perhaps it would've been better form to put this somewhere that covers muay thai exclusively, but since i'm a beginner in muay thai (and i really couldn't find anywhere more appropriate on the site to ask ) here goes: what is the best way to roundhouse kick in muay thai? as i understand it, much of the power comes from the swivelling of the hips, but is it plausible that a flick of the shin moments before the kick would add a small bit of power, however negligible? i'm thinking in analagous terms to the way it is sometimes suggested that one flicks one's wrists an instant before contact when punching, and thought the same might apply to the present question. also, does stepping towards and across the opponent at all help? finally, i've gotten myself into a bit of a problem with kicking, in that i have a very well developed left roundhouse, but a poor right roundhouse - this might not be a problem if i was southpaw, but im NOT!
there is a sticky about this in the muay thai forum- yes you should straighten your leg at the point of impact to add a bit more oomph. and stepping across is also a good way to add power, as well as stepping off the centreline. as for the kicks, generally people do have a stronger leg. in fact i have the same thing as you, I can kick higher and faster with my lead leg although my lower kicks are stronger with my rear leg. although thats due to a hip problem more than anything else.
I took a few months of Thai the snapping of the leg especially about 6 inches before impact adds a little more speed to the kick. Timing is essential the snap should be in sync with the impact of contact inorder to sucessfully snap!
