A Guide for Taekwondo Kicking Techniques

VIDEO: Awesome Taekwondo Leg Kicks

There are more kicks in Taekwondo than any other martial art making Taekwondo infamous for its kicking techniques, including spinning, jumping and flying kicks as well as multiple breaking skills. All of the superior kicks in Taekwondo, such as flying side kick and jump reverse turning turn (round house kick) are based on the basic techniques that you learn when you start the martial art. That is why it is vital that every technique is learnt correctly when you first start practicing the martial art as the principles never change.
With Taekwondo being introduced into the Olympics a lot of clubs practice kicking techniques which are totally sport orientated as opposed to original Taekwondo kicking. However, practicing the traditional kicking makes you a better technician which can only help in the ring. The principles of kicking such as breathing, focus, foot forming, recovering after the kick, are the same whether you are studying the traditional martial art or have decided to take the sport taekwondo route. There is no reason why Taekwondo students cannot practice both as one enhances the other.
Things you need to remember when practicing any kicking technique:
Relax your upper body and remember to breathe. Tension in the upper body has massive repercussions on your kicking technique. The more relaxed you are the faster you will kick.
Always keep the weight on the balls of your feet.
Always recover back to a fighting position after finishing your kick.
Kicking, like everything in the martial arts, has a preparation, execution and recovery position. Kicking is more technical than most people think, so take it stage by stage.
To ensure you have a balanced kick never take your eyes off the target, before, during and after the technique. When performing spinning kicks only take your eyes off the target for the shortest time possible.
Each kick uses a different weapon and part of the foot. Practise forming your foot in the various positions. A weak formation means that your technique would not work in a realistic situation.

Front kick – just bend your knee and kick right?

Yes that’s right…

At least at first!

Lift your knee towards the target.

Then let your foot go.

BAM! Hit that target.

Then bend your knee off.

And that’s it!

You’ve done a front kick.

Position your body properly to execute a front kick (Ap-Chagi). The target of a front kick is — not surprisingly — in front of you. Your target should be a “leg-length” away from your body for your kick to be effective. In some cases, you might jump a little forward or backward to make sure that your kick lands. If this is the case, you’ll also want to make sure that you have sufficient room around you to complete your front kick.

** Master Woo has earned teaching degree in Taekwondo (as a Major) from Yong-In University in Korea. Master Woo is certified master instructor from Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters) and has been teaching Taekwondo for 20 years in the state. He has been involved in Taekwondo for more than 30 consecutive years.
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Source: Taekwondo Kicking Techniques Sampler (taekwonwoo) – YouTube