Throwing Multiple Round Kicks

[joe-hawkins]

Hello
I find myself off balance when I try to throw more than one round kick (for example: same leg kicks low and middle, or kicks from both sides). I was just wondering, should I be keeping my weight fully on my support leg and rotating, or should I be "reloading" weight back onto my striking leg before each kick. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

[retired]

Thai's when they throw more than 1 kick in succession with the same leg only bring their kicking foot back until the toes touch the ground (as apposed to flat foot) then launch again from here.

[Tom Yum]

What's up Joe.

It depends on what style of kicking? TKD or Muay Thai.

Generally speaking in TKD, you keep your weight on your back leg the entire time. First you chamber your bent knee (some people chamber it vertical, like your throwing a knee; some chamber it horizontal, like kicking a soccer goal from the side - calf parallel to ground), transfer your weight and pivot on your foot, while snapping the kick out. I wouldn't do multiple kicks from your rear leg in TKD because the chamber takes too long. Most folks use their lead leg round kick and keep the weight on the back leg when throwing multiple kicks. Point of contact is either the instep (for comp) or the ball of the foot (greater impact) Lead leg TKD round kicks are whip like, fast and can rock your head!

MT kicks are thrown like you are swinging a baseball bat with your weight behind either leg. You don't lean back as much as a TKD. Instead, you bend slightly at the pivoting leg (to keep out of punching distance), explode off of the pivoting leg while simultaneously whipping the hips through your target with a relatively straight leg. Point of contact is your shin (anywhere from just above your ankle - to just below your knee). The advantage is that if you are close, the kick becomes a knee strike.

You keep your weight Balanced a little more between both legs while throwing multiple thai kicks. once your kicking leg touches the ground, fire it back! If you fail to cover an incoming thai kick to the head, it will knock you down or out.

Balance comes with lots of practice. Keep it going.

[JP Prideaux]

Do speed kicks against a heavy-bag for 3 minutes. 6 kicks per leg then change to the other leg.

Make sure the mechanics of your kick is correct in the thai style. Dont worry about power. Focus on speed and technique.

This is where the pivoting of your foot becomes crucial.

Keep working on it. In time you will have speed and power behind it.

[Double Dose]

Multiple round Kicks

Hello,
When throwing multiple Thai round kicks one of the tricks is to leave the supporting foot pivoted. I agree w/the persin that said they just let the toes touch, almost using them liek a spring to launch the next kick but try and leave the foot turned and see if that helps. If that does not help, you need to go right back to basics and make sure your stance is correct. Make sure you step out at a 45 degree angle when you kick, if you step straight in you will surely be off balance. Good Luck!
Double Dose

[chalambok]

Master Chai's Basic Double-Kick Drill

When we first were allowed to learn the double kick, Master Chai would have us put our kicking leg against the bag at waist height, and, even if we had to hold the bag itself to do so, get the 180- degree pivot. When we thought our form was good, we then would push our kicking leg back to it's starting point and immediately kick. We never lost our pivot. This was backwards planning Thai-style, but a very effective drill nonetheless. A correction I should make is you should always be at kicking/pivoting distance from the bag. NEVER get the habit of stepping forward or 45-degree angle to kick. If you get in the habit of stepping every time you kick, it is easy to time you and cut your pivot, ridiculously so. You can always step if you need to, it is easy if you have good form, which may explain why so many inexperienced teachers encourage their students to do so, inadvertently robbing them of proper technique and ability. If you are too close in the street, there is the 'short pivot', which, like the half-knee half-shin kick, is a defensive technique and should only be taught after the basic kick is learned. There is a definite synergistic order to how Thai Boxing should be taught, or many basics will not be learned. The Thai always teach in a certain order, which probably explains why they always have something more in the arsenal; their basics are so very strong.