for legs: try attaching some weight to your legs, about 1,5 - 2 kilos (better start with 1,5), than put your hand on the wall, so that you can hold on to it to keep balance and do some airkicking. Do it slowly: slowly lift the knee to the chest, than slowly straighten the leg, than knee to the chest again, then put the leg down. Do about 10 rep on a leg and different kicks, i dunno though what kicks you were taught, just 10 reps on every leg for every kick, and kick slowly, when you are good enoght after a month or 3 weeks i wont need to hold on to smth. PS While one hand holds on to the wall, other one should be near your jaw as a part of training, and dont bend or other stuff while kicking, your body should be straight.
for a 14 yr old, who is not practicing in any MA at the moment i suugest that you start with 1 kilos weight per leg, and when it feels much easier after a number of training, increase the weight. I think it should be sold in every sports shop. They look like this http://www.stayer.ru/images/Katalog/Sport/Edinoborstva/rei_sport/inventar/m52.jpg
1. Training partner 2. Heavy bag 3. Double ended bag [ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1i9D1PlvsWs&feature=related[/ame]
Don't use weights for speed training. In fact, when developing any attributes for kicking, don't attach any weight. This is the quickest way to develop arthritis in the hips and knees. There are two types of speed when it comes to kicking: 1) reactionary, and 2) muscular. For reaction speed have a partner hold focus pads and as soon as they present the target, hit it as fast as you can. For muscular speed simply throw kicks as fast as you can against a pad or bag, and do high-explosive anaerobic drills like fartlek running (sprints). Always develop technique before speed, speed before strength, and strength before endurance, in a workout. Regards, Dan
Do we not have a huge thing on this in "What Not To Do" because of the suggested damage that you will do to your joints. Well either way I would suggest resistance bands for speed training, you don't want the weight pulling down to the earth with gravity. You need to to mimic that actual body mechanics that relate to what you are trying to speed up. Try using a resistance band and set it up so it pulls the opposite way you are pushing... Just my 2 cents.
Personally I've found skipping and shadow boxing(empasising head movement) to be very useful in improving my overall speed.
This is wrong. It'll help a really scrawny noob who hasn't any leg strength at all, but that effect will soon plateau (pretty much as soon as he can all the reps, i.e. probably two weeks or so. Not bad advice. But if you use a double end bag for flip's sake don't practice like that guy in the vid. For a start, bring your hands back to some semblance of whatever your style calls a guard. I think speed balls are good for noobs, despite them being out of favour with many modern trainers. 1.5 kg at slow speed isn't going to develop arthritis in a normal healthy human. It isn't going to develp speed either. Very good advice. I would stress sprints a bit more, plyometrics, and heavy compound weightlifting (actually, I recommend this for everything! ... but it works!)
Thomas Kurz cites in his book "Stretching Scientifically" that performing any type of kicking movement, slow or fast, while wearing ankle weights can cause cartilage to wear away in the knees and hips. I agree with you that it doesn't develop speed; that's the point I was trying to make
LOL Who's Thomas Kurz? A doc/PT with a line in knee books, regimes and products to sell? :whistle: I mean, I shouldn't scoff because I swear by Dr Stuart McGill's lower back exercises and advice and he's the same... but all the same; according to various research I can't be bothered to look up right now, it's not generally the weight but the repetition that will hit you in later life in any exercise, so yes, I'm sure 1.5 kg weights on your ankles will come back, but then so will walking, tying your shoelaces and nodding in agreement! It's a matter of degrees: personally I reckon with slow movements 1.5 kgs isn't going to do much by way of damage - but then it's not going to help with anything either! But then I'm no doctor! :hat: LOL, I know, I was agreeing with you to reiterate and reinforce your opinion! We'll just have to agree to agree then! You're recommending oly lifts for a 14 year-old who doesn't lift at all and is willing to take advice to work out with ankle weights?! Welcome to the thread! And why ladders?
the ladder drills must be so he can climb to the top! j/k start training in MA before you do any serious physical exercise. you can't develop speed in kicks and punches if you don't have anything resembling a good kick or a punch yet.