Youth American Karate-Do, beginners class, practice side kicks to body shields

Well…I had much difficulty posting today…three failed attempts to upload other videos and 4 hours later, I finally got this one to upload…whew!Lesson 1:The Side Kick is a very powerful kick indeed… it uses two joints, the hip and the knee, unfolding, as in rising from a squat!Initially you when you step up, make sure your supporting foot is pivoted!Then, the best method is to……jump in and….. ‘replace the foot’ To advance, drive the rear knee up,while in the air,drive the kicking knee up,simultaneously land with supporting foot pivoted and kicking foot landing on targetThe advance, the landing and the kick…….. all in one beat!Lesson 2:Remember to drive your kicking knee up highthen, kick from your hip, using your gluts to power-up the kick!Your kicking leg should be straight ‘in line’ with your hip and supporting footMuscle lock the knee …do not lock the bones!Be aware of the ‘Line of Power’!Your supporting foots heel and your kicking foots heel and all that is in between form “One Line” Remember, to keep your balance after the kick has landed and return to a well balanced and defend able position with your hands up!

American Karate-Do, Black Belts Side Kicking practice

JRRMAS Staff members NL, JC and DG practice defensive (not stepping in) Side Kicks in a recent Adult American Karate-Do class. NL is leading the class. All are demonstrating excellent form.Lesson 1:Side Kicks are both a classical and a modern basic techniqueThe kick also crosses over to real life self-defensefrom both a standing and a lying position.It is one of the most powerful techniques in Martial Arts, especially for women. For men the legs are twice as powerful as their arms, but for women the legs are four times as powerful as their arms! So learning to kick is a must for women’s self-protection, especially the side kicking action that uses the joints of the hip and the knee working in unison. The Side Kick is a very powerful kick indeed!Lesson 2:Remember to drive your knee straight up (as in a front kick)and learn to use the momentum of the initial vertical action of the kneechanging it from vertical to horizontalThe ‘secret’ to a quick and powerful Side Kick is keeping the knee up as the initial power of the vertical knee driveturns the ‘corner’ to a horizontal thrusting action using the hip and the knee jointBe very clear about the ‘line of power’ at the end of your kick!!

Sparrow Hop

JRRMAS student helper SM feeds a Side Kick (light) to White Belt RH so that he can practice the ‘Sparrow Hop’. RH holds a body shield and allows the power of SM’s Side Kick to move his body backward by allowing his front foot to replace his back foot. If it’s a really powerful technique the receiver might have to ‘Hop’ back two or three times in rapid succession.Lesson 1:This practice will help the student to develop the ability to ‘see’ the kick coming and study what it looks like when someone kicks at you. He will get the timing, body movement, distancing, and nuance. In normal life we rarely have a kick (or punch) coming at us…and never in a way that we can really study it. So the body shield (and focus pad) holding is invaluable in ‘seeing’ techniques and thus being able to defend against them.Lesson 2:Holding a body shield for kicks and punches will help the student to emotionally acclimatize to the physical feeling of being kicked, without being hurt. The student will slowly gain confidence and will be able to deal with powerful kicks effectively.