Have you ever noticed that your jump front kick may not look
the same as someone else’s in the Club?
Well, it may not and it might not supposed to. What level are you comparing yourself with? A White Belt or Blue Belt jump front kick should
not look the same. A Blue Belt and a
Black Belt’s jump side kick should not look the same.
Why?
The jump kicks take a tremendous amount of balance, control,
and force. It is a very dynamic kick, so
we teach it in stages so students can progress and not get completely
frustrated. The jump kicks evolve to
take advantage of the skills as students progress. What is critical is not if your jump looks
different but are you demonstrating it the way that is appropriate for your
level, you understand it will evolve as you progress, and you understand the
goal as an advanced student. Your
instructor and/or coach will prompt you when it is time to take it to the next
level.
Let’s look at the evolution of the “jump” of the three
basics jump kicks one at a time. Keep in
mind what is described here is the standard and does not mean variations are
not performed depending on the scenario or intention – will discussed this more
in a later blog.
Jump Front Kick:
At the Beginner level, the “jump” for jump front kick is
taught more as a step since students usually do not have the balance yet for a
more advanced “jump”. The step is taught
that the hips shift forward transferring weight forward to initiate the jump and
the rear foot shifts to the side of the front foot (heel to heel).
At the Intermediate level, as students demonstrate more
balance and control, the “jump” evolves to a foot replacement where the rear
foot replaces front foot (i.e., heel of rear foot should move under and replace
heel of forward foot).
At the Advanced level, where students are more grounded, demonstrate
even more balance and control, the “jump” continues to evolve such that
students will place the rear foot further forward and “jump” through the
forward foot.
Jump Side Kick:
At the Beginner level, the “jump” for jump side kick is
taught more as a cross step that creates a more stable base to throw the kick
from. The cross step is taught by shifting
forward in Cat Stance with rear foot
crossing behind the front foot; turning the body 90 degrees on the balls of the feet. Depending on the student’s ability and the
instructor’s determination of the student’s balance and control, their progress
dictates how much time a student at the Beginner level practices the cross step
before moving to a step.
At the Intermediate level, as students demonstrate more
balance and control, the “jump” evolves to a foot replacement where the rear
foot replaces front foot (i.e., heel of rear foot should move under and replace
heel of forward foot).
At the Advanced level, where students are more grounded, demonstrate even more
balance and control, the “jump” continues to evolves such that students will
place the rear foot further forward and “jump” through the forward foot.
For brown belt and above, the “jump” in both jump front kick
and jump side kick should look exactly the same. A major advantage is an opponent should not
be able to tell the difference on which kick will be thrown until the last
second and you can determine at the last second which kick would be more
effective.
Jump Turnaway Kick:
At the Beginner level, the “jump” for jump turnaway kick is
taught more as a step since students usually do not have the balance yet for a
more advanced “jump”. The step is taught
that the hips shift forward transferring weight forward to initiate the jump
and the rear foot shifts to the side of the front foot (heel to heel).
At the Intermediate level, as students demonstrate more
balance and control, the “jump” evolves to a foot replacement where the rear
foot replaces front foot (i.e., heel of rear foot should move under and replace
heel of forward foot). In addition, at
the Intermediate level, students should be taught to attack
with the front hip; rotating hips approximately 45 degrees and transferring
weight forward to initiate the jump.
At the Advanced level, where student are more grounded, demonstrate even more
balance and control, the “jump” continues to evolves such that students will
place the rear foot further forward and “jump” through the forward foot while
continuing to attack with the front hip.
Fast Jump Kicks:
As students continue to advanced, a fast jump kick is
taught where the entire kick is initiated from the back leg with no weight on
the front foot. This may not be as
powerful as the Advanced kicks above, but much faster and over time more power
can be generated with practice.
Summary:
Many of our techniques evolve as we progress in the art
form. Mechanically, the jump kicks
probably evolve the most. It is simply
part of the journey.
Enjoy the journey.
Regards,
Kelly
"Behind each
triumph are new peaks to be conquered." ~ Masutatsu Oyama (1923- 1994), a
karate master who founded Kyokushinkai Karate
