| The very first kick a white belt will learn in Tae Kwon | | | | that is counter-intuitive to the idea of protecting |
| Do is the Front Snap Kick. It's a fairly simple move: shift | | | | yourself with Tae Kwon Do. |
| your weight to the non-kicking leg, lift the other, and | | | | What to Do |
| snap your foot out. Unfortunately, sometimes what | | | | Once you've mastered the two basic rules: get your |
| seems simple in theory is actually quite difficult in | | | | balance, and keep your toes back, you're ready to |
| practice. | | | | attempt perfection of the technique. It's important to |
| What Not to Do | | | | remember that "what to do" can be just as important |
| It's important for someone new to Tae Kwon Do to | | | | as "what not to do." Why? Again, Tae Kwon Do can |
| understand how not to perform this kick before ever | | | | be very dangerous to you if you're practicing it |
| learning the subtle nuances of how. Why? Because | | | | incorrectly and you never want to hurt yourself. |
| Tae Kwon Do is dangerous if you don't practice it | | | | First, your back should be kept straight while you're |
| correctly. | | | | doing your kick. Never allow any wrenching, twisting, or |
| The first rule when learning the Front Snap Kick | | | | otherwise straining movements to be perpetrated by |
| (known as Apcha Busigi, for those whose instructors | | | | your upper body. This can do a lot of damage to the |
| stress the Korean) is to check your balance before | | | | spine, especially the lumbar vertebrae, due to pressure |
| ever trying to throw a kick. It's incredible how quickly | | | | exerted the wrong way. Many people who aren't |
| you can go from "fairly balanced" with both feet on | | | | doing the snap correctly tend to twist their whole body |
| the floor to being sprawled on your back with your | | | | to exert enough force to bring their leg up. |
| ears ringing. Two of the more common kicks that will | | | | This leads to the most important part of the technique. |
| put you down if you aren't careful are the Front Snap | | | | A Front Snap Kick is named as such because of the |
| and Turning Snap, so your first priority with these kicks | | | | "snapping" motion you should be doing with your leg. |
| should always be balance. Usually making sure your | | | | Many people doing the kick incorrectly will jerk their |
| stance is right is the first key, if you are in a proper | | | | back hard to the side to force their leg up, barely |
| forward walking stand your feet will be set shoulder | | | | bending their knee, and sort of tapping their foot |
| width apart and you will not be wind-milling your arms | | | | ineffectively against a target. Just a note: no, that |
| in an attempt to keep your footing. | | | | doesn't work. In a real situation you'd quickly find |
| Once you feel confident enough in your footing to | | | | yourself overcome with technique like that. A proper |
| attempt the kick, you will want to remember something | | | | snap kick involves raising the knee to about waist |
| that you'll only forget once: keep your toes curled back. | | | | height, and then snapping the foot out. The kicking |
| You never want to strike your target with the tips of | | | | actually comes from the snap. This means your back, |
| your toes, not only is it damaging, it's downright painful. | | | | waist, arms, and any other extraneous limbs that |
| Additionally, if you kick someone by shoving your toes | | | | sometimes get added in don't belong. You should |
| into their stomach, you're probably going to be doing | | | | basically be performing this kick from the knee down. |
| more damage to yourself than you are to them, and | | | | |