Sylvie von Douglass did a technique vlog With a lumpinne champion can't remember which using this lean in to fake the timing or feint the middle kick instead of what seachai does by fainting the hip movement. But that used to feint so your leg is safe😁
This is like something Chong Xie (One of Zhang Weili’s trainers) said in a podcast we did, but with far fewer uses of phrases like “fascia” and “silk reeling strength” and “glute dominant vs quad dominant” and “gripping with the foot”. It’s interesting how you notice the details of how movement is vs how movement is taught. Nice work Seth!
The way I usually explain the roundhouse kick is as follows: You imagine the foot of the kicking leg is glued with a bit of sticky chewing gum to the floor and you pull out the foot with your hip. This forces one to open the hip during the kick and automatically emphasizes the pulling, since the other leg becomes the base.
This explanation better outlines the mechanics of this kick. Obviously with the forward momentum and small step, planting the foot, opening and throwing of the hip and leg with a sudden exhalation to help generate explosive power from your core to unleash a devastating kick with the counter-acting forces momentarily pulling the top half (shoulders/arms) in the opposing direction.. then the non kicking foot will automatically be assisting in propelling weight forward if your technique is good. Basically, I wouldn't want to try and specifically train what this video is going on about.
"Before I learnt the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick...After I learnt the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick. Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick" - Bruce Lee
@@kbanghart it’s a famous zen/Chen Buddhist phrase. But is- before I learned zen, a tree was a tree and lake was a lake, after learning zen...ect ect Bruce lee just quoted a bunch of zen/day/famous proverbs and didn’t reference them.
I think what bruce lee meant is the so many names for things so many styles so many waste of time and at the end of it I punch is I punch and kick is I kick
When I was trying to learn muay thai kicks, my years of snap-kick mcdojo karate threw me off and I couldn't get my leg to carry all the way through very well with just the right foot. Then I felt how much my body pulled through the rotation when I stepped out to the left and pulled with my toes all the way up to my groin to generate power. Really cool to see Seth notice this because it's literally the step that unlocked my kicking power
As a 15 years long karate practitioner I did the pulling all the time but never though of it. This shows to me again the difference between a practitioner and a teacher, that such a detail is kinda like in my movement but I didn't knew what it was, this is kinda crazy to me. Great video Sensei
My instructor actually taught me this way. He said something along the lines of "use the cheat step as if you're about to sprint through the bag" as a way of creating forward momentum and putting your body weight behind the kick.
@@dnice583 hi random guy that only knows about boxing, a kick even if you try not to, is always obvious so it's always either hidden behind a barrage or punches or you don't really commit to it and it's a distraction
I love this, it just further demonstrates that martial arts require the entire body. Met a bunch of body builders and newbies emphasize tricep and chest strength for a punch, and while that it is important, it completely ignores the punch is in reality a fully body movement. The kick should be no different and would take a lot of advantages from engaging many portions of the body, regardless if we notice it or not.
Outstanding! Almost all kicks are from a sprinting posture. Moreover, we also teach to eliminate the false step with the lead leg. This is also taught in all runnning sports. It's a telegraphic & wasted motion. Kick as if you're out of the track blocks & push off of the kicking leg driving the knee up as if sprinting, finish the kick by comnpleting the pivot. Now you've just eliminated one motion & are thast much faster. Power is speed times mass.
The way you described the similarity with Kali techniques at 1:56 is really cool! I noticed the way Kali uses their elbows is also similar to traditional Muay Thai elbow strikes, but I never saw the kick connection before. The Southeast Asian martial arts really cross-pollinated each other in more ways than one. Really cool video, and a very fire kick!
Connor McGreggor uses this principle for his left straight. Instead of turning his body he moves it front by pulling from the front and pushing from the back leg after baiting the opponent and stepping back. I believe he took it from fencing because of his high regard for Bruce Lee and the fact, that the fencing fléche does the exact same thing with a full step. I recommend the A and B skip from running to practice the gripping part. It's a good warm up for Sprint training and who doesn’t need cardio anyway?
A track coach here. When athletes are sprinting, it’s true that the pulling motion happens. However, it’s generally agreed in the coaching arena that cueing it is a bad idea. Coaches often note that when athletes are taught to “claw” or “paw” or “pull” the athletes tend to overemphasize their hamstrings and create technical flaws like overstriding. Instead, athletes are usually taught to push down because it lines more with the actual timing of sprinting. I do not know if that would be the case here, but I suspect it would. In terms of how much the “pulling” contributes to power here I suspect it would be small compared to other technical cues. So in this case, using other cues or exercises to “trick” your athletes into the doing right thing would be more appropriate. My two cents.
So happy to see this. I figured out this little detail about a year ago. Of course, I’m a nobody so I’m not trying to make a claim to anything, just confirming that this does in fact improve kicking. I found that learning to pull yourself into a round kick makes them 1) faster, 2) more powerful, and 3) easier on the hips. I find guys, especially newer students, tend to swing their leg out too much which puts a lot of stress on the hip, especially if you’re out of shape. Throwing a round kick by pulling into it with the lead leg tends to “tame the arc” a bit and make it more direct. @SenseiSeth, like you, I haven’t heard or seen anyone else teach this. Hats off to you for figuring it out. It was a game changer for me.
Sylvie von duuglas has videos where the Thai legends she trains with teach the importance of the standing leg. Meaning you have the eyes of a golden age lumpinee champ!
That's great ! I've been thinking about this for a while. I'm glad to see that I am not the only one who thinks that way, and even Karate and Muay thai people can see the importance of pulling the body with the front leg to optimize the striking power.
There used to be a show that shows the step forward pulling with the front leg as the back leg pushes off allowing the full force to generate for the boxers punch. That was the only time I heard of a front leg being called a “pull” but most will tell you to step forward and at an angle to lead you in that direction so pretty much same thing just without calling it a pull. That was years ago and never thought about it nor have I heard anybody calling it pull. Now that you point it out it makes sense and this allows us to focus more on the whole picture and really put it all together. Awesome job!
It's interesting how we first learned this concept in both TKD and Kyokushin. It wasn't even directly taught to us, we just observed our senseis and masters do it, and what we do is that we try to match the power of our senseis on the bag. And how most of us achieved that is by pulling our bodies/weight to the front with the kick, as you have done in this video.
Hey Seth! I am a chiropractor and we use an analysis called the gait cycle. I would recommend you check it out as it may help you understand the mechanics of what you are trying to convey. If you take the cycle and add the forward pull and rotation you are essentially breaking down a roundhouse. You can also take a similar pull mechanism to increase the power on your front kick. It’s important to not only recognize the muscles causing contraction, but also the muscles contracting that are slowing down and counter balancing the opposite side. This is essentially the method I use to teach my students the kick. I may change the wording, but it helps explain the method. Great video man!
Power always comes from the ground up. Good observation. I always teach that the small step off is the most important part in the power of the roundhouse. Not only does help generate power and open the hips but it makes your kick go beyond the centerline of your opponent so that you always kick through no matter what just because of that one small step.
Great Video, I am a Taekwondo instructor and this is how we teach the round kick as well. The pivot of the front foot is one of the most important components, and because we focus on kicks so much we definitely explain that portion. The is a summary of how we describe it. 1. In a fighting stance with your left leg forward you would start by driving your shoulder forward. This creates tension for the power. 2. The right leg comes up to the side bent at the knee. 3. Throw your left shoulder and right arm to the right (push-pull), while simultaneously pivoting on the ball of your left foot and locking out that kick. This is the same way that "Wonderboy" did it in your video. Thanks for sharing your videos very enjoyable and informative!
As I've said before proper movement is the key. You're correct the power comes predominantly from the pulling toe. In a particular style of silat there is an exaggeration of this transition for the express purpose of creating usable torquing or rotational power. Well done. Not many pros even comprehend this. Very well done indeed.
Back when Contender Asia Muay Thai was shot in Singapore. I had the privilege to actually watch a prime Yodsaenklai train and kick the heavy bag. Watching him kick changed my own way of kicking. Yod is probably one of the hardest kickers in Muay Thai ever. His technique is beautiful, technical and violent.
This is how I was taught by my karate instructor. The turning foot was always emphasized with the twist push and pull. This is how I also teach any round kick
I think your point is definitely valid. There's some merit to making a separate video showing certain drills that will allow you to focus on that particular movement so people can improve their roundhouse.
I stumbled into this observation a few years ago while studying kinesiology, which led me to the concept of core sling systems- in a nutshell, core muscles operate in tandem with each other and with the large muscles in the legs in diagonal, spiral patterns of action. The sling system in this case is the posterior oblique system- When walking and especially running, the opposite glute and lat store and rebound energy and mutually reinforce one another. Swinging the top arm back (extension) recruits the opposite glútes (extension) with more juice and vice versa. So starting a roundhouse kick with that pull is hip extension, and combining it with the arm swing recruits more core muscle for rotational power and stability. The pull helps to trigger this system and put it to work in the kick.
Yup, I've explained it using a whole essay of words and while that may be more detailed and "better" just saying it as a pivot, grip, and pull is so much more efficient and understandable to both the newer folks to more advanced folks.
That was insightful. I haven't thought of teaching it that way... I refer to like kicking a ball for beginners. Then adjust the hips and bring the leg higher. And again thank you. Everyone learns a different way and this adds to help me teach!!!
Something my coach told me that goes kind of in that direction is that my rear hip should overtake my front hip. That way you really drive into the target while you turn without just focusing on spinning.
good detail for power excellent detail for pulling off convincing roundhouse feints it's the little springing and gripping from the front leg that really sells the idea of a roundhouse - versus the hip twist feint being a drop cross or uppercut
I was always taught in kickboxing that this was called “eat the earth” and it was like the motion of jaws closing to drive power through the kick. Push off the back, pull with the front. Eat the Earth. 🏴☠️ Very theatrical, but illustrates the point.
This is a great detail that i havent noticed or seen or heard before... i think we take for granted when you open/turn the hips its doing something with the lower body... this is making it more specific to generate more speed when you do that... i have noticed that when i focus on creating a "whip" through my body, i dont micromanage the movement and it generates a ton of speed. i can feel that plant and turn is stronger when i do that... thank you! i can now make this stronger 😁
i'll give you a scoop for a kick technique nuance that really nobody talks about jack dempsey's falling step but applied to kicks combine with back foot push and front foot pull and you'll get hours of fun and technique research and practice
To be honest, I think the detail is actually very important and I have not heard from anyone else including myself mentioning it for as long as I have been teaching. Thank you Seth.
Good stuff guys! Funny enough, I've been kicking like this for the past few years, but never actually thought actively about the pull until I started really digging into Japanese Swordsmanship. Sensei always reinforces pulling ourselves into a cut/thrust by way of the front leg.
Yeah, this foot rotation/pull has been basic to my King Fu classes from the outset. It holds true for side kicks as well. Pull in and rotate that foot to time it on impact and you'll hit *so* much harder.
Your idea looks more efficient to me because it's a weight transfer that balances out the intended motion. Getting every part of your body besides the attacking limb to do what it needs to generate power, while shifting weight as balanced as possible (using your idea) is the best way to use your whole body in a punch or a kick. Throwing discus using the spin taught me to build a balanced stance but create as much separation from hips to shoulders (circular)--throwing shot put using the "Glide," not the spin, taught me shifting and transferring weight (linear.) Attacks almost always start linear because of the natural motion of our legs in a stance to propel us forward...which is just shifting our weight forward. Nice way to incorporate that idea into a roundhouse! By the way, both discus and shot put when thrown correctly make you switch feet position/rotate at least 180 degrees, with your opposite leg now back...just like walking.
That slow motion of Usain Bolt just floating through the air, not even letting his heels touch the ground was *chef's kiss* brilliant, and really leant legitimacy to your observation.
Way I was told by Kru Rex who taught out in Van Nuys, CA as a kid, was you wanna take a step forward with your foot already pivoted so you're not fighting to get the hip rotation where you want it at the moment of impact (your hip naturally wants to go in the direction your weighted foot is already facing,) plus the forward momentum is like a running start to get you to strike above your weight as you push off from the weighted foot; Thai roundhouse is a very aggressive/forward strike, and mentally you want to follow through all the way, as if you're trying to kick beyond the bag. Great video!
One of my favorite moments in a trailer is for Entrapment where Sean Connery says "Rule number 1, how do I know you're not a cop?" It's the commercial editor's fault but I love it.
Great video. I've had to give up on most kicks that turn on the balls of the feet for now -- I've fought chronic bursitis in the balls of my feet for four years. It is what it is. Great videos. Keep them coming.
Great catch! However, it’s an old school concept - activating both legs rather than having a lazy base leg. It’s so old school that many modern schools that use high flying air kicks have almost forgotten it completely and have stopped teaching it (confirmed by some of the world champion open form martial artists I’ve worked with who’ve done them for decades). The way I’ve always taught it has been to focus on the key to balance while on one leg (traditional), which is utilizing the big toe (first), then the pinky toe (later and at the same time). The big and pinky toes are one of the most underused assets of balance and yet they are the only part of the foot making contact with the ground we can actually control with grip of any kind (part of 2/3 of our 3-point balance structure of our feet). It’s why bouncing on the balls of the feet is more controlled than going up on the heels. It’s very similar to activating the toes in the kicking leg as well, highlighting the muscles in the leg throughout - no lazy foot even when kicking with the shin. Like I said, great catch, but actually an old concept that most schools don’t teach. Cheers!
When I saw this title I was like “DAMN IT!” because yesterday I bought one of your kicking courses but it’s all good because that focuses on front leg kicks and this was a rear leg kick 😂😂😂
There is still a plant push which serves a similar function in any non retreating front leg kick, it is what keeps you able to produce any kind of force through the contact
Good stuff! Former collegiate sprinter here. The pull is a huge factor in force generation. When you engage the pull, the hips seem to open and you get free access to some momentum, culminating way stronger than just a static push. (in sprinting, awareness of the pull is necessary & feels like winding a spring on the pull and letting go on the push... Like a pull primes the leg for a push) In training at college, we did isolation training on just the pull and ground strike part of the stride, 10% or less of the full range of stride. But training that small component alone dropped peoples sprint times seriously! Yeah, every kicker naturally does that pull. I think it is necessary. Never heard an instructor talk about it. Good awareness! And yeah, arm swing is paramount. Pioneering Seth! 👏👏 About armswing, a Carl Lewis quote: "We run with our arms on our legs."
My muay thai coach in university went all of this, but i just followed instruction and never really applied the thought of his methodology. As i started picking up training again 2 years ago, his teachings made more sense over time to improve my kicks. And essentially exactly as you said in this video.
This helped me alot been training muay thai for around 4 years and never focused on this. today when hitting my bag by focusing on driving forward off my lead leg a i hit way harder. this whole time i was kinda just limp and stationary on my lead leg. and had my rear leg doing all the work. this isn't only more powerful but more efficient i wasn't as tried throwing them.
Track coach for my national team and MMA aficionado (practitioner) here... the movement you talk about is hard to teach because it "just happens" depending on the amount of force and the power you direct the force down.... bolt is thinking to accelerate his foot to the ground and that gives it the "pulling" or pawing motion.. just like in the kick.. the more power you generate downward while you shoot your hips forward and up in a relaxed and loosey goosey fashion the more that will happen.. it's the way muscles work together to create power when they are relaxed and explosive... don't try to tech it, just cue to generate power towards the ground with the leg nad to generate power and speed with the opposite hip!! GREAT VIDEO AND FANTASTIC OBSERVATION that is high level coache's eye Seth!! (I insist on that because I never noticed it in sprinting... someone explained to me and that's how I know... you actually saw it, great job)
There are several that specifically talk about this. Even Carl Cestari talks about using it to increase you knee strikes at extreme close range. Its way older than you are.
This is great stuff! I have shown my students this before, so you’ll have to eat that kick! I will say you’re the first person that I have seen work emphasize it on UA-cam.
I practice the Shotokan impact point for the roundhouse kick---The ball of the feet for self defense kicking. I practice the instep of the foot in case of practice sparring, and the shin for low kick to the legs. The ball of the feet or the tip of the shoes has small area of impact so the kinetic energy will be concentrated in a small impact area of the feet making the ball of the feet has penetrating effect on the body: bladder area, floating ribs and kidney area. The instep and shin are additional impact point for their purpose.
THANK YOU! I've been toying with my front leg / foot on the roundhouse for the better part of a year trying to put my finger on this! I noticed every now and then I would get a lot more power seemingly randomly. I tried changing what angle my foot was at, bringing it closer in, stepping further out and everything in between but it never occurred to me just to pull myself thru with it! Next time I'm at the gym I'm gonna nail it!
@@SenseiSeth Yeah, it's crazy! I've always focused on swinging my leg out like a bat, but not so much on the forward momentum. It makes me think of throwing a hook, overhand, elbow, etc... They rely on the forward momentum + torque generated by pivoting one of your feet with your body.
Details like this are why I advocate training on uneven ground, if you aren't practicing sport fighting where you know the ground under you will be level. Certain kicks (and some other techniques too) are highly situational. For instance, you can't get that pull-through with the front foot when fighting uphill or if uphill is opposite your kicking leg -- your foot will slip out from under you if you try to kick that hard, and you'll end up on all fours or even rolling down the hill. But when fighting downhill or with your kicking leg side uphill, you can generate extra power because your foot has excellent traction. (This detail is why I also advocate learning how to fight from both orthodox and southpaw stance. You need your full arsenal available in all situations.) There are wedge shapes that can be used as part of an indoor training floor. Even a gentle slope is better to practice on than a flat floor. ... Seth, here's a challenge for you. Grab some leather moccasins, find some soft grass (on relatively level ground) with the dew still fresh on it, and try to throw all of the kicks that you know. Throw them as fast and hard as you would in a real fight for your life, and see how hard it is not to fall down as you kick. With proper technique, you never fall down. With improper technique, you wrench your support leg out from under you. Leather on wet grass provides almost no traction. It's not like ice, but there's no cheating the way there is on practice mats or with shoes on. You learn "the right way" to pull and push on the ground by operating under these conditions. You also learn correct balance as you move through a kick, instead of just recovering your balance once the kicking foot lands.
I saw this video twice and I laughed because I thought it was stupid. I just had two muyai Thai classes and gave it a go just to test it and ohhhhh boy this is definitely a key aspect for generating those hard powerful kicks, thank you!
Hi Seth, I think I went through a similar situation back in 1990. I was approaching my Black belt in Shotokan which was actually slightly modified for sparring with kickboxers for modern competition ( ala boxing techiques for fast hands) . Most Karate styles that I learned teach that you should chamber the kick and time it to snap the knee and foot out at the end. I was taught wherever the knee is pointing is more or less where the snap of the shin and instep will hit the target at whatever level of power you give it. The thai kick absolutely does not attempt to hide what is coming. I had to learn to use my arms, midsection and hips and turn that kick over. Theres not alot of snap at the end of a thai roundhouse. Its more like using your leg as a baseball bat and with the power of most of your body kick through whatever part of your opponent it hits. The leg always stays a good portion bent right up until the end. It drives through the other mans legs with very little hesitation. It is the ultimate kick for smaller guys. The power makes up for the size but If a large guy like you learns how to do it an mixes it in with your karate its absolutely deadly. I found it to be the best technique for mid and low kicks but I still use the karate/ TKD kicks to the head.
Wonderboy's technique for it is really nice, the angle his left foot lands forces the hips to be in the right position. Also something he does well is managing the distance, since it is a long distance strike, it is difficult to land it full balance and full power in middle distance.
I am a person with almost zero martial arts knowledge, and I was THINKING THAT THAT WAS HOW YOU SHOULD THROW IT. The "push off with the leg you´re kicking with" did indeed give me a second to think, but seriously, the thing I was thinking about first was the front leg.
I love this tidbit! I notice people seem to have a really hard time pulling just by being told to pull. I cue this by asking my guys to feel like they’re pulling their kicking leg out of a tar pit, or alternatively you can have them bring the kicking leg straight up behind them before coming around, because they will naturally pull to bring the leg forwards when it initially lifts straight up behind them a short ways
Thats dope. Never thought of that. Always relied more on throwing my hand/arm back and turning my shoulders through my hips as well as my head looking in an over-exaggerated motion towards the direction of the kick as a beginning key. Always causing my core to engage and drive through the target.
I really love the break down of this kick and the little extra small attention to detail definitely will make the kick more efficient. I look at it like a fast car in order to get it from o-60 really fast you need high torque and acceleration but you also need high friction. Focusing on accelerating with the front leg when you have the most amount of friction will allow you do drive through the kick even stronger. Very good Sr very good.
I've always naturally done that over pushing off with the kick. I'm glad you threw some explanation to it so I can understand it better and change the variety of how I throw
My Thai boxing instructor explained this to me a year ago by instructing to turn your front foot toes to to point left at the end of the kick. Forcing yourself to get those toes out to the side at the end of the kick means that you have to begin the movement with the front foot in order to get the rotation through.
My old Muay Thai and Krav Maga instructor always taught us to lift our front foot, plant it turned and allow our bodies to follow the torque generated by our ankles (follow the pre-turned foot). It provides a more stable base, but isn't as powerful as whipping your whole body with one movement. He never had a name for it but I think we should call it a "Seth Round House Kick". Great video!
This is a brilliant detail that people miss to point out however it is already commonly utilised in Muay Thai Training One example is if you guys ever throw roundhouses with resistant bands at the end of your session, it will force you to "pull" your front leg forward When your body gets used to the motion, this muscle memory becomes a game changer
Funny thing is, I have learned this pulling principle years ago and was able to apply it, but not for throwing a roundhouse kick, instead, it was how I learned how to throw a proper lead left hook punch from an orthodox stance. I have been having trouble with my form while throwing a left hook because my wrist kept hurting due to the wrong angle of my elbow and because I kept pushing the punch with my left shoulder, I felt there was no power behind my hook, so I learned by trial and error how to pull with my right shoulder while pivoting on the balls of my feet and using my hips as a fulcrum to lever both my shoulders and elbow into a powerful lead left hook punch. And I now use that principle to teach newbies how to throw a lead hook.
My instructor touched on this the other week and he started doing marshal arts in 1968 in Vietnam with the ROK and other styles . Nice to see other people pointing that out
1. swing leg through the target 2. on ball of foot of non kick foot, push off ground with kicking foot, throw hip through, pivot ground foot, leg straight like baseball bat 3. chambering, extend leg? 4. swing arm open up chest, across or down to hip, counter balance, pull self through kick 5. pull forward with front leg, the rotate like first step of sprint
Seth: what you're doing by initiating the turn from the pull is activating the illiopsoas so that you can rotate with the extension you need to be able to support the kicking leg. Jack Heggje, who wrote "Running with the Whole Body," taught me this in the 90s. But he taught me privately, so I think your leg is still safe.
Good one! My teacher Don Came (Kissaki-Kai UK) has taught me the same. I would almost dare to say that the pulling with the front leg is a consistent thing.
This is similar to how I was taught the roundhouse in Taekwondo. My instructor always emphasized a sprinting motion as you raise your knee, and move your body over your front leg, as you would when running (knee being raised straight towards opponent for a snap kick roundhouse, but still pulling concept applied). This analogy is how we taught students to stop leaning back away from the opponent and to get power making an offensive aggressive strike.
It's a good conversation to start with. You're right in regards to sprinters, but I'd bet if we used tracking technology for biomechanics we'd see the lead foot is simply more used as a stabilizer for the rotation of the spine. I mean everything does start at the feet (ground force reaction). Basically, it's allowing the hip joint to move the upper body via the "spinal engine" while maintaining posture, which helps with power as well.
It's funny because I was wondering why my switch kicks felt so much harder than my right even though right was dominant for a while (not so much anymore with more practice). I now realize it's because of that spring tension mechanism that provides added potential energy, where everything that follows is the release and follow-through. This also explains why the whip affect of almost leaving the thrown leg loose until immediately before contact seems to impact so much harder; that heel and surrounding support is the handle of the whip, so to speak. Makes a ton of sense, good find!
That is a very interesting observation, I also noticed that too if I was consider the "baseball swing" motion with just my chin only. I tend to pull more with my lead foot than I do pushing with the intended leg into the side ribcage, I thought it was just me.
I’ve always been taught to spring from heel to toe on your lead foot. As you step 45 degrees, your momentum carries you the same direction as you raise on the ball of your foot. The pivoting of the front foot creates speed and power.
If you like the way I teach, check out my online courses! Senseiseth.teachable.com/higherkicks
ua-cam.com/video/tzDIgde2JbY/v-deo.html
@@Elsa-rq2ty omg... its really him 😨
Sylvie von Douglass did a technique vlog
With a lumpinne champion can't remember which using this lean in to fake the timing or feint the middle kick instead of what seachai does by fainting the hip movement. But that used to feint so your leg is safe😁
i still think karate and teakwondo kicks are better for the head (faster)
what do you think?
(and no offens)
do muy tai kicks work for leadleg kicks?
Wow that Jamaican sprinter seems talented. I hope he wins 100m and 200m at three consecutive olympics
Maybe even breaks some world records?
@@SenseiSeth oh that would be sick.
🤣😂
That last kicker you showed (after bazooka joe) should probably think about fighting in k1 too..
😂😂
Oh wow you're gonna really revolutionize muay thai man. This detail is what is holding them guys back.
Pretty much already did
ua-cam.com/video/tzDIgde2JbY/v-deo.html
Is that Icy Mike being sarcastic/jealous because you noticed something he didn't? 🤔😅
@@Jenjak pretty much
Yeah well he's just good like that Mike.
This is like something Chong Xie (One of Zhang Weili’s trainers) said in a podcast we did, but with far fewer uses of phrases like “fascia” and “silk reeling strength” and “glute dominant vs quad dominant” and “gripping with the foot”.
It’s interesting how you notice the details of how movement is vs how movement is taught. Nice work Seth!
The Coach!
Hello Mr. Dewey..how is it going
The crossover between fightsport channels & creators is amazing, you rock Ramsey
Well. This is a easant surprise. It seems you have noticed it too so it is something to ponder on
Can everyone just back off? I saw him first!
The way I usually explain the roundhouse kick is as follows: You imagine the foot of the kicking leg is glued with a bit of sticky chewing gum to the floor and you pull out the foot with your hip. This forces one to open the hip during the kick and automatically emphasizes the pulling, since the other leg becomes the base.
Dude that's a game changer holy shit.
Very similar! I tell my students to imagine they are pulling their foot from a tar pit.
That's actually brilliant, wow
thanks analogies like that are super useful I get it now
This explanation better outlines the mechanics of this kick. Obviously with the forward momentum and small step, planting the foot, opening and throwing of the hip and leg with a sudden exhalation to help generate explosive power from your core to unleash a devastating kick with the counter-acting forces momentarily pulling the top half (shoulders/arms) in the opposing direction..
then the non kicking foot will automatically be assisting in propelling weight forward if your technique is good.
Basically, I wouldn't want to try and specifically train what this video is going on about.
"Before I learnt the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick...After I learnt the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick. Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick" - Bruce Lee
I'm thoroughly confused
@@kbanghart it’s a famous zen/Chen Buddhist phrase.
But is- before I learned zen, a tree was a tree and lake was a lake, after learning zen...ect ect
Bruce lee just quoted a bunch of zen/day/famous proverbs and didn’t reference them.
Bruce lee talked a whole BUNCH of crap...its STILL getting quoted...
Exactly.
I think what bruce lee meant is the so many names for things so many styles so many waste of time and at the end of it I punch is I punch and kick is I kick
When I was trying to learn muay thai kicks, my years of snap-kick mcdojo karate threw me off and I couldn't get my leg to carry all the way through very well with just the right foot. Then I felt how much my body pulled through the rotation when I stepped out to the left and pulled with my toes all the way up to my groin to generate power. Really cool to see Seth notice this because it's literally the step that unlocked my kicking power
As a 15 years long karate practitioner I did the pulling all the time but never though of it. This shows to me again the difference between a practitioner and a teacher, that such a detail is kinda like in my movement but I didn't knew what it was, this is kinda crazy to me. Great video Sensei
My instructor actually taught me this way. He said something along the lines of "use the cheat step as if you're about to sprint through the bag" as a way of creating forward momentum and putting your body weight behind the kick.
In boxing it's called telegraph that's a bad habit
A trained fighter can pick up on those and it usually spells ko
@@dnice583 hi random guy that only knows about boxing, a kick even if you try not to, is always obvious so it's always either hidden behind a barrage or punches or you don't really commit to it and it's a distraction
@@besto5486 not true, u can set up kicks just like u set up punches. Lyoto Machida did that exact thing to Randy Cotuir
Check out Machida crane kick
I love this, it just further demonstrates that martial arts require the entire body. Met a bunch of body builders and newbies emphasize tricep and chest strength for a punch, and while that it is important, it completely ignores the punch is in reality a fully body movement. The kick should be no different and would take a lot of advantages from engaging many portions of the body, regardless if we notice it or not.
Yea anybody who says tricep and chest for a punch can’t fight 😂😂
This is probably a gross oversimplification but the way I explain that to those types is that you don't punch with your arms, you punch with your ass.
@@nomchomsley854 That’s AMAZING and I love your explanation!😂 We all need to use our asses MORE!
@@nomchomsley854 it’s true tho, arms were tired but not as sore as lower back quads and ass
Outstanding! Almost all kicks are from a sprinting posture. Moreover, we also teach to eliminate the false step with the lead leg. This is also taught in all runnning sports. It's a telegraphic & wasted motion. Kick as if you're out of the track blocks & push off of the kicking leg driving the knee up as if sprinting, finish the kick by comnpleting the pivot. Now you've just eliminated one motion & are thast much faster. Power is speed times mass.
The way you described the similarity with Kali techniques at 1:56 is really cool! I noticed the way Kali uses their elbows is also similar to traditional Muay Thai elbow strikes, but I never saw the kick connection before. The Southeast Asian martial arts really cross-pollinated each other in more ways than one. Really cool video, and a very fire kick!
Oh that’s sick!! Thanks a bunch 🙏
The proper body mechanics are universal, even if some schools lost them along the way.
Connor McGreggor uses this principle for his left straight. Instead of turning his body he moves it front by pulling from the front and pushing from the back leg after baiting the opponent and stepping back.
I believe he took it from fencing because of his high regard for Bruce Lee and the fact, that the fencing fléche does the exact same thing with a full step.
I recommend the A and B skip from running to practice the gripping part. It's a good warm up for Sprint training and who doesn’t need cardio anyway?
I was taught this in Goju Ryu but you're right most people don't teach it but I think they do it instinctively.
A track coach here. When athletes are sprinting, it’s true that the pulling motion happens. However, it’s generally agreed in the coaching arena that cueing it is a bad idea. Coaches often note that when athletes are taught to “claw” or “paw” or “pull” the athletes tend to overemphasize their hamstrings and create technical flaws like overstriding. Instead, athletes are usually taught to push down because it lines more with the actual timing of sprinting. I do not know if that would be the case here, but I suspect it would. In terms of how much the “pulling” contributes to power here I suspect it would be small compared to other technical cues. So in this case, using other cues or exercises to “trick” your athletes into the doing right thing would be more appropriate. My two cents.
Sean Fagan does a great turorial on this too!
Hmmm... does he mention the foot pull?
@@SenseiSeth he does not, you're still safe good sir!
Heck yes
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is sean fagan like shane fazens evil cousin?
So happy to see this. I figured out this little detail about a year ago. Of course, I’m a nobody so I’m not trying to make a claim to anything, just confirming that this does in fact improve kicking. I found that learning to pull yourself into a round kick makes them 1) faster, 2) more powerful, and 3) easier on the hips. I find guys, especially newer students, tend to swing their leg out too much which puts a lot of stress on the hip, especially if you’re out of shape. Throwing a round kick by pulling into it with the lead leg tends to “tame the arc” a bit and make it more direct. @SenseiSeth, like you, I haven’t heard or seen anyone else teach this. Hats off to you for figuring it out. It was a game changer for me.
Sylvie von duuglas has videos where the Thai legends she trains with teach the importance of the standing leg. Meaning you have the eyes of a golden age lumpinee champ!
Ooo which video?
Yes, first time I learned this was from her a couple of years ago....
Anyway, getting the sprinting mechanics into it is a great add on for training
@@MyCommentsRMaturelol There's quite a few. Just look her up and add "standing leg". You'll find a bunch.
That channel is a treasure trove
Love that guy, has alot of good material!
That's great ! I've been thinking about this for a while. I'm glad to see that I am not the only one who thinks that way, and even Karate and Muay thai people can see the importance of pulling the body with the front leg to optimize the striking power.
You're right! Running is considered a pulling movement and managed by the posterior parts of the leg.
There used to be a show that shows the step forward pulling with the front leg as the back leg pushes off allowing the full force to generate for the boxers punch. That was the only time I heard of a front leg being called a “pull” but most will tell you to step forward and at an angle to lead you in that direction so pretty much same thing just without calling it a pull. That was years ago and never thought about it nor have I heard anybody calling it pull. Now that you point it out it makes sense and this allows us to focus more on the whole picture and really put it all together. Awesome job!
It's interesting how we first learned this concept in both TKD and Kyokushin. It wasn't even directly taught to us, we just observed our senseis and masters do it, and what we do is that we try to match the power of our senseis on the bag. And how most of us achieved that is by pulling our bodies/weight to the front with the kick, as you have done in this video.
YO Sensei Seth!!!! You killing it out here with these tiny details that make huge difference in power and energy efficiency. Well done well done!!
Hey Seth! I am a chiropractor and we use an analysis called the gait cycle. I would recommend you check it out as it may help you understand the mechanics of what you are trying to convey. If you take the cycle and add the forward pull and rotation you are essentially breaking down a roundhouse. You can also take a similar pull mechanism to increase the power on your front kick. It’s important to not only recognize the muscles causing contraction, but also the muscles contracting that are slowing down and counter balancing the opposite side. This is essentially the method I use to teach my students the kick. I may change the wording, but it helps explain the method. Great video man!
SSeth, That is one of the most enlightening observations/explanations of kicking mechanics I've heard/learned! Keep 'em coming...great vid!
Power always comes from the ground up. Good observation. I always teach that the small step off is the most important part in the power of the roundhouse. Not only does help generate power and open the hips but it makes your kick go beyond the centerline of your opponent so that you always kick through no matter what just because of that one small step.
Great Video, I am a Taekwondo instructor and this is how we teach the round kick as well. The pivot of the front foot is one of the most important components, and because we focus on kicks so much we definitely explain that portion. The is a summary of how we describe it. 1. In a fighting stance with your left leg forward you would start by driving your shoulder forward. This creates tension for the power. 2. The right leg comes up to the side bent at the knee. 3. Throw your left shoulder and right arm to the right (push-pull), while simultaneously pivoting on the ball of your left foot and locking out that kick. This is the same way that "Wonderboy" did it in your video. Thanks for sharing your videos very enjoyable and informative!
I’ve been doing this since before you were born. Never had anyone talk about the leg pull. Great work!
Thank you!!
As I've said before proper movement is the key. You're correct the power comes predominantly from the pulling toe.
In a particular style of silat there is an exaggeration of this transition for the express purpose of creating usable torquing or rotational power.
Well done.
Not many pros even comprehend this.
Very well done indeed.
Man I would love to see josh and wonderboy spar feel like that would be like the clash of Titans 😂👌
whoever learns the roundhouse pull trick first wins
Back when Contender Asia Muay Thai was shot in Singapore. I had the privilege to actually watch a prime Yodsaenklai train and kick the heavy bag. Watching him kick changed my own way of kicking. Yod is probably one of the hardest kickers in Muay Thai ever. His technique is beautiful, technical and violent.
This is how I was taught by my karate instructor. The turning foot was always emphasized with the twist push and pull. This is how I also teach any round kick
I think your point is definitely valid. There's some merit to making a separate video showing certain drills that will allow you to focus on that particular movement so people can improve their roundhouse.
I just realized that I do this, but certainly have never taught it! Great observation!
Right?? Thanks!!
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I stumbled into this observation a few years ago while studying kinesiology, which led me to the concept of core sling systems- in a nutshell, core muscles operate in tandem with each other and with the large muscles in the legs in diagonal, spiral patterns of action. The sling system in this case is the posterior oblique system- When walking and especially running, the opposite glute and lat store and rebound energy and mutually reinforce one another. Swinging the top arm back (extension) recruits the opposite glútes (extension) with more juice and vice versa. So starting a roundhouse kick with that pull is hip extension, and combining it with the arm swing recruits more core muscle for rotational power and stability. The pull helps to trigger this system and put it to work in the kick.
Watching this and all of the sudden “OH I do that! That’s the thing” so it’s nice to know that is right
Yup, I've explained it using a whole essay of words and while that may be more detailed and "better" just saying it as a pivot, grip, and pull is so much more efficient and understandable to both the newer folks to more advanced folks.
That was insightful. I haven't thought of teaching it that way... I refer to like kicking a ball for beginners. Then adjust the hips and bring the leg higher. And again thank you. Everyone learns a different way and this adds to help me teach!!!
Something my coach told me that goes kind of in that direction is that my rear hip should overtake my front hip. That way you really drive into the target while you turn without just focusing on spinning.
good detail for power
excellent detail for pulling off convincing roundhouse feints
it's the little springing and gripping from the front leg that really sells the idea of a roundhouse - versus the hip twist feint being a drop cross or uppercut
I was always taught in kickboxing that this was called “eat the earth” and it was like the motion of jaws closing to drive power through the kick. Push off the back, pull with the front. Eat the Earth. 🏴☠️ Very theatrical, but illustrates the point.
This is a great detail that i havent noticed or seen or heard before... i think we take for granted when you open/turn the hips its doing something with the lower body... this is making it more specific to generate more speed when you do that... i have noticed that when i focus on creating a "whip" through my body, i dont micromanage the movement and it generates a ton of speed. i can feel that plant and turn is stronger when i do that... thank you! i can now make this stronger 😁
I taught this exact detali to a friend of mine a few days ago. I used to train muay thai, also did karate.
i love how humble you always are bro. So much experience and skill but still humble. respect
i'll give you a scoop for a kick technique nuance that really nobody talks about
jack dempsey's falling step but applied to kicks
combine with back foot push and front foot pull and you'll get hours of fun and technique research and practice
To be honest, I think the detail is actually very important and I have not heard from anyone else including myself mentioning it for as long as I have been teaching.
Thank you Seth.
Good stuff guys! Funny enough, I've been kicking like this for the past few years, but never actually thought actively about the pull until I started really digging into Japanese Swordsmanship. Sensei always reinforces pulling ourselves into a cut/thrust by way of the front leg.
Ever since you pointed this out in another video, I can't unsee the pull on a proper round kick. Good catch, Sensei!
Yeah, this foot rotation/pull has been basic to my King Fu classes from the outset. It holds true for side kicks as well. Pull in and rotate that foot to time it on impact and you'll hit *so* much harder.
Your idea looks more efficient to me because it's a weight transfer that balances out the intended motion. Getting every part of your body besides the attacking limb to do what it needs to generate power, while shifting weight as balanced as possible (using your idea) is the best way to use your whole body in a punch or a kick.
Throwing discus using the spin taught me to build a balanced stance but create as much separation from hips to shoulders (circular)--throwing shot put using the "Glide," not the spin, taught me shifting and transferring weight (linear.)
Attacks almost always start linear because of the natural motion of our legs in a stance to propel us forward...which is just shifting our weight forward. Nice way to incorporate that idea into a roundhouse!
By the way, both discus and shot put when thrown correctly make you switch feet position/rotate at least 180 degrees, with your opposite leg now back...just like walking.
Thanks for letting us know of this new way!
Thanks for watching!
That slow motion of Usain Bolt just floating through the air, not even letting his heels touch the ground was *chef's kiss* brilliant, and really leant legitimacy to your observation.
Way I was told by Kru Rex who taught out in Van Nuys, CA as a kid, was you wanna take a step forward with your foot already pivoted so you're not fighting to get the hip rotation where you want it at the moment of impact (your hip naturally wants to go in the direction your weighted foot is already facing,) plus the forward momentum is like a running start to get you to strike above your weight as you push off from the weighted foot; Thai roundhouse is a very aggressive/forward strike, and mentally you want to follow through all the way, as if you're trying to kick beyond the bag. Great video!
One of my favorite moments in a trailer is for Entrapment where Sean Connery says "Rule number 1, how do I know you're not a cop?" It's the commercial editor's fault but I love it.
Hahaha Sean and I are essentially the same.. but then again I guess that means I’m the same as the editor too
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Great video. I've had to give up on most kicks that turn on the balls of the feet for now -- I've fought chronic bursitis in the balls of my feet for four years. It is what it is. Great videos. Keep them coming.
Lol I do my roundhouse kicks like this but I never thought there was anything special about it.
I think we stumble upon it by accident
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Great catch! However, it’s an old school concept - activating both legs rather than having a lazy base leg. It’s so old school that many modern schools that use high flying air kicks have almost forgotten it completely and have stopped teaching it (confirmed by some of the world champion open form martial artists I’ve worked with who’ve done them for decades).
The way I’ve always taught it has been to focus on the key to balance while on one leg (traditional), which is utilizing the big toe (first), then the pinky toe (later and at the same time). The big and pinky toes are one of the most underused assets of balance and yet they are the only part of the foot making contact with the ground we can actually control with grip of any kind (part of 2/3 of our 3-point balance structure of our feet). It’s why bouncing on the balls of the feet is more controlled than going up on the heels. It’s very similar to activating the toes in the kicking leg as well, highlighting the muscles in the leg throughout - no lazy foot even when kicking with the shin.
Like I said, great catch, but actually an old concept that most schools don’t teach. Cheers!
When I saw this title I was like “DAMN IT!” because yesterday I bought one of your kicking courses but it’s all good because that focuses on front leg kicks and this was a rear leg kick 😂😂😂
Hahaha well you still would’ve seen it anyway! 😂
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There is still a plant push which serves a similar function in any non retreating front leg kick, it is what keeps you able to produce any kind of force through the contact
Damn I gotta cop me one of those
Do it 👀
Sensei Seth... great video. This one was personal. Im right where you were. After 45 years of karate a jumped into Muay Thai. Same struggle
You are amazing anyways 👍
Thanks? Haha!
Good stuff! Former collegiate sprinter here. The pull is a huge factor in force generation. When you engage the pull, the hips seem to open and you get free access to some momentum, culminating way stronger than just a static push. (in sprinting, awareness of the pull is necessary & feels like winding a spring on the pull and letting go on the push... Like a pull primes the leg for a push) In training at college, we did isolation training on just the pull and ground strike part of the stride, 10% or less of the full range of stride. But training that small component alone dropped peoples sprint times seriously!
Yeah, every kicker naturally does that pull. I think it is necessary. Never heard an instructor talk about it. Good awareness! And yeah, arm swing is paramount. Pioneering Seth! 👏👏
About armswing, a Carl Lewis quote: "We run with our arms on our legs."
0:40 I thought my phone was lagging lol
Thank you dude. Because I've been wandering about this all year. Very great tutorial.
Nothing new, just the difference between kicking with step and kicking from the spot
My muay thai coach in university went all of this, but i just followed instruction and never really applied the thought of his methodology. As i started picking up training again 2 years ago, his teachings made more sense over time to improve my kicks. And essentially exactly as you said in this video.
This helped me alot been training muay thai for around 4 years and never focused on this. today when hitting my bag by focusing on driving forward off my lead leg a i hit way harder. this whole time i was kinda just limp and stationary on my lead leg. and had my rear leg doing all the work. this isn't only more powerful but more efficient i wasn't as tried throwing them.
Oss! I can definitely see and feel the difference with this detail
Track coach for my national team and MMA aficionado (practitioner) here... the movement you talk about is hard to teach because it "just happens" depending on the amount of force and the power you direct the force down.... bolt is thinking to accelerate his foot to the ground and that gives it the "pulling" or pawing motion.. just like in the kick.. the more power you generate downward while you shoot your hips forward and up in a relaxed and loosey goosey fashion the more that will happen.. it's the way muscles work together to create power when they are relaxed and explosive... don't try to tech it, just cue to generate power towards the ground with the leg nad to generate power and speed with the opposite hip!! GREAT VIDEO AND FANTASTIC OBSERVATION that is high level coache's eye Seth!! (I insist on that because I never noticed it in sprinting... someone explained to me and that's how I know... you actually saw it, great job)
There are several that specifically talk about this. Even Carl Cestari talks about using it to increase you knee strikes at extreme close range. Its way older than you are.
Nice!
This is great stuff! I have shown my students this before, so you’ll have to eat that kick! I will say you’re the first person that I have seen work emphasize it on UA-cam.
Sensai seth,,,please kindly...invite sifu Paul vulnak. ...public demand
I practice the Shotokan impact point for the roundhouse kick---The ball of the feet for self defense kicking. I practice the instep of the foot in case of practice sparring, and the shin for low kick to the legs. The ball of the feet or the tip of the shoes has small area of impact so the kinetic energy will be concentrated in a small impact area of the feet making the ball of the feet has penetrating effect on the body: bladder area, floating ribs and kidney area. The instep and shin are additional impact point for their purpose.
Seth, you're like the Jackie Chan of martial ats YT community. You're hella funny and you do your own stunts too. The edits are just cherry on top. :)
THANK YOU! I've been toying with my front leg / foot on the roundhouse for the better part of a year trying to put my finger on this! I noticed every now and then I would get a lot more power seemingly randomly. I tried changing what angle my foot was at, bringing it closer in, stepping further out and everything in between but it never occurred to me just to pull myself thru with it! Next time I'm at the gym I'm gonna nail it!
Good info! Never realize/thought about how the roundhouse kick is driven by the standing leg pulling forward.
Riiight?
@@SenseiSeth Yeah, it's crazy! I've always focused on swinging my leg out like a bat, but not so much on the forward momentum. It makes me think of throwing a hook, overhand, elbow, etc... They rely on the forward momentum + torque generated by pivoting one of your feet with your body.
Details like this are why I advocate training on uneven ground, if you aren't practicing sport fighting where you know the ground under you will be level. Certain kicks (and some other techniques too) are highly situational. For instance, you can't get that pull-through with the front foot when fighting uphill or if uphill is opposite your kicking leg -- your foot will slip out from under you if you try to kick that hard, and you'll end up on all fours or even rolling down the hill. But when fighting downhill or with your kicking leg side uphill, you can generate extra power because your foot has excellent traction. (This detail is why I also advocate learning how to fight from both orthodox and southpaw stance. You need your full arsenal available in all situations.) There are wedge shapes that can be used as part of an indoor training floor. Even a gentle slope is better to practice on than a flat floor.
...
Seth, here's a challenge for you. Grab some leather moccasins, find some soft grass (on relatively level ground) with the dew still fresh on it, and try to throw all of the kicks that you know. Throw them as fast and hard as you would in a real fight for your life, and see how hard it is not to fall down as you kick. With proper technique, you never fall down. With improper technique, you wrench your support leg out from under you. Leather on wet grass provides almost no traction. It's not like ice, but there's no cheating the way there is on practice mats or with shoes on. You learn "the right way" to pull and push on the ground by operating under these conditions. You also learn correct balance as you move through a kick, instead of just recovering your balance once the kicking foot lands.
I saw this video twice and I laughed because I thought it was stupid. I just had two muyai Thai classes and gave it a go just to test it and ohhhhh boy this is definitely a key aspect for generating those hard powerful kicks, thank you!
Hi Seth, I think I went through a similar situation back in 1990. I was approaching my Black belt in Shotokan which was actually slightly modified for sparring with kickboxers for modern competition ( ala boxing techiques for fast hands) . Most Karate styles that I learned teach that you should chamber the kick and time it to snap the knee and foot out at the end. I was taught wherever the knee is pointing is more or less where the snap of the shin and instep will hit the target at whatever level of power you give it. The thai kick absolutely does not attempt to hide what is coming. I had to learn to use my arms, midsection and hips and turn that kick over. Theres not alot of snap at the end of a thai roundhouse. Its more like using your leg as a baseball bat and with the power of most of your body kick through whatever part of your opponent it hits. The leg always stays a good portion bent right up until the end. It drives through the other mans legs with very little hesitation. It is the ultimate kick for smaller guys. The power makes up for the size but If a large guy like you learns how to do it an mixes it in with your karate its absolutely deadly. I found it to be the best technique for mid and low kicks but I still use the karate/ TKD kicks to the head.
Good eye, Sensei Seth! I have seen that before, for sure. However, it's still really cool to see others mention it.
Seth. You'll be happy to know.THIS is actually what I've been missing in my kicks. Game changer. No sarcasm.
Wonderboy's technique for it is really nice, the angle his left foot lands forces the hips to be in the right position. Also something he does well is managing the distance, since it is a long distance strike, it is difficult to land it full balance and full power in middle distance.
I am a person with almost zero martial arts knowledge, and I was THINKING THAT THAT WAS HOW YOU SHOULD THROW IT. The "push off with the leg you´re kicking with" did indeed give me a second to think, but seriously, the thing I was thinking about first was the front leg.
I love this tidbit! I notice people seem to have a really hard time pulling just by being told to pull. I cue this by asking my guys to feel like they’re pulling their kicking leg out of a tar pit, or alternatively you can have them bring the kicking leg straight up behind them before coming around, because they will naturally pull to bring the leg forwards when it initially lifts straight up behind them a short ways
Thats dope. Never thought of that. Always relied more on throwing my hand/arm back and turning my shoulders through my hips as well as my head looking in an over-exaggerated motion towards the direction of the kick as a beginning key. Always causing my core to engage and drive through the target.
Plus, I always pop step before I load up on a powered up kick
I really love the break down of this kick and the little extra small attention to detail definitely will make the kick more efficient. I look at it like a fast car in order to get it from o-60 really fast you need high torque and acceleration but you also need high friction. Focusing on accelerating with the front leg when you have the most amount of friction will allow you do drive through the kick even stronger. Very good Sr very good.
I've always naturally done that over pushing off with the kick. I'm glad you threw some explanation to it so I can understand it better and change the variety of how I throw
My Thai boxing instructor explained this to me a year ago by instructing to turn your front foot toes to to point left at the end of the kick. Forcing yourself to get those toes out to the side at the end of the kick means that you have to begin the movement with the front foot in order to get the rotation through.
My old Muay Thai and Krav Maga instructor always taught us to lift our front foot, plant it turned and allow our bodies to follow the torque generated by our ankles (follow the pre-turned foot). It provides a more stable base, but isn't as powerful as whipping your whole body with one movement. He never had a name for it but I think we should call it a "Seth Round House Kick". Great video!
Haha I mean I like that name! That’s cool they came to that conclusion too!
This is a brilliant detail that people miss to point out however it is already commonly utilised in Muay Thai Training
One example is if you guys ever throw roundhouses with resistant bands at the end of your session, it will force you to "pull" your front leg forward
When your body gets used to the motion, this muscle memory becomes a game changer
Funny thing is, I have learned this pulling principle years ago and was able to apply it, but not for throwing a roundhouse kick, instead, it was how I learned how to throw a proper lead left hook punch from an orthodox stance. I have been having trouble with my form while throwing a left hook because my wrist kept hurting due to the wrong angle of my elbow and because I kept pushing the punch with my left shoulder, I felt there was no power behind my hook, so I learned by trial and error how to pull with my right shoulder while pivoting on the balls of my feet and using my hips as a fulcrum to lever both my shoulders and elbow into a powerful lead left hook punch. And I now use that principle to teach newbies how to throw a lead hook.
My instructor touched on this the other week and he started doing marshal arts in 1968 in Vietnam with the ROK and other styles . Nice to see other people pointing that out
1. swing leg through the target
2. on ball of foot of non kick foot, push off ground with kicking foot, throw hip through, pivot ground foot, leg straight like baseball bat
3. chambering, extend leg?
4. swing arm open up chest, across or down to hip, counter balance, pull self through kick
5. pull forward with front leg, the rotate like first step of sprint
Seth: what you're doing by initiating the turn from the pull is activating the illiopsoas so that you can rotate with the extension you need to be able to support the kicking leg. Jack Heggje, who wrote "Running with the Whole Body," taught me this in the 90s. But he taught me privately, so I think your leg is still safe.
I was about to make a video on this topic too! Ajarn Chai Sirisute (my teacher) teaches a similar idea on how to generate power on your kick.
Yodslanklai is the only fighter I've seen really emphasize the step in (pull) for all the power.
Good one! My teacher Don Came (Kissaki-Kai UK) has taught me the same. I would almost dare to say that the pulling with the front leg is a consistent thing.
This is similar to how I was taught the roundhouse in Taekwondo. My instructor always emphasized a sprinting motion as you raise your knee, and move your body over your front leg, as you would when running (knee being raised straight towards opponent for a snap kick roundhouse, but still pulling concept applied). This analogy is how we taught students to stop leaning back away from the opponent and to get power making an offensive aggressive strike.
It's a good conversation to start with. You're right in regards to sprinters, but I'd bet if we used tracking technology for biomechanics we'd see the lead foot is simply more used as a stabilizer for the rotation of the spine. I mean everything does start at the feet (ground force reaction). Basically, it's allowing the hip joint to move the upper body via the "spinal engine" while maintaining posture, which helps with power as well.
This is exactly what I have been looking for. I'm 2 months in to kickboxing, and I couldn't figure this out. Thanks man!
It's funny because I was wondering why my switch kicks felt so much harder than my right even though right was dominant for a while (not so much anymore with more practice). I now realize it's because of that spring tension mechanism that provides added potential energy, where everything that follows is the release and follow-through. This also explains why the whip affect of almost leaving the thrown leg loose until immediately before contact seems to impact so much harder; that heel and surrounding support is the handle of the whip, so to speak. Makes a ton of sense, good find!
That is a very interesting observation, I also noticed that too if I was consider the "baseball swing" motion with just my chin only. I tend to pull more with my lead foot than I do pushing with the intended leg into the side ribcage, I thought it was just me.
I’ve always been taught to spring from heel to toe on your lead foot. As you step 45 degrees, your momentum carries you the same direction as you raise on the ball of your foot. The pivoting of the front foot creates speed and power.