Help with Lead Leg Side Kick

[Discipulus]

Anyone know of any good tutorials or drills for this kick? I have difficulty driving it up and through the target. It's probably mostly due to uncoordination in my left leg--all of my left kicks are noticeably worse than the right. But when I try to throw the lead leg out I can only land it or extend it fully with my toes pointing slightly upwards. And they should be pointed at an angle downwards, right? I suspect that this means I'm not getting my hip into it properly.

Any videos of good side kicks--TKD, Sanda, karate, Muay Thai, what-have-you--would be very appreciated, as well as any drills or practice techniques to help with left leg dexterity and kicks. I know I can make my lead leg side kick far more powerful, and I won't rest until it's feared in my gym! Thanks guys.

 

[FadeIntoViolenc]

Sanda Side Kick - YouTube

If you need help, I can translate later.

 

[SAAMAG]

Are you having problems kicking in the air or on a heavy bag or a person? Or is it all three?

When kicking high (upward angle) its hard for many to kick the side kick on a bag without it swinging first because the foot tends to "scrape" up.

But you're probably talking about just any side kick attempt. Always start by kicking air--making sure to chamber it good and high. Keep it tight to your body so your foot and heel are right next to your butt cheek. Drive the HEEL out like a piston on a line from your hip to your target...in thrusting it should end with your standing foot having the toes for the most part away and the heel towards your target. Your kicking foot using the outer edge of your heel as the contact patch and the foot parallel with the ground or toes slightly angled down to help drive that outer heel edge in.

You'll generally be looking right off or slightly over your lead shoulder, with your lead and rear hand high guard or lead hand extended out in front and slightly outside the kick.

Think of your leg like your foot is a weighted ball on a rope...with the other end of the rope attached to your tanden. As the weighted ball is extended--the rope goes taught and is completely straight on extension. Your kick should basically put your hip, knee, and heel on that line.

 

[Hotora86]

Not from the lead leg but maybe this will come in handy:

 

[peanut66]

i just watched your "critique " video again and isloated your side kick ,

the problems i noticed , besides the lack of technique is your flexibility of your left leg , the side kick is hard to learn beacuse it doesnt have the momentum of the other kicks , it requires strength and flexibility in that leg , because there are diferent body motions involved ,

1; the step you are trying to use is not correct for that range , you are using a step behind side kick from 1 1/2 feet away , that step is designed to gain 2 to 4 feet ,so in essence you are jamming yourself.
in your critique thread i posted various types of slides and shuffles amd described them , you might want to read them ,, a sliding step or small step over is needed at that range.

2; you are trying to perform the kick from a sideways mentallaity , the kick is delivered straight to the target , you bottom foot pivoted at the target and the torso and hips turn with each other , this will make you leg turn sideways and then you deliver the kick ,

3: your foot has to be prepared to go into "wedge " position , this is done as your leg is c0cked, not too soon , not too late , and then thrust , and equally as important as the thrust is the recoil, after delivery of the kick you must recoil it back in the similar fashion as it went out to regain your balance , and then land.


what you are doing wrong is ,

a: using the wrong step for that distance .

b:not having the flexibilty in that leg , which is hidering the technique

c; turning your torso way too much , to the point where your body is pointing down , but you want your leg to go forward and out (again flexibilty issue)

d: having a lazy leg and just throwing it out there and not recoiling rather than pushing it like a piston and recoiling

we use a bar on the wall , to practice technique , the same bar you will see at a ballet class ,, with one hand on the bar you practice the technique , slowly , not fast , the slower you go the stronger those muscles become , this is what you need for all of your kicks

now watch that sanda video posted by "fadeintoviolnc" and see everything i just described , it will help you fully understand.

please dont read this the wrong way , im not bashing your technique , but this will put you on the right path .

 

[Bay Area]

i just watched your "critique " video again and isloated your side kick ,

the problems i noticed , besides the lack of technique is your flexibility of your left leg , the side kick is hard to learn beacuse it doesnt have the momentum of the other kicks , it requires strength and flexibility in that leg , because there are diferent body motions involved ,

1; the step you are trying to use is not correct for that range , you are using a step behind side kick from 1 1/2 feet away , that step is designed to gain 2 to 4 feet ,so in essence you are jamming yourself.
in your critique thread i posted various types of slides and shuffles amd described them , you might want to read them ,, a sliding step or small step over is needed at that range.

2; you are trying to perform the kick from a sideways mentallaity , the kick is delivered straight to the target , you bottom foot pivoted at the target and the torso and hips turn with each other , this will make you leg turn sideways and then you deliver the kick ,

3: your foot has to be prepared to go into "wedge " position , this is done as your leg is c0cked, not too soon , not too late , and then thrust , and equally as important as the thrust is the recoil, after delivery of the kick you must recoil it back in the similar fashion as it went out to regain your balance , and then land.


what you are doing wrong is ,

a: using the wrong step for that distance .

b:not having the flexibilty in that leg , which is hidering the technique

c; turning your torso way too much , to the point where your body is pointing down , but you want your leg to go forward and out (again flexibilty issue)

d: having a lazy leg and just throwing it out there and not recoiling rather than pushing it like a piston and recoiling

we use a bar on the wall , to practice technique , the same bar you will see at a ballet class ,, with one hand on the bar you practice the technique , slowly , not fast , the slower you go the stronger those muscles become , this is what you need for all of your kicks

now watch that sanda video posted by "fadeintoviolnc" and see everything i just described , it will help you fully understand.

please dont read this the wrong way , im not bashing your technique , but this will put you on the right path .

Cosign.

I do like the TS' mentality. Adding TMA techniques to his boxing/ mt. Truly a student of the game. Keep learnning.

 

[DECAPITATION]

I posted this in a side kick thread from a long time ago but since it fit the thread I thought Id re post it.Hope this helps some.

The best guy at the lead leg side kick that Ive seen is John Makdessi and he usually slides his rear leg to his lead leg and not behind to throw it so it isnt telegraphed.Also in the below link notice how Makdessi mainly throws the side kick when his opponent is circling to the power side as that makes it much easier to land.Here read this article and watch the first few gifs

Judo Chop: John Makdessi Brings Taekwondo Kicks to the UFC - Bloody Elbow

Here is jasor ablasi of team lakay using it to great effect at the start of one his fights
jasor the razor ablasi - YouTube

Cung Le is great with the lead leg side kick as well
Cung Le sidekick - YouTube

The first half of Cung Le's instructional book is nothing but ways to set up the lead leg side kick.One example of a setup I like in this book is to throw a lead hook when your just out of range to line your hips up for a good slide in side kick to the ribs also the hook in this setup is designed to get your opponent to back away and to your right wich is the best time possible to throw this technique.

 

[Discipulus]

Are you having problems kicking in the air or on a heavy bag or a person? Or is it all three?

When kicking high (upward angle) its hard for many to kick the side kick on a bag without it swinging first because the foot tends to "scrape" up.

But you're probably talking about just any side kick attempt. Always start by kicking air--making sure to chamber it good and high. Keep it tight to your body so your foot and heel are right next to your butt cheek. Drive the HEEL out like a piston on a line from your hip to your target...in thrusting it should end with your standing foot having the toes for the most part away and the heel towards your target. Your kicking foot using the outer edge of your heel as the contact patch and the foot parallel with the ground or toes slightly angled down to help drive that outer heel edge in.

You'll generally be looking right off or slightly over your lead shoulder, with your lead and rear hand high guard or lead hand extended out in front and slightly outside the kick.

Think of your leg like your foot is a weighted ball on a rope...with the other end of the rope attached to your tanden. As the weighted ball is extended--the rope goes taught and is completely straight on extension. Your kick should basically put your hip, knee, and heel on that line.

Great, thanks. Honestly, when I say high, all I mean is driving through the target at waist or gut level. That's not very high at all, but the inflexibility and lack of dexterity in my left leg makes it difficult. So looking over the shoulder is okay? I feel like I get more power--at least on my rear leg side kick, which I don't think is bad at all in comparison--when I can turn my body over through the kick, rather than keeping myself facing forward.

 

[Discipulus]

i just watched your "critique " video again and isloated your side kick ,

the problems i noticed , besides the lack of technique is your flexibility of your left leg , the side kick is hard to learn beacuse it doesnt have the momentum of the other kicks , it requires strength and flexibility in that leg , because there are diferent body motions involved ,

1; the step you are trying to use is not correct for that range , you are using a step behind side kick from 1 1/2 feet away , that step is designed to gain 2 to 4 feet ,so in essence you are jamming yourself.
in your critique thread i posted various types of slides and shuffles amd described them , you might want to read them ,, a sliding step or small step over is needed at that range.

2; you are trying to perform the kick from a sideways mentallaity , the kick is delivered straight to the target , you bottom foot pivoted at the target and the torso and hips turn with each other , this will make you leg turn sideways and then you deliver the kick ,

3: your foot has to be prepared to go into "wedge " position , this is done as your leg is c0cked, not too soon , not too late , and then thrust , and equally as important as the thrust is the recoil, after delivery of the kick you must recoil it back in the similar fashion as it went out to regain your balance , and then land.


what you are doing wrong is ,

a: using the wrong step for that distance .

b:not having the flexibilty in that leg , which is hidering the technique

c; turning your torso way too much , to the point where your body is pointing down , but you want your leg to go forward and out (again flexibilty issue)

d: having a lazy leg and just throwing it out there and not recoiling rather than pushing it like a piston and recoiling

we use a bar on the wall , to practice technique , the same bar you will see at a ballet class ,, with one hand on the bar you practice the technique , slowly , not fast , the slower you go the stronger those muscles become , this is what you need for all of your kicks

now watch that sanda video posted by "fadeintoviolnc" and see everything i just described , it will help you fully understand.

please dont read this the wrong way , im not bashing your technique , but this will put you on the right path .

Definitely a flexibility/strength/dexterity issue. Thanks for all the tips. I actually feel more power throwing a side kick turning my body and hips over through the motion of the kick. I don't actually like the style of side kick that Machida throws up there--the very traditional one--because it doesn't give you the same line of power through your entire body. Keeping my body upright/front-facing feels much more awkward with my rear leg, which I can side kick with fairly well.

 

[Human Bass]

Not from the lead leg but maybe this will come in handy:

The kick to the thigh looks brutal.

 

[td82394]

Well, it depends on the situation. One thing I like to do, I'll step into my jab to close the distance ( not too much though), but instead of sliding both of my feet in at once, I just slide in my lead foot at first, and as I'm doing this, I'm already switching into a sort of TMA horse stance/side stance/back stance (You'll see it any Bruce Lee movie, especially when he's about to throw the side kick, just in case you need a visual model, lol). after I've established this angle, and I'm still kind of covering my opponent's vision with my hand, but not to the point of leaving myself overextended, I'm going to initiate the kick by stepping into it with my rear foot and chambering the kick, and now all you need to do is execute.

If you're checking your opponent's advance, however, the quickest way to do it from a forward facing stance is to chamber like you're throwing a teep and twist it into the side kick.

Basically just watch Cung Le fight lol.