by Thomas Kurz Click here to read the previous article, “Right Stretches for High Kicks with No Warm-Up.” Apart from the right way of developing your flexibility—meaning doing the right stretches at the right time, to throw high kicks without any warm-up—you need to know and practice the right technique of kicking, including the right […]
High Kicks with No Warm-Up: The Right Body Alignment for Side Kicks Read More »
by Thomas Kurz Hook Kick—Correct Form Correct form of the hook kick (karate’s ushiro mawashi geri and taekwondo’s bakkat dollyo chagi) — Stand with the kicking side closer to the target, and look at the target. — Transfer your weight to your supporting leg, its knee bent, the supporting foot firmly planted on the ground,
Common Errors in Basic Kicks: Hook Kick Read More »
by Thomas Kurz In this third article on common errors in basic kicks, you will learn how to recognize and fix errors in the roundhouse kick. The purpose of the roundhouse kick is to strike a target from the side. So, either the neck or the temple, floating ribs, sides of the thighs, or sides
Common Errors in Basic Kicks: Roundhouse Kick Read More »
by Thomas Kurz Back Kick—Correct Form Correct form of the back kick (karate’s ushiro geri and taekwondo’s dwit chagi) The back kick in sparring and in competition is done with a turn, although in self-defense it may be used without the turn. When learning the kick, one has to first master it without turning. —Stand
Common Errors in Basic Kicks: Back Kick Read More »
by Thomas Kurz This is the second article on common errors in basic kicks, in which you will learn how to recognize and fix errors in the side kick. Side Thrust Kick—Correct Form Correct form of the side thrust kick (karate’s yoko geri and taekwondo’s yop chagi) —Stand with the kicking side closer to the
Common Errors in Basic Kicks: Side Thrust Kick Read More »
by Thomas Kurz The errors I write about in this article are those I witnessed during several clinics on stretching and kicking. You can see these errors, and my attempts to correct them, on the DVD Clinic on Stretching and Kicking. Before I get to the specific kicks, here are a few facts about techniques
Common Errors in Basic Kicks: Front Knee Kick and Front Thrust Kick Read More »
by Thomas Kurz At a close distance, poor punching skills make fighters miss opportunities for scoring points, for putting their opponents off-balance and thus setting up a few good kicks, or for knocking some wind out of them. All those taekwondo players who don’t punch when up close are laughable. And so is their explanation
Common Errors in Punches: Missed Opportunities at Close Distance Read More »
by Thomas Kurz This article is about causes of errors in punching and about my favorite exercise for teaching and testing the correct form of the basic punch (karate punch, tkd punch, etc.). In the previous article on punching errors, I wrote about fixing errors of the arm movements only. There are more errors in
Common Errors in Punches: Causes of Errors Read More »
by Thomas Kurz This article is about errors in punching. The errors I write about are very common. I saw them at every clinic or seminar on stretching and kicking I gave, and I still see them at whatever competitions I happen to visit. You can see these errors on the DVD Clinic on Stretching
Common Errors in Punches: Basic Normal-Fist Punch Read More »
by Thomas Kurz Evidence from neurological research proves the soundness of limiting teaching movement skills to one new skill per workout. Until now the reasons for doing so were only the practical experience of coaches and guesses about what happens in an athlete’s mind during and after a workout in the course of learning. Many
