Hi Kuma! Based on human anatomy and skeletal structure kicking with the heel makes more sense when applying full hip rotation with the side kick (as in TKD and other KMA). If you are not applying full hip rotation kicking with the blade of the foot makes sense as well. But since we are in the TKD forum and the question proposed is about a TKD side kick perhaps the issue should not be confused?
Yes. Always technique before speed. With good technique, speed will come. With speed first, its likely to remain a poor technique, as its the little bits you need to get down first! Stuart
It is used in TKD, as another poster with a TKD background already shared it. This same video also says to strike with the outside of the foot with the kicker using plenty of hip rotation. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1w--TjqVY"]Revolution of Kicking - Side Kick - YouTube[/ame] Both have their advantages and disadvantages. You can actually even use the same foot formation as the edge of the foot but still strike with the heel as well if you choose. It all depends on your target, what you're most comfortable with, and your footwear.
This is exactly how I learned to kick the first time I took TKD... back before the war. I miss ol General Washington. Good fella he was.
Outer part of the heel. NOT the blade of the foot. Which is even highlighted in yellow in the video to emphasize the point.:bang:
In my (limited) experience most people that don't side kick well are failing to get the knee high enough and the foot tucked and rotated inward (either all toes up or just the small toes down..doesn't really matter which). This results in a kick where the foot flails out in a less than straight line and just "paws" or flaps out out instead. Although as my flexibility decreases with age that's increasingly how I side kick.
Actually it says "outer part of the foot" at 1:04. The line was just to emphasize to keep your leg straight behind your hips and not kick at an angle. Sure we're watching the same video? Seems you can choose to use either from the many different "yeop chagi" videos I've seen. More of the sporting types go for the heel, but properly trained the blade can be just as nice. It all boils down to personal preference. EDIT: There are so many different styles of both TKD and karate now, all of which have their own teaching methods. Your particular system may not agree with it, but it does not mean it is not in the TKD curriculum.
In all fairness, back in the day we were taught to kick with the outer edge of the heel and pulling our toes back was to fascilitate that. TODAY they teach me to kick with the blade-edge of the foot, NOT the heel. I still do cause I'm a stubborn bastid who hates change, lol. I've even seen a school or two that allow you to kick with the BOTTOM of the foot. I think regardless of what a governing body decrees it boils down to the individual instructors. An old school instructor will emphasize what he's learned and come to know, while some new "tourney" minded instructor will teach what he's come to know. Hence the variation in style. My instructor routinely explains "traditional style, day do dis way. But dis no goo' fo' tournament so we do DIS way".... Anyway, thats my take.
Right you are Mikey, The mechanic's of the kick is most important for proper body alignment, and to limit the chance of injury to the joints. The position of the foot is more of a personal choice. I explain it to my students that the smaller surface area used to strike with, the more you penetrate the target and inflict more damage. Blade or heal is my preference for breaking, sparring I use the bottom.
Sidekicks can be improved by practicing them over and over while analyzing mistakes you make and trying to correct them. To get higher, you just need to stretch more often (every day....) and flexibility will come. On Koryo, the chamber on the first kick is practically nothing, if you chamber too much, you'll have a hard time keeping your balance. Chamber full force on the second side kick. Remember, it's a low-high sidekick so the first one should be thrown as if you were aiming for a chiwawa. Hope this helps a little!
i can see where you come from, i practice kids every day at home for about an hour or 2 hours, and not only that i practice during the day, randomly at school in the bathrooms when no one is inside etc... although im only a white belt, and i been doing tangsoodo for about 4 months or so, probably less i dunno. at first i found the side kick quite difficult, but its one of those kicks that needs ALOT of practice. Seriously. At first the problem i had was balancing. I would always fall over when i attempted the side kick, and for that reason, after doing 1 hour of continouse side kicks 3 days a week, (other days for other kicks) i got the hang of it. Now back then i was practicing a different version of the side kick where your in a side stance and you take a step and do a side kick. That version i find is far harder than the version where you are in a normal stance, then chamber and kick. it is good to learn both imo, as you can always be in any type of situation and you always want to be ready for that situation. Anyhow, im getting off track here. so what i reccomend is that you practice the easy version slowly. so first of all, bring your leg up. and just learn to chamber. Thats probably the most improtant as most say that chamber speed results in alot of power, the faster you chamber the better the kick. so practice your chambering, and try and hold your chamber for a long time.... build that endurence. Then while holding that chamber, extend that leg slowly. If you go slowly and watch your kick you will be able to see where you are going wrong. And any faults you have fix them quickly. when you feel comfortable with going slowly you can increase the speed, only increase it step by step, and only increase if you feel your current technique is very very very good. Keep increasing slowly as technique is everything. i made the mistake of going to a fast kick too quick and my technique was horrible... anyhow, when you can do it fast... dont always do it fast. go back to basics every week, or start of every home practice, do every kick slowsly. so start of very slow kicks as a type of warmup i guess. Then slowly increase the speed.... you will find this method of side kick very useful. BTW i will be attatching videos at the end of the post, and a very good article, for you to read anyways carrying on, in order to increase your flexibility, im not a fan of static stretches, i have found that doing dynamic stretches have greatly increased my flexiblity over the period of only 3 months. from being able to only hit below the hips, and now hit the head... in like 1 and a half months of dynamic stretching, i think thats pretty awesome. (btw i mean the head in side kick and stuff.... not really round house kick, not there yet haha, but in kicks like front kick and side kick, and i think push kick i can hit near the head too) here is a video and article. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdr4jpvqQzw"]Taekwondo Side Kick Tutorial (taekwonwoo) íƒœê¶Œë„ ì˜†ì°¨ê¸° - YouTube[/ame] taekwonwoo will help you fix your kicks by teaching you the neutral stance to side kick version. This version i find easier. BTW just so you know, never learn entirely from videos, only use them to SUPPLEMENT YOUR LEARNING. Like to learn more etc... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S62icvCN6kM"]Taekwondo Side Kick Tutorial (Kwonkicker) - YouTube[/ame] kwonkicker teaches you the way to side kick by stepping a few steps backward or something. Still useful. http://fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=256 hope i helped.... GOD i love tangsoodo/taekwondo/martial arts and just generally kicks!
