JRRMAS Staff members NL, JC and DG practice defensive (not stepping in) Side Kicks in a recent Adult American Karate-Do class. NL is leading the class. All are demonstrating excellent form.
Lesson 1:
Side Kicks are both a classical and a modern basic technique
The kick also crosses over to real life self-defense
from both a standing and a lying position.
It is one of the most powerful techniques in Martial Arts, especially for women.
For men the legs are twice as powerful as their arms,
but for women the legs are four times as powerful as their arms!
So learning to kick is a must for women's self-protection,
especially the side kicking action
that uses the joints of the hip and the knee working in unison.
The Side Kick is a very powerful kick indeed!
Lesson 2:
Remember to drive your knee straight up (as in a front kick)
and learn to use the momentum of the initial vertical action of the knee
changing it from vertical to horizontal
The 'secret' to a quick and powerful Side Kick
is keeping the knee up as the initial power of the vertical knee drive
turns the 'corner' to a horizontal thrusting action using the hip and the knee joint
Be very clear about the 'line of power' at the end of your kick!!