Any turning or spinning movements during kicking must
always be done on the ball of the foot NOT THE
HEEL!
It feels easier to spin on the heel of the foot, admittedly, but it is
technically incorrect. You must practice turning and spinning on the ball of
the foot.
Lift up the heel off the floor, then lift all the toes off the floor as
much as possible! so that only the ball of the foot is in contact with the
surface. The toes act as 5 little brakes on the floor and will impede your
turn or spin. You replace the toes and heel to the floor when you have
finished turning or spinning to hold balance.
You will probably find that the toes will brush
lightly against the floor as you spin, this is o.k as you will find it
difficult to lift the toes completely away from the floor. Basically
what you are trying to achieve is to create the least amount of friction in
the spin or turn.
A great way to improve the spin or turn of the foot
during any of your kicks is to lift the body weight upwards away from the
floor as you turn or spin. Almost like a little jump. It is a very small
movement. It is something that you can practice anywhere. An initial push
off the ball of the foot in an upward movement, the ball of the foot does
not actually leave the floor and as your body weight is rising then you turn
the foot into the position for delivery of the kick and as the body weight
returns downwards the heel goes down to regain balance and the kick is
delivered.
It is all controlled from the ball of the foot. Other factors can help
the up rise of weight, such as a push off the floor with the actual kicking
leg and also the upper torso lifting upwards. Timing of this movement is imperative
to it's success. Imagine that you are going to actually deliver and strike
with your kick as the heel hits the floor.
A lot of people have difficulty in returning to their original position
after the kick, especially the roundhouse kick. What you have to do is the
reverse of how you got there. As soon as the kick is delivered whether you
have made contact or not although making contact aids in the return. You
again lift the heel off the floor and use the snapping motion of the kick to
give you a starter in the return movement, another thing you can do is to
actually pull your shoulder and elbow of the kicking side sharply back in
the direction of return as though you are pulling the body back. (this
pulling back with the shoulder and arm can be exaggerated at first until you
get the hang of it) All this is done in a split second, so
again timing is paramount. It is something that you can practice slowly,
this is more difficult as you have less momentum.
Saying that, it is best to practice all your
kicking at super slow motion pace as this will enable you to rectify any
balance problems that are present. These are very difficult to pinpoint when
the kick is performed quickly. Remember if you can kick slowly then you will
definitely be able to kick quickly.
A little practice session:
1/ Bring the knee up in front of the body and the kicking leg
foot, up to the knee of the supporting leg as the first position.
2/ Then in one movement turn into the roundhouse position, so you lift
the heel off the floor and spin the foot to almost 180° leave the knee
where it is but lift the kicking foot parallel to the floor and out ready to
kick in a round movement. Your head should remain still. Your hip should be
in a direct line with the knee to the target, so that the knee, the thigh
and your hip are in a straight line pointing to the target area down the
centreline ( this will need you to arch your back to get the hip in the
right position, you may feel discomfort as the muscles are not used to it.
If you leave the hip behind the thigh will be pointing in the wrong
direction) Imagine you are drawing a line from your kicking hip to your
kicking knee to the target, it should be straight like an arrow.
3/ Make sure you have kept your balance, then snap your kick there and
back but do not return your body back yet. Make sure you have your balance
again, then lift the heel of the supporting leg and at the same time pull
your balance back in the direction of return. Use your shoulder and arm, the
one on the same side of the kicking leg to get some momentum. You should
return comfortably back to the original position.
4/ Repeat this several times until you can spin on the ball of the
foot quickly and smoothly and in balance. Do not ignore the fact that you
are falling off balance, do not say "Oh that will do, I'll practice the
balance some other time". The balance is one of the crucial ingredients
to the spin of the support foot along with timing.
5/ When you are happy you can accomplish the entire routine, then
speed up the kick so it all feels like one movement.
Remember the spin or turn of the foot should be almost like a little hop
up onto the ball of the foot on the way to the delivery, then land and
deliver the kick. Then a little hop up and back to the original position.
It is difficult to see what is expected from you without diagrams
or examples. It has been suggested that a pamphlet or disc be provided with
detailed examples of the movements. If you think they would be useful then
please let us know by contacting 'tips'
The more people that ask for the illustrations the better the chance of
arranging them to be made. In the meantime we hope that this information is
useful.
If you have any questions e.t.c then contact 'tips'
