teaching/learning side kick

[kwai chang pain]

What's the best way to teach and/or learn side kick??

I learned to throw a back leg side kick first, but always used my front leg for side kick in sparring. Any thoughts??

[Piston]

For whichever leg your kicking off my teacher says it helps if you visualise bringing your leg up over the back of a chair, maybe even get a real chair and try it, it helps you make the chamber properly. Also don't be a lazy side-kicker, make sure you pull your leg back in properly so the stamping motion is retained, rather than it just becoming a turning kick.

[CS J0ker]

my left side kicks always look like crooked back kicks.

[kuk sool won]

most peoples weakened leg kicks look a lot like that. You really need to look at your body shape, side ways on, keep your arse in, chamber and keep your body aligned

[Hardball]

My tkd teacher taught the side kick with a chair. You hold the chair with one hand and and first work on the pivot of the support foot. Then you add the chamber, extension and retraction. It works great, the chair helps you balance yourself. The pivot on the support foot is very important for the korean style side kick. For me the side kick just came natural--now the roundhouse, that's a whole nother story. Months and months and months to develop a decent roundhouse and my left leg took years. I still would not attempt a left leg roundhouse in actual combat or sparring. My left leg is only good for foot jab and side kick in actual combat.

[kwai chang pain]

Thanks for the replies....but what about the whole issue of front leg side kick vs. back leg side kick.

I'm wondering if it would be more effective to teach a front leg side kick to a beginner vs. with the back leg like I learned.

[CS J0ker]

I say the frong leg side kick

[Piston]

I woul teach the side kick coming from the back leg first so that they learn to put the foot they are standing on in the correct postion i.e pointing behind them rather than outwards. Once that movement becomes in-grained with the sidekick the front leg sidekick will become even more natural.

[bvermillion]

I would reccomend the back leg side kick first as it is sorta the basis for developing power.

[xxblackkatxx]

The way I learned sidekick first was from the back leg, and I think learning it that way made it easier for me when it came to learning to do it off the front leg.
The way I teach the white belts or whomever a sidekick is to start from an L-stance, turn your body to the front while lifting your back leg to the chamber (tuck) position, and then to push their foot out, then to rechamber (go back into the tucked position).
Saying this while actually doing it is obviously a lot easier to understand, and when it's initially taught I don't so much focus on them hitting with the blade of their foot, the height of the chamber, and them keeping their balance throughout the technique. Once they get the basic parts of it (starting position, the turning of the body and chamber, the literal kick, the rechamber), they're broken down into counts. I stand beside them first, call out "ONE!" and we both go into am l-stance guarding block, then "TWO!" and we turn and chamber, and so on and so fourth. Once they seem to have it with relative ease, I speed up the counting while still doing it with them, then don't count at all while still doing it with them, then let them do it on their own.
Now each phase, so to speak, can last as much as 30 calls- I always ALWAYS make sure they look comfortable with what they're doing- it's in their face. Once they look like they've got it to their satisfaction, or around there (time may not always be with you), I move to the next phase (ie letting them do it by themselves.).

This is, of course, just my perspective of teaching it, and do openly welcome any critizisms that anyone may have about it.

-kat

[kwai chang pain]

Thanks again for the feedback guys. It's been a long time since side kick was new to me. I honestly don't remember which way I learned it. I haven't been actively training in awhile and am just re-evaluating certain techniques and how they're taught.

I used to teach back leg side kick to beginners, but when I thought about it I can't remember using back leg side kick in sparring very often.

A friend of mine used to teach front leg side kick by having students keep one palm on the wall (for balance) then learn the kick by chambering and kicking on the count. Then, as you go, you learn to do it w/o the wall.

[Maxx]

I remember that when I began TKD training in the early 70's the side kick with the rear leg was the first way that I learned it. Years later I was looking through the testing requirements of the United States Taekwon-Do Federation and the front leg was the first version taught. The side kick with the back leg was actually taught later on... green belt or later I think.

[HtTKar]

and when it's initially taught I don't so much focus on them hitting with the blade of their foot,

This brings up another point about learning the side-kick.
When I first learned how to side-kick it was the traditional way..using the blade of my foot. I did this for many years.

My current instructor teaches that using the blade of the foot leaves your foot more vulnerable to attacks. Also because of leverage it may be easier to sprain your ankle. We tuck the toes back and focus on connecting with the heal. This way may be a little easier to block, and you lose a little reach. But I seem to be able to kick alot harder. I guess both ways have their pros and cons.

What part of the foot do you personally train to connect with, and why?

[kwai chang pain]

I always use the heel.....When you do it right it's kind of like those Master Card commercials:

Martial Arts Uniform....Forty dollars.
Renting Enter The Dragon....Two dollars.

Plunging your heel into another man's belly.....PRICELESS!!!

[Sah Bu Nim]

For someone who has no exsperience in martial arts I start them off on the wall or bar to hold on to and look in the mirror. The hand that is not supporting your balance should be held up in a fighting stance. The foot you support your body with should be facing the opposite direction your kicking. Bring your knee up and chamber the leg. Your knee , hip and shoulder should line up. As you kick you turn your hip over to get full exstension or you can keep your hip statioinary and use your lats to add more power. This way always create more balance. After multiple repetitions on the wall with both sides then I move to the matt and work on stepping forward with each kick. Concidering foot possition you can do it one of two ways. 1) With a flat foot , has good pushing power but will not inflict much pain. 2) With a knife edge you slant your foot and pull the toes back, this allows you to pentrate more but not as much push.