Channel: Elasticsteel

Category: Education

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Description: In this video, we will analyze a side kick and how to improve the side kick. Let's begin by watching the video below: How to do a Side Kick Analysis - How to improve Side Kick tutorial #7 Kicking leg: Let’s take a look at the kicking leg. We have a good position of the foot, we have good internal rotation. The abduction to me looks like there is a little bit more room to abduct. Now, this is what it looks like from the picture. To make sure, the angle actually has to be measured. Remember, most people will abduct internally rotated leg to about 45°. Some people can do a little bit more, some people can do a little bit less. If indeed there is more room to abduct, we will check the flexibility of the muscles that pull the leg down or the muscles that adduct the leg. If the flexibility is good, then we will focus on the strength of the muscles that abduct the leg. So, for flexibility, I would use Zaichik’s Stretching Techniques (ZST). For strength, I would use short-range contractions or antagonist short-range conditioning exercises. Trunk: Now let’s take a look at the trunk. The trunk is demonstrating pretty good lateral flexion. In other words, his body is bent towards the kick, however is not a direct lateral flexion. From this angle to me it looks like there isn’t an adjustment. It looks like he has flexed his spine, in other words. The body went forward and then laterally bent to the side. Now in complete technical side kick, the body is bent to the side or laterally flexed. The body is not bent forward or back. So, why do people do this? Well, it can be an issue with the joint but more often, it’s an issue with the muscles. When you flex to the side, there are various muscles that will restrict that flexion. In other words, on his left side in front there are Rectus Abdominis: That will restrict and in the back, there are extensors of the spine & Quadratus Lumborum: If a person has tighter muscles in front, it makes sense to bend a little bit forward to shorten them, to give the room for lateral flexion. In most cases, when I see a side kick like this and I test the person, this is what comes out. So, for him to bend laterally to the side, he needs to address the muscles in the front. Again, Rectus Abdominis and Obliques and also Psoas Minor: for the people that have Psoas Minor, not everyone has that muscle. So, if I test it indeed and this is the case, I would simply do ZSTs for those muscles, let them go and you will be able to flex to the side a lot more without going forward. To read the entire article with step by step of what was covered in the video go to elasticsteel.com/blogs/kicking-corrections-and-tips/side-kick-analysis-part-7 I also want to mention that when you flex to the side and your body is forward or backward versus your body being directly in the center, there are different muscles that contract. So, for people that have one muscle stronger than the other and they need to flex to the side as much as possible, they will adjust to their strength providing flexibility is not an issue. In this case, he bent forward. Supporting leg: Now, let’s take a look at the supporting leg. He has a pretty good turnout. To me, it looks like a complete turnout. This is good that means that the height of the kick is not going to be restricted. Because as I said many times before, the height depends on the supporting leg more than anything. His supporting knee is bent. This could either mean that there is a lack of flexibility, or this is how technically the kick is strong with the bent knee. Some people throw the side kick with a bent knee, some people throw the side kick with a straight knee. So, if he wanted to increase the height of that kick, he can’t touch his trunk, he can’t touch his kicking leg. Simply work on the supporting leg and the height of that kick will increase.