Spotting

[Desired Effect]

i've been doing ksw for about a year and at the level of blue belt the spin kicks are taking over, i'm not a natural at kicking but wan't to get better, although there is one problem, my spotting odly goes off.
when i spin i focus on one object or area in front of me for when i release the kick, but once i spin round and try a locate that sight my mind keeps moving, as if my brain keeps spinning on. Its really awkward, is it just a question of trying and trying again, or is there a starting point or different methods i can use, let me know coz i know my spin break is coming soon.

[Desired Effect]

oh dear it looks like nowone can help me. though has anyone had the same problem as me?

[fugepilot]

Give it time, I'm sure someone more informed than me will drop by. :)

[justinksw]

oh dear it looks like nowone can help me. though has anyone had the same problem as me?
There is help for you... don't panic!

What I did for 'locking in' my target on the spin kicks is to have someone hang a strike pad in the air and just keep practicing. Do it really slow for the first few and gradually try to speed it up. I would try to focus on staring at my target as long as physically possible and then whipping my head around at the last second to re-locate my target.
Depending on how flexible you are, your foot should be lined up for the general area before you need to complete the spin with your head and body.
It's kind of hard to put into words for me, maybe someone else will have a better explanation, but that is what worked for me.
Good luck, and keep practicing! :)

[KSW_123]

Are your head and body rotating together? Try turning your head faster/sooner, to look at the target before you kick. You don't want to kick blind anyway.

[Slindsay]

Slow and low to start with, don't bother about getting the spin high and don't worry about speed, they come after you can actually do the technique.

When I was learning/ practiscing the spin hook kick I would usually spend more than 50% of my time doing the kick slower than neccessary to make sure I was getting all the little points right. The process is:

1. Start facing a target like akick pad
2. Turn your head as far around as it will go
3. Turn your shoulders around as far as they will go
4. Rotate hips far enough to be ablk to see the target, note the front foot will now be facing the target almost heel first

Once you have done this 15-20 times speeding up a little as you go start to try and bring the leg you kick with round, dont bother to kick properly with it just yet, only focus on geting it round and back down into a stance, repeat this about 15-20 times.

Finally actually start to throw the kick, aim it about waist height to start with (Any lower than that and it actually gets harder) and throw the kick a few times, maybe 5 say.

Finally try throwing it higher than that, only as high as you feel comfortable with though. To do this you should notice a real alteration in the dip of your body and this should almost naturally speed up the kick as opposed to throwing it waist height with a dead staright body. Really take the time to notice how it feels like you get pulled though the technique almost.

Now take a break cos you're going to be dizzy :p

Finally start throwing the technique "fast" as in with a mind to throwing it quick enough to be usefull, you should notice a real difference now in how the kick feels.

Anyway, hope its the reverse turning kick or spin hook kick your trying to learn and not a 360 bandau although the same almost applies :D

[davefly76]

have you ever wondered why an ice skater never gets dizzy when they spin round loads of times really quickly?

basically they keep their head facing in one direction and twist the body, when the neck won't twist anymore they flick it round very quickly and focus on what they were looking at before.

try doing it in slow motion. focus, twist, spin head and then pick the foot up to strike. it will be difficult at first to get any power or speed in the kick but with practice it will get better.

like ksw-123 said, you shouldn't kick blind.

:)

[KSW_123]

The steps Slindsay gave are covered by the double punch spinning soo do technique we all learn at white belt (at least we do over here). So practice that a lot and it will help. The only thing I would add to Slindsay's description is a number 5.) Stay there and wait till you can focus on the target, then turn back.

Davefly is spot about the ice skater stuff. They are amazing the way they spin so many times without falling on their butt.

[Desired Effect]

thankyou guys, i've been giving the slow movements a practice for now, i think i was just throwing myself into the movement too quickly, trying to get the essence of 'Spin'. but much appreciated, i'll let you know if my break was successful.

[turk944]

Another thing you can try is to practice spinning and locking on your target without actually executing the kick. Not only will this help you with not getting dizzy, it will also help you get down the fundamentals on spinning on the ball of your foot and not putting your heal down. When you feel comfortable with this, then start to incorporate the actual kick into the execution.