| This ten article series will deal with the | | | | competent (you shouldn't be with him or her |
| various components that need to be addressed | | | | if they aren't) he will be able to fully |
| when considering the utilization of a | | | | assess your ability and give you his honest |
| particular kick in a combat or self-defense | | | | and forthright opinion. The next group of |
| situation. These ten components can also be | | | | people you should speak with is your senior |
| used by the tournament competitor although | | | | classmates. They too should be able to give |
| certain segments would have to be modified | | | | you their assessment of your kicking |
| slightly for the tournament aspects of | | | | abilities. |
| kicking, rather than the more intensive | | | | |
| nature of using a kick or kicks in combat. | | | | Now after you have spoken with your |
| Although all of these individual components | | | | instructor and your senior classmates, you |
| are important, they are most effective when | | | | can then talk to yourself. Now I don't |
| combined together and utilized correctly when | | | | recommend doing this in a public place or |
| executing a kick. | | | | your liable to end up getting a visit from |
| | | | the large men dressed in white carrying the |
| Although I will only be discussing one of the | | | | butterfly net and the canvas jacket with |
| components in this article, here is the | | | | extra long sleeves. What I do recommend is a |
| complete list of all ten of them. | | | | private time of self-reflection where you can |
| | | | honestly evaluate your own abilities. |
| 1. Your Kicking Ability | | | | |
| | | | Here is a list of the important items that I |
| 2. Your Intended Application | | | | feel you need to look at when considering |
| | | | what level your kicking ability is at. |
| 3. The Environment | | | | |
| | | | 1. Length of time spent learning those |
| 4. Telegraphing | | | | kicking skills. |
| | | | |
| 5. Striking Implement | | | | 2. The degree of flexibility that you have in |
| | | | your legs. |
| 6. Striking the Correct Target | | | | |
| | | | 3. The amount of power that you are able to |
| 7. Initial Impact | | | | generate with your kicks. |
| | | | |
| 8. Impact | | | | 4. Your ability to execute every aspect of |
| | | | those kicks correctly from start to finish. |
| 9. Retraction or Follow Through | | | | |
| | | | 5. Your own past experiences in actual |
| 10. Return to Fighting Position | | | | fights, not sparring in the dojo or at a |
| | | | tournament. |
| Component One; Your Kicking Ability: | | | | |
| | | | 6. Your ability to effectively and |
| Your kicking ability is just that, your | | | | consistently land a kick on a training |
| kicking ability. Not your perceived kicking | | | | partner anywhere from the waist down without |
| ability, but your actual reality based | | | | them seeing it even after it hits them. |
| kicking ability. This may be a hard pill to | | | | |
| swallow, but you may not have the ability to | | | | 7. Your ability to execute that very same |
| utilize all of those flashy spinning and | | | | kick without telegraphing it. |
| flying kicks effectively in an actual | | | | |
| self-defense situation. Now the good news, if | | | | 8. Your attitude towards being confronted |
| you can realize this and accept it, then you | | | | with a violent situation. |
| are off to a lot better start than most | | | | |
| people who like to kick. Awareness is the key | | | | 9. Your overall physical condition. |
| to survival, and nothing is more important | | | | |
| than self-awareness. | | | | 10. Your ability to use your brain |
| | | | intelligently. |
| Now there are a lot of "self-defense" experts | | | | |
| out there than don't advocate kicking at all | | | | One of the best training aids that I have |
| in a self-defense situation. However, when | | | | ever used and still do is a large full length |
| you do a little research into why they | | | | mirror. I have used a mirror to train with |
| believe this, most of the time you will find | | | | ever since I first started taking lessons |
| out that they had a bad experience and/or | | | | over 25 years ago. It is without a doubt the |
| witnessed a bad experience with someone who | | | | most important piece of training equipment |
| tried kicking and ended up getting the worst | | | | that you can use, if it is used correctly. |
| end of the beating. This is almost certainly | | | | What you want to do is to stand in front of |
| due to a lack of proper knowledge not only of | | | | the mirror in a fighting position. Then |
| how to kick, but also the who, what, where, | | | | without thinking about it, execute a kick at |
| when, and why of correctly applying a kick. | | | | your reflection in the mirror. Now a word of |
| Which unfortunately seems to be fairly common | | | | caution, make sure you are back far enough |
| with a lot of the McDojo's that are so | | | | from the mirror that you aren't going to |
| prevalent in today's society. These articles | | | | actually hit it. This can not only be |
| will help clear up some if not all of those | | | | dangerous to yourself and be very expensive, |
| problems. | | | | but you could also end up with seven years of |
| | | | bad luck. If you believe in that sort of |
| For as many of the "self-defense" experts | | | | thing. |
| that are out there that don't advocate | | | | |
| kicking, there are many more that do, | | | | When you can stand in front of the mirror and |
| although they recommend that you should never | | | | execute a kick, or any technique for that |
| kick above waist high. For the most part this | | | | matter, without telegraphing it then you're |
| is very sound and intelligent advice, and | | | | starting to make some real progress. This is |
| should be adhered to for the most part by | | | | not an easy thing to do, but you can do it. |
| everyone. However, like every known rule or | | | | It just takes a lot of time, hard work, and |
| law, there are exceptions. For those few | | | | proper instruction. |
| individuals out there who are truly gifted in | | | | |
| the art of kicking you can, with careful | | | | The next article in this series will deal |
| planning and intelligence, execute kicks to a | | | | with the second of ten components needed to |
| standing opponents head with amazing results. | | | | kick effectively in a combat or self-defense |
| I know I've done just that on numerous | | | | situation. That component is, "Your Intended |
| occasions. | | | | Kicking Application." |
| | | | |
| Now how do you know just how good you are at | | | | Shawn Kovacich has been practicing the |
| kicking? Well, first and foremost unless you | | | | martial arts for over 25 years and currently |
| are a truly perceptive and honest person with | | | | holds the rank of 4th degree (Yodan) black |
| yourself, you can forget about asking | | | | belt in both Karate and Tae Kwon Do. Shawn is |
| yourself. If you do, you'll probably be able | | | | the author of the highly acclaimed Achieving |
| to execute any one of a dozen or more jump | | | | Kicking Excellence (TM) series and can be |
| spinning kicks taking out as many as two | | | | reached via his web site at: Chikara Kan, |
| dozen ninja villains before your feet ever | | | | Inc. |
| touch back down on the ground. Way to go | | | | |
| Hollywood! | | | | Be sure and check out Back Kick, volume one |
| | | | in the Achieving Kicking Excellence (TM) |
| The first person you should consult with is | | | | series. |
| your instructor. If he is qualified and | | | | |