Ok, so as I was switching stance, my foot was already turning, and I wasn't bring the left leg back to the rear, and then stepping back into normal guard. Essentially, when I was kicking from switch stance I was bringing my left leg forwards and closing the distance, instead of bringing it back, then stepping back into my normal guard. My instructor picked up on this, and corrected it, but the little change in footwork seems to have affected my balance quite a bit, I am doing it slowly and concentrating to correct my technique. My question is, are there any exercises or drills that I can do at home with no bags or pads that will help with the correct motion of the kick?
I am not the top guy to answer this question by any means, but my instructor is a fan of a fast switch stance to be able to kick with the other leg, rather than the Thai style that is sort of slower. Neither is wrong or right IMO. I just do a very quick switch with my feet only skimming the floor, as to not lose my balance. I don't know if this helps at all.
It's not the switch that I struggle with. But the kick and return with the left leg (being that my left leg feels like it's not mine lol)
Can you explain what you mean by fast switch stance? I'm curious about that. Unrelated exactly to OP question - My Kali/JKD instructor occasionally shows me Muay Thai - ish stuff, and the way he has me do the switch is instead of stepping back with left foot - to step forward and to the side with right foot (making it the lead leg). Then kick with left leg which is now in the back. I actually like this way better, but have gotten corrections and told not to do that in Muay Thai class. I like the idea of stepping off at the angle to do the kick, I can't see how that is a bad thing.
Switch kick is actually you switching stances to southpaw, kicking with your rear leg, then landing back in southpaw. Perhaps practice kicking in southpaw stance to get the hang of it?
Dropping into normal stance is perfectly fine. You can use it to continue a combo (such as right cross, left uppercut, right knee). I have several training videos around of me performing this kick, on it's own or in a combo. If you want to drop back to southpaw (which you'd likely do naturally when double kicking from the switch), practice the kick from southpaw without switching, as suggested above. Also practice switching when skipping, and working from southpaw during shadow boxing. Any chance you can post some video?
In my fighting stance I don't use the standard muay thai type of switch (just for my stance) I was taught to do it with a sort of skip, but that the feet still stay on the floor as I said, sort of like skimming the floor. It's not a traditional MT switch as far as I know, but he had told me either way was fine, he just likes to take less time being out of position.
This is EXACTLY the way I was taught, though we work on throwing kicks from the opposite stance as well, but when you do the above you can actually kick when the target is closer which is what I like about it. If you want to completely switch it all up, you can throw the kick from the southpaw stance, but it really depends on what you like and how you were taught. I feel this is a faster and better way to do it though.
When I wrecked my right knee, I no longer do a traditional switch kick but step with the right to my 2 o clock and kick from there. I suggest just practice practice. But like UC said..its perfectly fine to switch kick, land back in orthodox. IE combo.. Jab. Cross. Switch kick Land in orthy Right cross left hook. Right round kick.
Drills to do is just stuff like "jumping switches" Skipping or 1000s of kicks to the bag and pads. Lol
We do a similar combo drill but instead of the left hook and right roundhouse we do a left uppercut and right knee.
Yeah thats my warm up drill. When I coached the beginners, I broke that combo down and pretty much did that for the class. When I teach tho, I would do the full switch kick because I know if I do it slowly then my knee is safe from popping off.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Q2GSnL3FI"]MT8 - Thai Pad Training - YouTube[/ame] From 2.46 you'll see an example of the combo where you fall into orthodox (I do it regularly through the video after the clinch round, it's mixed in with some other combos). These were done with a hook not an uppercut (we generally switch between a hook or an uppercut as the motions are similar, just a different angle of entry). [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHuLToeWm-s"]MT8 - Thai Pad Training - YouTube[/ame] From 9.38 I do a few switch kicks reverting back to southpaw in this video. These are old videos where I was still relatively new to Muay Thai switching over from Kickboxing (technically I still am, I haven't even been training for a year yet) so don't slam the non perfect technique. I'll try and take some new video when I get back onto pad training next week as I think it's improved much since those old shoots.
I cannot say that I watch a lot of MT fights, so I shouldn't have said that's how it's done in MT, I should have said that's how my instructor was taught in his own MT class. He (his instructor) didn't like the fast switch because of the split second of balance you're off and then some don't like the slower switch because of it taking longer... hence why either way you do it isn't "right" or "wrong" just what suits you the best.
The odd thing for me is that I'm just standard orthodox, and if I am shadow boxing, the right leg does pretty good... the left leg is horrible with form. If I have a target and I don't have to kick all the way through, then it's just as good or better than the right side... weird.
To be honest, with either way, it's all about the ring craft. You get to a point as a fighter where you'll just transfer to a specific stance without really thinking about it. You'll just do it. Both ways are taught, so both ways are valid. I was also taught to simply throw lead kicks without swapping stance to make it a rear leg kick and can throw them with a fair amount of power. The switch is good to use as a feint and power shot set up, especially with knees. It works quite well in K1 Rules as well where you have limited time with clinch.
Yep, we work on throwing sort of a weak leg kick that the opponent would see and then (hopefully) move in, in which case in turns quickly into a back kick. So it's a leg kick, but only halfway and then the back kick that doesn't need to be thrown hard to an opponent who already has forward momentum, meanwhile, the heel goes right to the solar plexus. He's actually used that a few times at the MMA class that it taught there in sparring and knocked a few guys down who took several minutes to recover. I think this is the same thing you are talking about?
Not quite what I was talking about no. You'll see some examples of it in some of my training videos though I really need to make some new ones to be honest, so to show them with better form and technique than what I had previously exhibited.