Is it true that you don't chamber your kick. If so, why is that, doesn't it decrease speed?
It doesn't have to. Essentially, you should be swinging your leg the same distance either way for -- say -- a full roundhouse kick off of the rear leg. However, if you're used to chambering your leg, not doing so might slow you down. You might tighten up, because it feels so unfamiliar.
As for why they don't, I don't really know. One guess is because it does a little less to telegraph where the blow is headed.
Essentially, yes. You lift/curl your leg before unleashing the kick. You find this alot in karate, tkd, etc etc.
ah ok.
To the OP: Years ago, I did Kung Fu for about a year. I'm now practicing Muay Thai. My experience is somewhat limited, but I feel like Muay Thai kicks are more powerful b/c they are swung through like a baseball bat rather than chambered. I also think Thai kicks are faster than chambered kicks, since chambered kicks have an added motion to them.
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To the OP: Years ago, I did Kung Fu for about a year. I'm now practicing Muay Thai. My experience is somewhat limited, but I feel like Muay Thai kicks are more powerful b/c they are swung through like a baseball bat rather than chambered. I also think Thai kicks are faster than chambered kicks, since chambered kicks have an added motion to them.
It depends on how the person kicks. Some people rely ONLY on the chamber for the power, thus the kick has the power of some legs muscles behind it. That's faster, but MUUUUCH weaker.
However, some people throw their hips into the kicks as well as the chamber. In that sense, they would generate just as much power as a thai kick, considering that the main source of power is identical (the turning of the hips). As for the speed of a hip torque/chambered kick, it shouldn't be different than a thai roundhouse. It's not like you pivot your hips, freeze during chamber, then unleash the kick. You time the chamber seamlessly into the motion.
I break down the differences between the "Traditional" Round Kick and the Muay Thai Round Kick in this thread here. If the links are still working in that thread, I've got lots of visual clips for comparison too.
I break down the dead leg difference with this here:
Quote:
So why the dead leg? Well simply put, there is more rotational force created if the leg is at a fuller length. You want an example of that? Take a pencil and hold it an inch from the eraser with your index finger and thumb. Using only your index finger and thumb, flick the eraser end of the pencil into an object. Not too much force created there, right? Now move your grip another 2 inches from the eraser and do the same thing. More force is created right? If you continue on, you will notice that you get the maximum amount of force when holding the pencil from the very end. The same principle applies with the kick.
It is true that you can get a lot of power out of the Traditional Style round kick. It just takes a while longer to develope it. Once you've got the technique down, you can be capable of some suprisingly effective kicking techniques (like the clinic that Cung Le put together this Friday).
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Muay Kicking
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