So how high can you kick? Share advice

[Replay19]

So far, after 6 months training (not consistently but at least 2-3 a week) I have tried my best to get more flexible. Right now I can hold a sidekick chamber straight out (with no crutch or handle just my own body). The height is about mid height. However if I kick fast, I can seem to kick higher but it's not for holding out long. I heard somewhere that if you are flexible and can do high kicks slowly then it helps strengthen and balance when you kick at normal or fast speed.

Wish I started earlier in terms of stretching though.

So how high could you kick? Share your advice and secrets too if you happen to be proficient in high kicking. Why? Cuz it's cool. I'm not talking about winning any UFC fights right now.

 

[EJRMAN513]

I'm not the fastest or most athletic but I am pretty long and naturally flexible so I can headkick(Probably even a little higher) pretty fluently but it's a little slow to get to the target.

To kick higher, you're doing good to keep practicing them slowly in order to get the technique down and better balancing yourself. To further help yourself I would say start stretching. Lots of stretching.

 

[nostradumbass]

You'd be surprised how much higher you can kick if your technique is good. If you take your head off the line, you get quite a bit more height on it. Not matter your technique, you're pretty inflexible if you can't throw past a body kick so I would say stretch frequently and be patient.

 

[lykae23]

I'm long-legged and have always been very naturally flexible, so high kicks come very easily to me. For some measurement or scale, I'm about 6' and I can cleanly head kick one of my 6'3" training partners.

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

It's a lot easier to be flexible if you're not fat

 

[Replay19]

Thanks for sharing the great advice guys!

I also heard that stretching vertical and horizontal is equally as important, because most kicks that we often know today, including hook kicks, round, inverted, side, straight, axe, and etc basically all kicks include a little bit of required flexibility in both your side splits and your up-and-down splits. Is this true?

I've also learned that doing dead lifts really helps strengthen your necessary kicks. I'm not sure if squats really helped me that much, like dead lifts did when it came to kicking power.

 

[TheBrownRanger]

Not very tall (5'8) or particularly slender (175 lbs) but I can kick up to slightly above my head. Mainly because I did TKD for a couple of months and it stuck. 2 years of BJJ and lots of stretching helped with flexibility as well. It's all about technique and not being totally out of shape.

 

[moonwolf]

. just stretch regularly and kick regularly and the flexibility will come.

 

[Kanka]

Im not that flexible and i have short legs but i can kick somebodies neck. I have to time it right though or else it will hit the shoulder

 

[Replay19]

When you guys mention kicking someone's neck or pretty high, are you talking about a lead sidekick, lead roundhouse, rear sidekick, or rear roundhouse? Or a straight (scoop) kick, rear or or lead?

 

[FierceRedBelt]

It's a lot easier to be flexible if you're not fat

Not very tall (5'8) or particularly slender (175 lbs) but I can kick up to slightly above my head. Mainly because I did TKD for a couple of months and it stuck. 2 years of BJJ and lots of stretching helped with flexibility as well. It's all about technique and not being totally out of shape.

^Pretty much this. My body fat percentage has had absolutely no effect on my flexibility or kicking ability. When I was thin I could high kick people who were taller than myself with ease and the same held true when I'd put on a significant amount of fat.

Unfortunately that can't be said for the rest of my game.

 

[Kanka]

When you guys mention kicking someone's neck or pretty high, are you talking about a lead sidekick, lead roundhouse, rear sidekick, or rear roundhouse? Or a straight (scoop) kick, rear or or lead?

Most probably mean a thai style roundhouse neck kick

 

[Replay19]

Thai Roundy, huh? So that's most likely going to be the shin focused roundy with the rear leg.

Does anybody do lead leg power roundhouse kicks?

 

[Deleted member 466273]

I can only speak for the TKD turning kick (my specialty), and the nummer one factor behind getting power and speed out of it is timing, timing your hip twist with the lashing out of the kick. You should practise this religiously. You will notice after trials and errors when the timing was correct from the sound it makes with your pants. It's a whopping/swoshing sound. Then replicate it a dozen times. I can kick people very high up.

 

[Replay19]

Do you recommend stretching vertically as well? I've only been doing stuff like side splits but I heard doing the up-and-down vertical split will help raise you leg a lot more.

For some reason by chamber for the roundhouse kick (keeping my knee up) can't go that high

 

[Deleted member 466273]

Do you recommend stretching vertically as well? I've only been doing stuff like side splits but I heard doing the up-and-down vertical split will help raise you leg a lot more.

For some reason by chamber for the roundhouse kick (keeping my knee up) can't go that high

Limit the amount of stretching. Your muscles will get tired and your legs weaker. Make yourself warm, start kicking low, middle and then high. Do everything fast paced. Turn over your body more if you feel stiff (this will take care of itself, and you will need less and less turn over/lean. I recommend chambering as if you were lifting and attempting to front kick, but as soon as the leg is raised you make the hip/body twist, and the turning kick. You get momentum from simply raising your knee naturally up in a straight motion. It's all about timing.

 

[aries]

So far, after 6 months training (not consistently but at least 2-3 a week) I have tried my best to get more flexible. Right now I can hold a sidekick chamber straight out (with no crutch or handle just my own body). The height is about mid height. However if I kick fast, I can seem to kick higher but it's not for holding out long. I heard somewhere that if you are flexible and can do high kicks slowly then it helps strengthen and balance when you kick at normal or fast speed.

Wish I started earlier in terms of stretching though.

So how high could you kick? Share your advice and secrets too if you happen to be proficient in high kicking. Why? Cuz it's cool. I'm not talking about winning any UFC fights right now.

Why are you bothered about holding out kicks like Jean Claude Van Damme? Forget that. Most people can kick a fair bit higher than they can statically hold out a kick. Holding a kick up just proves you have strength in that range. It's not necessary for you to achieve that unless you are doing martial arts high kick demos, starring in a low budget kung fu movie or a having a go at being a professional ballet dancer. Holding a side kick vertically won't add any significant power to your kick, by the time the kick has risen to head height there's little to nothing to add in terms of force. However overly tight muscles and soft tissues however can drastically reduce the amount of power available.

Secret shortcut to high kicking is to work your hip capsule. Look it up on youtube.

 

[Replay19]

Why are you bothered about holding out kicks like Jean Claude Van Damme? Forget that. Most people can kick a fair bit higher than they can statically hold out a kick. Holding a kick up just proves you have strength in that range. It's not necessary for you to achieve that unless you are doing martial arts high kick demos, starring in a low budget kung fu movie or a having a go at being a professional ballet dancer. Holding a side kick vertically won't add any significant power to your kick, by the time the kick has risen to head height there's little to nothing to add in terms of force. However overly tight muscles and soft tissues however can drastically reduce the amount of power available.

Secret shortcut to high kicking is to work your hip capsule. Look it up on youtube.

Hi thanks for sharing your insight and also advice. To answer your question, I want to be good with my legs because of personal interest. I learned that if you are good at kicking high, it makes kicking mid or low a lot easier and more fluid. I also want to kick high because for self-achievements and also because it is cool. Realistically in a fight I wouldn't throw out and head kicks, but I do believe being flexible helps overall as a martial artist.

Yes naturally I can kick higher if I do it fast, but doing it slow and static is harder but also comes with rewarding factors later on. Such as improved balance, muscle memory, and helps improve form and technique.

 

[Fedorgasm]

I used to be super flexible, then I got old, fat, and started doing squats and deads and hardly ever stretch. So do the opposite of those things and you'll be great.

 

[LEGS MAHONEY]

I dont think theres any major secret. Just stretch heavily and rep high kicks on the bag. also speaking of what the poster above said about getting fat.... it would be a good idea to keep the waist line trim. A gut will interfere with your kicks.