Rear kick / shadowboxing advice

[Dexter]

Regarding kicking over a chair, it doesnt need to be very high. Many people make the mistake of kicking over something tall. I wouldnt even aim for something at your hip level. Something like your thigh level. Kick over a bucket, or stool, or what not. This will make it easier to do the motions correctly, rather then "reaching" for a higher kick, which can throw everything off.

You'd be laughing, but my MT coach actually re-taught me middle-kick by forcing me to kick higher on the bag. I couldn't get the correct motion, like the one on Andy's videos, until I start kicking higher .

 

[Monte Moku]

A small update:
https://youtube.com/shorts/a-NwK2q51Lw?si=t3doTEOqdZnS3Siw

Nothing hard or quick, just focusing on the technique. Any advice? I'm happy with my progress, although I still have a long way to go

 

[Trabaho]

Maybe a little bit faster, letting it go, and confident.

My general opinion is just to kick a lot and it always gets better.

 

[Monte Moku]

Maybe a little bit faster, letting it go, and confident.

My general opinion is just to kick a lot and it always gets better.

Thanks man, I definitely tend to overthink the mechanics when I am kicking and as a result have this lingering tension in my muscles - I will keep working on it! I agree about kicking a lot making it improve, but I also think that thoughtful corrections and consistent form-checking can drastically improve the rate of growth by providing a direction for that practitioner to go down. My skills improved more in the two months I spent in Thailand in 2019 with their great coaching than the two years I spent training in the US prior to my visit, at least.

 

[shincheckin]

A small update:
https://youtube.com/shorts/a-NwK2q51Lw?si=t3doTEOqdZnS3Siw

Nothing hard or quick, just focusing on the technique. Any advice? I'm happy with my progress, although I still have a long way to go

Not enough hip rotation. Not kicking through. Freeze frame it when you land on the pads and check your hip position.



Compare to this

 

[Monte Moku]

Not enough hip rotation. Not kicking through. Freeze frame it when you land on the pads and check your hip position.

View attachment 1006084

Compare to this
View attachment 1006086

Thank for your advice and taking the time to watch! I went over the frames in the video and I think you paused it when I was retracting from hitting the pad and not right before the moment of impact. Below I have added a screenshot of all the kicks in the video, paused at the moment before making contact with the Thai pads:

That being said, I do feel like your criticisms still hold water. For example, here is a screenshot I was using as a reference after I saw your reply and compared it my video:

As you can see, Petch's shoulder is further forward (and his swinging arm not as far back) than mine, his hip is higher and turned over more, and it looks like the heel on his standing leg turns further than I do (the last part is easier to see in videos of his padwork). Thank you again for your advice! It caused me to look deeper and make very useful adjustments to my kick. I will post an update once more improvements are made

 

[shincheckin]

Thank for your advice and taking the time to watch! I went over the frames in the video and I think you paused it when I was retracting from hitting the pad and not right before the moment of impact. Below I have added a screenshot of all the kicks in the video, paused at the moment before making contact with the Thai pads:

That being said, I do feel like your criticisms still hold water. For example, here is a screenshot I was using as a reference after I saw your reply and compared it my video:

As you can see, Petch's shoulder is further forward (and his swinging arm not as far back) than mine, his hip is higher and turned over more, and it looks like the heel on his standing leg turns further than I do (the last part is easier to see in videos of his padwork). Thank you again for your advice! It caused me to look deeper and make very useful adjustments to my kick. I will post an update once more improvements are made

Yup your correct about the timing of my photo on the pullback, it was the closest I could get with the right time on my phone.

Your technique is correct but the timing is off. It's hard to explain not in person. Correct kicking mechanics is the hardest thing to learn. The angle of the photos etc can make things look differently, but freeze framing, and evaluating yourself is effective.

3rd photo is probably your best kick.

 

[Monte Moku]

Your technique is correct but the timing is off. It's hard to explain not in person. Correct kicking mechanics is the hardest thing to learn. The angle of the photos etc can make things look differently, but freeze framing, and evaluating yourself is effective.

I think I know what you mean. Lately I have been using the analogy of kicking being like a Rube Goldberg machine in the sense of how everything chains together to get a desired result. I can feel when I am kicking that something isn't quite right, and I'm still trying to figure out where. It'll just take time and practice!

 

[MT5]

Serious question: as a practical matter how much do you touch your heel to the floor while rotating back after a kick? Never? Occasionally depending on other fight movement? Something else? In complicated combos I will often find some of my rotation ends up on the heel as I return to original stance, just as a matter of balance. I'm unclear if this is totally unacceptable or expected or what. If it's unacceptable I want to know so I can pound the hours out to fix it.

 

[shincheckin]

Serious question: as a practical matter how much do you touch your heel to the floor while rotating back after a kick? Never? Occasionally depending on other fight movement? Something else? In complicated combos I will often find some of my rotation ends up on the heel as I return to original stance, just as a matter of balance. I'm unclear if this is totally unacceptable or expected or what. If it's unacceptable I want to know so I can pound the hours out to fix it.

I think I'd have to see this in person to fully grasp and see what's going on, but Id say no you should not be rotating on your heel on the way back. The ball of your foot rather.

What you explain to me would lead me to believe that you are rotating on your heel when you throw the kick as well because if you were on the ball of your foot when you throw your kick when you bring your kick back to stance you should still be on the ball of your foot. When you are bringing your leg back to stance both feet should be landing at the same time so when your rear foot lands your lead leg should be landing flat or still on the ball of the foot but not on the heel.

 

[shincheckin]

Monte
https://youtube.com/shorts/GMKQ3P2POP8?si=JPyxXZpHTpJGtd3B

Mt5
https://youtube.com/shorts/tuE-WGBi67w?si=A4nZlk-wD6KdSHaC

 

[MT5]

I think I'd have to see this in person to fully grasp and see what's going on, but Id say no you should not be rotating on your heel on the way back. The ball of your foot rather.

What you explain to me would lead me to believe that you are rotating on your heel when you throw the kick as well because if you were on the ball of your foot when you throw your kick when you bring your kick back to stance you should still be on the ball of your foot. When you are bringing your leg back to stance both feet should be landing at the same time so when your rear foot lands your lead leg should be landing flat or still on the ball of the foot but not on the heel.

I think it's more that I am using the weight of my body to get the torque to rotate back, if you get what I mean. Rocking to my heel to rotate, basically. It's also hard because sparring is where it comes out and it's hard to think through where my heel is because there's so much else going on.

But thank you, i have plenty to work on.

 

[DoctorTaco]

I think I'd have to see this in person to fully grasp and see what's going on, but Id say no you should not be rotating on your heel on the way back. The ball of your foot rather.

What you explain to me would lead me to believe that you are rotating on your heel when you throw the kick as well because if you were on the ball of your foot when you throw your kick when you bring your kick back to stance you should still be on the ball of your foot. When you are bringing your leg back to stance both feet should be landing at the same time so when your rear foot lands your lead leg should be landing flat or still on the ball of the foot but not on the heel.

I knew just what he meant bc I see people do it when I’m holding pads for them. After they land the kick the heel on their base leg drops. As the heel drops the toes lift and then they pivot back to position that way instead of pivoting on the ball of the foot as they come back from the kick.

 

[shincheckin]

Here's a clip of myself kicking from a good angle to see what I'm doing with my left heel