Why is it that I can throw a kick at a leg/bag/etc without too much trouble but when shadowboxing I can't get the mechanics down and it has no power. In other words, without a target I can't throw the kick. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
Easy. Dont use power, you will hurt your joints. Get the footwork right and your hands right (ie gaurding like you would while kicking normally) and lightly flick your leg forward.
When you don't have a target, you don't have anything to recoil off of so technique becomes even more important. Chances are if there's something wrong with your kicks when you shadowbox them, there's something wrong with them on the bag too that you're just not notcing. Let's put it this way, let's say you can't shadowbox a kick very well...what happens when you throw one at an opponent and you miss? Will you just fall over and let them wail on you? Learn how to control your movement.
I know what you mean, I have the same problem. What you need to do is close your eyes, and pretend your going in to kick a guy in the leg, and when you kick him, and realize his leg isnt there. you will get your kick. It is that simple. Well, thats how I fixed it anyway.
Yeah, good advice. Just imagine you're kicking someone, but at the last second they take a step back and you miss. Works great.
Thanks guys. Am I correct in saying that the nature of the kick is that if you don't hit your target you should spin around? I think part of my problem is that I'm generating the power with my hip but I'm trying to stop the kick at the point of impact. Which works when your kicking largely with the quadricep..but all it does it torque my knee or make me lose my balance with a MT style kick.
The basis of shadowboxing is to visualize an opponent, thus creating a target yourself. I would rather focus on control.
Good advice. Shadowboxing with kicks is very good for technique. Get someone to critique your technique. They will notice little nuances that you don't usually think about.
shadow kicking is excellent for technique, i do it all the time. I recommend a good ten minutes of it a day.
Have you ever though about using elastic bands on your legs? It can give you the necessary resistance on you leg and stop you from hyper extending the knee. Karateka666
good plan on hyperextending your knee. dont throw them hard of you will fuck your knee up w/o a target.
Two things that helped me - 1) kick over a chair, spinning a full 360 back to your stance. 2) Kick a heavy bag 10-15 times in a row, taking your time on each kick. Then take two steps back and throw your kick. If it doesn't feel right, throw another 10-15 and try again. Rinse and repeat.
