Snap Kicks

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Snap kicks, front kicks, or whatever you want to call them are common in most martial arts. However the principles are different according to the art you study. Now I know I'll probably tread on some egos here but snap kicks executed in a hard style manner can cause a lot of problems. Now I'm not an expert in all martial arts only my own but I do know a little about most forms. I do know that it is a common practice in most hard style martial arts to fully extend the leg in a snapping motion while executing front kicks. This causes a couple of problems. The first being that it will eventually wear out the knee joint. It may even cause an immediate hyperextension of the knee. This will put you out. The other problem is that it will generally pull the hamstring. This can be very painful and will also keep you from training.

Proper execution of snap kicks, however, will benefit you in several ways. Mainly it will work the muscles in the supporting leg.

All kicks, if done properly, are done with the supporting leg. This is the leg that really does all of the work. For speed and power and a great workout concentrate on the supporting leg. Cardio Karaticise™ is a great calf muscle exercise. It will really tone all of the leg muscles.

First rule. When your foot leaves the ground it pushes. You will want to pull your kicks but really they must be pushed. Concentrate on using your calf muscle as your foot leaves the ground. Your toes should give a final push also. This will tuck the lower leg in nice and tight which will allow the kick to snap out on execution.

Second. The knee must continue to rise throughout the kick. If the knee stops it will hyperextend, causing problems. If the knee were to straighten completely as the kick rises, this is what we would call a ballistic motion. It pulls against the hamstring and could cause injury. However if the knee continues to rise throughout the motion of the kick and never goes more than 3/4 extension, the knee and hamstring will not be in jeopordy. The other benefit is that to keep the knee rising you must use the supporting leg. The supporting leg must be slightly bent to allow the hips to rock into the kick. This will focus on the thigh and calf muscle of the supporting leg. If you do these correctly it will be your supporting leg that feels the burn at the end of the exercise.

If you are using multiple kicks, and I'm sure you are. Make sure that when your foot touches the ground that the calf muscle cushions the impact. Set down on the ball of the foot and let the calf muscleact like a spring. Absorbing the impact and using it to push off again.