How to Do a Standing Side Kick in Martial Arts
- 1
Ready Stance
Stand in a martial arts fighting stance. Your feet are now a shoulder-width apart with one foot a step ahead of the other. Your kicking leg is the one in the back. Your hands are raised in front of you to protect your head and upper body. Bounce lightly on the balls of your feet. Your weight should be evenly distributed between your feet. Focus on your target. - 2
Raise Knee
Raise the knee of your rear leg as high as you can. As you do this, all your weight will transfer to your support leg. Maintain perfect balance and do not wobble. Spreading the toes on your support foot can help with balance. - 3
Turn Hip Over
Rotate the hip of your kicking leg toward your target. As you do this, the knee of your kicking leg will move away from the target and your body will turn. Your plant foot will turn perpendicular to your target. Rotate on the ball of your foot. This is "chambering" the kicking leg for the standing side kick. You are drawing it back for more power. Keep your arms in front of you for balance. Resist the temptation to flail them around to compensate for your turn. Maintain eye contract with the target. - 4
Extend Kick
Thrust your kicking leg out sideways. The motion of the standing side kick is like stomping something in mid-air. Use your hip and the bend of the knee to unleash the power you have stored up. Fire your leg outward as you turn your hip over. You will be facing slightly away from your target as you perform the standing side kick. Turn your head to maintain eye contact with the target throughout the kick. Never take your eyes off of your target. - 5). Impact your target with your heel. This is the hardest part of your foot and it is used to taking a pounding. To strike with your heel, you must point your toes down and pull them back as you kick. You can kick a very hard object with your heel and not feel any pain or suffer any damage.
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