[AngloDaxon]

Okay, so i can lift my knee up forwards up to my chest, but if i try a "front snap kick", i can not nearly get as much heigh as i would like, also the same for a "round-house kick" i can only go for the armpit/kidney/legs, not head height, side snap kicks, oh dear, i'd better not try those when i spar! any tips for leg raising? how to kick higher etc? ???

[DDRmagic]

stretch your legs more first. thats the most important thing. just basic stretches will do. but there are actual leg stretching exercises i find that help for flexibilty not technique.

stand in comfortable side stance (such as left leg forward) hold you arms out with palms open facing the front. use the right leg to go left a tiny bit and in circular motion go around and slap your arm with your leg and change stance and do it for the other etc.

its hard to understand when written if you really want i can make you a video for you to understand.

an easier one is to practise axe kicks (in side stance position lift the back leg straight up and drop it down) but instead of aiming to hit somethign in front of you - aim for the height of your leg. drop it in front of you so now the leg that you didnt kick with is now at the back. walk and do axe kicks to stretch.

remember to also do the normal leg stretches.

stretches will give you more flexibility and you eventually be able to go higher and higher until you can reach head height.

i used to have this problem but now i can kick very well.

if you have are confused by the wording of my explainations id be happy to make you a video to show you how to do these stretches.

[SpeedDemon]

Stretching is very important. The more flexible you are, the higher you can kick.

Raising your knee higher before you extend the kick is the best way. If you raise your knee to your hip level, you can only kick that high. If you raise it chest level, you can potentially kick to the head.

I suggest doing stretch kicks. Find a bar, grab onto it, and swing your leg as high as you can strait up in front of you. Swing it as high as you can crossing it over your body. Then do it, swinging to the outside of your body (this is the hardest, but really works the muscles).

Practice drop kicks and crescent kicks. All of these will help stretch your leg muscles and make it easier. forgot to mention: All of these kicks are to be done with your leg staying strait. If you bend your knee, this will only affect the thigh muscles, and not every muscle in your leg.

But MOST IMPORTANTLY: DO NOT OVER STRETCH! over stretching can lead to pulled muscles, torn tendons, and other serious injuries. Only go a little bit past what is comfortable. if it starts to really hurt, ease up a bit. Go to your comfort zone, then push a little bit further. over time, you will be able to do much more.

EDIT: snap kicking isn't that great of an idea. Unless you are going for a knockout kick to the head, you want power kicks. It is an especially bad idea if you cant even kick to the head yet, so watch out. Don't expect to snap front kick someone in the chest and stop them from rushing at you and fall over.

[Nigdnasty]

Work on stretching out your hamstrings(back of your knee) and your groin(inside of thighs next to penis )

[Kamputangina]

I did TKD for a year and a half when i was a kiddo like 9years old. Now im 16 and i can do a

perfect axe kick even though i haven't stretch.


Yes, everyday stretching really works.. Try it for a month, see the difference Simple

leg splits will do

[Ilusionaryleft]

Snap kicks?...Those things are Kinda easy for me...I can do them with both legs quite easy...xDBut cant say they have the same amount of power as Roundhouse thai kick...
And practice the kicks more?...thats how I got the flexibility for them...Since I dun realy stretch my legs evrytime I train....(I do parkour tho...Gues I got most of my flexibility from there xD)

[TimeFighter]

Practice, stretch all your leg muscles, do some drills and a bit of sparring and that should be good. Don't over work your legs, though.

[AngloDaxon]

Thanks for all the help! I can do snap kicks fairly easily, but i wouldn't be able to go for a head kick on someone taller than me without losing too much power, its mainly the mawashi geri/round house kick i can only get to the kidney, and the side kick just fails, I'm going to start those leg exercises everyday! thank you!

One last thing, Is it more effective to stretch after a hot shower or is that just a myth?

[TimeZone]

Originally Posted by Kamputangina

I did TKD for a year and a half when i was a kiddo like 9years old. Now im 16 and i can do a

perfect axe kick even though i haven't stretch.


Yes, everyday stretching really works.. Try it for a month, see the difference Simple

leg splits will do

Similar thing for me...I did TKD when I was younger and that really helped me develop my kicks. I have zero problems with generating power with my highkicks...which is mainly due to doing alot of streching I done at home and in TDK along with alot of practice.

So yea, I reccoment just streching as much as possible and you should start to see an improvment. Goodluck!

[Diruhk]

i hate that kick while sparring because i always end up hurting my feet instead of my opponent but sometimes when someone's defence is awkward i use it