is working well as my side kick is now improving, but it’s still not good enough.

To truly get better at something you have to take some responsibility for yourself, so I follow my Subumnim’s good advice at work. Take myself off every few hours and instead of having a cigarette break I have a 'side kick break' this involves some stretching and doing 30 sidekicks on each leg. This will be built up over time when my legs get stronger and my muscles remember the movement. This is also a great way to re-energise myself, get the blood circulating and refocus my mind as I sit in front of a computer all day I get stale and lethargic.

The next stage is to watch other people and learn from other martial arts that are known for their kicking techniques, my Subumnim does this very well. YouTube is for me the place to go so I can obsess over other martial artist’s techniques and footwork. Footwork incidentally is my passion, if I watch UFC (Go Dan Hardy UFC 111!), Muay Thai or boxing, for example, I'm glued to their feet and watch with great intensity how they manipulate their body postions through minor footwork changes whilst transitioning through techniques without losing balance - it’s all about the footwork!

I found some great demo videos which are in the Chi Combat System favourites on our YouTube channel; I've watched them over and over again and practiced the drills prescribed.

I've taken the best parts out of each video and practiced them Friday night, before Chi Combat training yesterday and again this morning (I told you I was obsessed). The static positions are excellent as they put your body in line with the kick itself and develop your core strength and balance. Balance is a vital component because when you finish your kick you need to remain in a strong stance and keep your shape which you can't do without good balance.

I'm not sure if there is a best way to do a 'side kick', there are too many good examples out there. The key to your own development is which type works best for you according to your body make up and own personal body mechanics. The thing I like best about Chi Combat System is the fact that it takes all these great skills and blends them into one technique, a 'side kick' cannot be slow, the power has to be directed straight through your body and you have to finish it in a position that will allow you to effectively continue your attack or defence.

I hope you found this interesting and useful, till next week...

Pil Suhng!