Karate Help Please: Sidekick and Frontkick combination.?

Question

I would please need a step by step and very simple instructions on doing the sidekick and frontkicks. Please. This is my second time and I still didn't catch it. How can I act normally in karate class??

Answer 1

Here is what I recommend for you.

first kick straight while keeping your back feet pointed in the front. Then when you bring your foot back from the first kick, turn your back foot to the side and and kick to the side with your foot again.

Hope that helps

Answer 2

Go to youtube and search "karate side kick" and "karate front kick".  You will find several of videos demonstrating and explaining how to do them.  Then, practice in front of a mirror until it looks right.  Finally, practice on a heavy bag until you can do them fast and with power.

Answer 3

Almost everything in martial arts comes from the hip.

When you side kick turn the heel of your standing leg towards the target you want to hit and lift your kicking leg straight up but bent at the knee then push forwards using your hip for power, some people perform this kick with their big toe pulled back towards them and their foot slightly angled but there is no defined way to perform a kick its what feels comfortable for you and works, but always keep your eyes on your target, never look at your standing foot to see if its right.

For the front kick try to get the heel of your standing leg pointing at least side ways in other words try to get the outside of your big toe facing the target you need to hit then lift your kicking leg straight  and push out using your hips, also Pull your toes back to enable the striking surface (the ball of your foot) to hit the desired target.

As for your second time don't worry too much about getting it right yet its still early days.

http://www.range-fighting.com/fighters/m...

The man i train with in the link above

http://www.range-fighting.com/image_libr...

i'm in the pic where you see 3 knelt down a 4 stood up..but can't say who i am excactly..

Answer 4

mistakes are perfectly normal in a martial arts class. dont be in a hurry, and let it come naturally. you're SUPPOSED to make mistakes, that's how you know you're doing it wrong. but when you finally get it, you "feel" how it's different than how you were doing before, and will remember it better.

once bruce lee said that a good way to know if you're balance is good, is to intentionally put yourself off balance.

karate is not a race to black belt, it's a personal journey that happens to have more than one person walking a similar path.

also, almost every style does these kicks a bit differently. and to be honest, some half-*ssed answer online will likely do more harm than good.

FRONT KICK: stand in a neutral fighting stance, with your left foot forward. weight distributed evenly between both legs. shift your hips forward which will put your weight on your left (front) leg...legs are always slightly bent.

once your weight is on the left leg totally, pick your right knee straight up so your thigh is level with the floor...do not lift it up to the side or in a strange circular motion...but straight up. a good way to do this is to keep your right leg as close to your left leg as possible without touching (at first you can even brush them together slightly)

point your foot straight down toward the ground...but pull your toes back toward you...this will expose your striking surface, which is the ball of your foot. a front kick is basically a stomp..but done in the air.

point your knee at the target, and snap the kick out, hitting with the ball of your foot. it helps to sink a bit to gain power. keep your hands up!

after the kick, return your leg to its chambered position (do not set it back down)...from there...

SIDE KICK: with your knee directly out in front of you, your foot should be directly under your knee (90 degree bend in the knee)...remember to keep your hands up close to your body. if you are in a very traditional style you will be kicking with the "knife edge" of your foot.

knee up, foot directly below it....now flex your foot by pulling your toes up toward your knee and slightly in..pointing the bottom of your foot toward your other leg. this will make the knife edge, which is the striking surface of your foot. (almost like a "shuto" or knife hand, but done with the outter edge of your foot)

if your style doesnt use the knife edge, ignore the last step and hit with your heel.

you will extend the kick directly out to your side, but about 6 inches or so before full extension...you MUST pivot on your other foot...your support leg.

you pivot on the ball of that foot, and not the heel. generally you want the toes of your supporting foot to be facing almost exactly the opposite direction that you are kicking. otherwise you may injure your own knee.

doing this has more than one purpose, the main ones are:

it saves the knee of your support leg from taking too much torque. 2 this is how you add power to the kick, to many it is a mystery and they just end up kicking with the power of their leg only. when they say ' put your hips into it' this rotation is what they mean. 3 when you rotate on the support leg, your hips actually slide closer to your target..which is how your body weight aids your kick.

again return to the 'chambered' position.

last...set your leg down, and return to your neutral stance.

* it helps to practice them separately to a count of 4

1 chamber, 2 extend, 3 return to chamber position 4 return to beginning. do this for both kicks until you are comfortable with them.

then you can do both kicks in combination.

1 chamber, 2 front kick, 3 rechamber, 4 extend side kick (or any other kick for that matter), 5 return to chamber, 6 return to neutral stance.

** if you have a partner, or in class. sometimes it helps to do the last part of the side kick FIRST. by that i mean, have someon actually hold your leg out to your side and just work on the hip and last extension of the last few inches of the kick. otherwise you may have bad form, and put power into the wrong part of the kick...resulting in a push...rather than strike.

what i described was a side thrust kick, or side power kick.

if you want to replace it with a side snap kick that is fine too.

the main difference is...with the thrust kick you try to chamber higher than your target and get "dropping" power and hip extension. the higher the target, the harder it is to chamber above it so you rely on more hip power.

with a side snap kick, it chambers even with, or below the target and "whips" or "snaps" out to the target with much less motion and power...but it is much quicker

rather than pivoting so much, or concentrating on power of the hips. just snap your side kick out.