A question about the long knee(Khow Trong).

[VicariousVice]

How does one maximize the power of a long knee too the body? Given the fact that the body is usually in a vertical position and the nature of a knee strike is to rise upward in a vertical motion, how do you maximize the power of the strike without merely graising the body?

I had my first class today, well it was more like an open workout and the technique I got the Kru to show me was this one. He said one thing that I don't see happen in most Thai camps, he said to keep your body straight and not to lean back. I was under the impression that this gave the long knee more length and power given the sudden forward motion of the hips.

Anyways, let me know about all the inner workings of the long knee, I'd like to know everything.

 

[DoctorTaco]

It comes from the hips. I have my students stand in front of the padded wall on one foot with their knee up like Daniel-sons "crane kick". I then have them touch the wall with their knee. Then they take a small back and repeat the motion.

The drill teaches fighters to drive their knees forward into their opponent instead of up

 

[thehairyfairy]

Would be pretty hard to keep fully upright and throw a long knee, also think of the knee as a knife and you're stabbing it into your opponent, should force you to throw your hips into it more and achieve power from distance.

 

[Bekim]

It comes from the hips. I have my students stand in front of the padded wall on one foot with their knee up like Daniel-sons "crane kick". I then have them touch the wall with their knee. Then they take a small back and repeat the motion.

The drill teaches fighters to drive their knees forward into their opponent instead of up

Instead of a "Padded Walls", why in heavens word are you not using the correct method!!!

Do you think banana trees are for just kicking!!!!

 

[pseudo genki]

He said one thing that I don't see happen in most Thai camps, he said to keep your body straight and not to lean back. I was under the impression that this gave the long knee more length and power given the sudden forward motion of the hips.

It's possible that he meant that you should push your hips forward instead of leaning your shoulders backward. A lot of people trying to do the stepping knee for the first time mimic the posture without mimicking the inertia. Pushing your upper body backwards feels kind of like you're pushing your lower body farther forwards, but actually takes away from the momentum, and until you've actually hit something with the knee the difference isn't always obvious.

 

[panamaican]

How does one maximize the power of a long knee too the body? Given the fact that the body is usually in a vertical position and the nature of a knee strike is to rise upward in a vertical motion, how do you maximize the power of the strike without merely graising the body?

I had my first class today, well it was more like an open workout and the technique I got the Kru to show me was this one. He said one thing that I don't see happen in most Thai camps, he said to keep your body straight and not to lean back. I was under the impression that this gave the long knee more length and power given the sudden forward motion of the hips.

Anyways, let me know about all the inner workings of the long knee, I'd like to know everything.

While the knee does rise upward in a vertical motion, the power comes from the forward momentum of the body. So, it's like you raise your knee to bring it on target but you drive forward to create the impact. The drill posted already is a good way to understand this. Remember, you're going forward, not up.

Also, leaning backwards doesn't give your knee more length although is seems this way. The length of the strike is limited by your leg length - leaning backwards doesn't change this. Leaning backwards might help you maintain your balance as a counter weight though.

But extending the length of the knee is about balance and hip flexibility/control. Better balance dictates how far forward you can drive without compromising yourself. Hip flex is the same but at the top of the motion.

Hope that helps. If it doesn't, at least there's a good drill in this thread.

 

[NAKMUAY18]

Lots of good advice.
I add to remember that the knee should travel at 45deg, not straight up and not flat. 45deg through your oppo.
Also drive up on you standing leg for power. At the end point of a knee you should be standing on your toe, with you leg straight, hip forward, toes pointed on your striking foot.

 

[Discipulus]

Rotation is key, in my experience. Adding a bit of torque, as with a round kick, to the end of the motion really helps you to retain your power in the follow through. I like this demonstration a lot.



Particularly when he strikes the bag at the end of the video, you can see him not only push his hip forward, but twist it into the strike.

 

[DoctorTaco]

Instead of a "Padded Walls", why in heavens word are you not using the correct method!!!

Do you think banana trees are for just kicking!!!!

I'm in nw Oregon, so it's hard to get banana trees to grow. When I get a crop up to proper kicking size, young Thai punks come and kick them in half! I try to stop them and can usually beat up 2 of them, but then the third one wins the fight and takes all the money.

 

[DoctorTaco]

Lots of good advice.
I add to remember that the knee should travel at 45deg, not straight up and not flat. 45deg through your oppo.
Also drive up on you standing leg for power. At the end point of a knee you should be standing on your toe, with you leg straight, hip forward, toes pointed on your striking foot.

Calf raise. Great detail I left out

 

[SummerStriker]

Sometimes the amount of motion in a certain isn't intuitive.

Like shifting your weight to the back foot on a lead hook, because your rear leg is on the right hand side of your body, you might feel like you are just going back but really their is a component of movement in the direction of the hit - directly right.

When you raise a knee, unless you have a lead leg that is crazy out in front of you (which is wrong for MT), it will travel forward. Turning the hip with it just adds a little to it.

If you feel like you are skipping up and off the target, what you are probably actually doing is hitting the target too late in the motion. That can either be because the target is too high, or you are not rising up on your calf early enough.

 

[Paradigm]

I'm in nw Oregon, so it's hard to get banana trees to grow. When I get a crop up to proper kicking size, young Thai punks come and kick them in half! I try to stop them and can usually beat up 2 of them, but then the third one wins the fight and takes all the money.