Thursday, May 1, 2014

Evolution of the Jump Kicks - - Chief Instructor's Blog May2014



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