help with high kick / headkick
 

Guys,

I have been taking a thai boxing class since october.

I am having a very difficult time throwing a high kick.

If I am standing straigh on, I can easiliy raise my foot to my head level. However, if I pivot on my left foot ( orthodox stance) and try to turn my right leg over and lift it high I feel a pain. Is my technique wrong? Flexibility is a MAJOR concern as well.

Just now I put my leg on a counter top and "turned my hip over". It was pretty painful , lol.

Any suggestions? Tips?

Thanks!

Sounds just like you said, a flexibility problem. The muscles you use for a front kick are far different than a round house.

Try stretching at least twice a day and doing muscle conditioning poses for a roundH. Stand on you pivot foot and try holding your leg in a sidekick position for 10 seconds at a time, after a few weeks you will really see a difference in strength.

If this is a SHARP not stretching type pain....

Go to a doctor

I've given that advice to another user already:

For kicks, do kicks. First have a GOOD warm up to prevent injury. Kick at a heavy bag or for this occasion maybe even better a BOB. Kick relaxed without force and start at a level at which you are really comfortable with (might even be at a low kick level). Let your body accustom to the motion. Do like 25 kicks on each side, do another 25 on each side slow (meaning SLOW), then go 2" higher, same procedure. Go as high as you feel comfortable, you shouldn't feel pain. Don't force yourself to go higher, as there is risk of injury which would draw you back.

After that, do PNF-type stretching for the splits. Keep your legs warm afterwards, either by movement or outer heat (bath, sauna)

Do that every day (start always comfortable low to prevent strain trauma) and you should be able to deliver head kicks after a month.

I have tight hips. It takes me a while to stretch my hips enough to throw my high kicks. I've found that its all about the warm up. Start with getting warmed up. I like to run in circles, doing crossovers, then working to high knees. Then I stop, do my stretching, focusing on my hip flexors, groin, and core muscles. Then as said before, start kicking low and working higher

Great advice about the warmup especially when just learning high kicks. Cannot stress enough how warming up helps when starting to learn high kicks. Also find a solid high surface where you can raise your legs to the highest but comfortable level and hold it for 15-20secs.

Re: help with high kick / headkick
 

Think about it this way , every 100 kicks you do you get a little bit better on that kick , if you wear to throw alot of kicks that are your highest you will get better , and if that doesnt work try streching alot

A good leg warmup is from standing, Left knee to chest 10 times, then right knee to chest 10 times. Then left knee to outside shoulder 10 times and right knee to outside shoulder 10 times.

I have that problem, too. For most, it's a matter of stretching, flexiblity and coordination. Mine is different. I've trained it hard and stretched a lot, but my hip joint won't let me do high roundhouse kicks. I can kick a 7' target with a straight kick, but struggle with 5' for a roundhouse - it feels like my hip is going to pop out of its socket. One way to check is where you feel pain when you turn your hip over - if it's tightness in your groin/inner thigh muscle, it's probably a matter of stretching/flexibility. If you feel it in your hip joint, no amount of stretching is going to help.

Gimme a few days and I'll post up my stretches that help me round kick over my head!

Some of the stretches I do for myself and my team to get greater kick flexibility and more power. Should help you with the hip stacking issue as well. Good luck!