| It makes no sense to let an attacker get close enough | | | | with the ball of the foot forces the artist to be an artist, |
| to punch. If he's got a knife or club, or just a fist that is | | | | and it concentrates more weight into the smaller area |
| fast, the best strategy is to kick low and hard and | | | | of the ball of the foot. |
| keep him out of range. The problem is that many Tae | | | | Bring the foot all the way back after you have |
| Kwon Do schools do not teach the right way to use | | | | executed a kick. Snap that foot back so that an |
| the legs. | | | | opponent can't grab it and throw you to the ground. |
| A couple of things to remember before we get into | | | | This also tends to leave more power in the target, and |
| making your kicks into powerful tools of destruction. | | | | less backing up your leg. |
| Practice kicking high so you have strength and | | | | Practice planting your foot on the target, then pushing. |
| flexibility, but keep your kicks low in a real fight so you | | | | This usually means you will alter the kick, for this |
| don't get a leg grabbed and tossed. And, the best | | | | exercise, so that you can place the heel on the body |
| strategy is to avoid the fight altogether. | | | | of your partner, then push. This trains the exact |
| Practice kicking over a chair. This will train you to raise | | | | muscles needed at impact. |
| your knee high. When your knee is high your foot can | | | | Kicks are your first line of defense, and this makes |
| go straight in and deliver the goods, and not arc up and | | | | them extremely important, so don't just practice your |
| scrape the body. | | | | kicks ten or twenty times and forget about them, |
| Turn your hips so they go into the action of the kick. | | | | practice them hundreds of times a day for each kick. |
| Always turn, or tilt, your hips so that the weight of the | | | | Whether you are training in Karate, or Tae Kwon Do, |
| hips is fully utilized. This will also give you a little more | | | | or Kung Fu, or whatever other art, a well placed kick |
| reach, and it will help commit the whole weight of the | | | | cancan make the difference between winning and |
| body into any technique. | | | | dying. So practice, and look at your kicks, study the |
| Always try to kick with the ball of the foot. I know | | | | physics of a kick so that your kicks are effective and |
| many people like to kick with the instep, but if they | | | | end the fight before the opponent even gets close. |
| miss they end up spinning around out of control. Kicking | | | | |