Kicking Tips

Kicking is one of your most powerful weapons in the human body. However when you use your leg to kick, you have one leg to stand on for balance. This leaves no room for error. Most of us that have been training for a very long time, can still remember back when we started to learn how to spar. We would use our hands to block, and our feet to attack. The reason for this is it gave us space to breath. When one first learns how to spar, you have to remember that there are many more students that have been sparing for years longer then yourself. The only way to hold some of these guys at bay, is to use your legs to strike. Giving you distance between you and your opponent. I remember using my hands to block, and for balance, using my arms like a balance stick when walking tight rope. I know that sounds a little strange when said, yet many of you remember exactly what I am talking about. However that was way back when we did not know what we were doing, we were frightened when sparring someone that we knew was going to hurt us if they got us. Basically what I would do is try as hard as I could not to get hit, I would use my arms to block every attack, but was never able to get one in with my hands, with a punch, knife hand, backhand, or other. I could not use my hands in sparring for years, only my legs to attack someone with either a side kick, front kick, roundhouse kick, or other, could always get them in, as my legs were very fast. Then I started to feel more comfortable sparring, all of a sudden, there was far less people above me with more skill, then there was when I started. The more I would spar with people, the more experience I would gain. The more time that went by, the more experience I would gain. Then as the years turn into decades, you look back at all the years and smile. Why smile, because you know deep inside your heart, you tried as hard as you could to do the best you could always. However if there is reason you needed some time, you can always come back to start again, life goes on, always remember, no matter what you do in the martial arts, or how much you do in the martial arts, is so much better, then not at all.

Sifu Krys van Hoof

    Because I lived with a Chinese  family, one being my Ying Yee Grand Master. I would ask him how to block something, how to move, what to do against this, or that, this went on for years and years. In fact there were times when I would come home, asking Grand Master Chow, what to do with a certain person who would attack me in a certain way, and always get me. No matter what I would do I could not block it or get away. He told me to do this, or that, or the other, and I would go in the very next night, and it would work, what ever he would tell me , it would work right away, it was amazing. I actually could not believe it, but it happened, and happened a lot. This is how I started to see the difference between people with real knowledge, and people with little knowledge, there is a very big difference, and the outcome in what a student will learn is going to be very different. I hope that each and every one of you find a Teacher with great knowledge in the martial arts, one that will answer your questions, because he knows, that there is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid mistakes. Plus a great teacher will always have compassion and respect for his or her students. I also hope that each and everyone of you have a teacher that gives you all that you need on your quest into the amazing world of the Martial Arts.

Grand Master Chow flying through the air

As I was saying, the first two years of my training, I could not use my hands to score, but could land my feet with ease. Even though I could still defeat my opponents, I was only using half of what I could be using if I was sparring properly. GM Chow tried hard to get me to use my hands in sparring, and after around the two year mark, that was when all of a sudden, something that Grand Master Chow would show me, would work. One technique I remember very well, he took a technique from Wing Chun, taught me, and told me the next time someone attacked me a certain way to try it. The very next night when I was being attacked I tried the Wing Chun technique and it worked right away. I was so surprised, and so happy at the same time. In fact that very technique became one of my very first favourite techniques in sparring. That is another thing about sparring, you have to find what I used to call favourite techniques, these are techniques that you use in sparing and they work for you almost all the time. Once you have used that technique for months and months, you find another, and another, this goes on for years.  Grand Master Chow taught me a Choy Lay Fut. technique, and again, it worked. I tried it again and again just to see if it was a fluke, and it did work again. So now I had two favourite techniques that worked easily when ever I needed them. Soon as the years went bye, I found I had ten long bridge techniques I found would work every time I used them, and ten short bridge techniques that worked just as well. After around five years time, I had many of both the long bridge, and short bridge that would work anytime I needed them. By the time Grand Master Chow started his own school and I was able to start working for him. My skill level went up again. The reason for this was Grand Master Chow taught only black belts and higher from all of the other clubs in Alberta. It was great experience, as I was the one who had to teach all of the classes.

Sifu Fiedler in white

To refresh your memory, again the difference between a system and a style is a style is one method, a system has many methods. In a style, you could become an expert in three years time. In a system, you could take five to ten years, and much later to master. People who practise kung fu as a hobby, usually practise in a style, and people who take Kung Fu for a way of life, are going to much rather be involved in a system with many different methods, some of those methods even contradict other methods in the same system. The reason for this is again, our knowledge.  But the one thing to always remember, not to be closed to other methods, because you can learn for the rest of your life, and never even come close to learning all you can in the Chinese martial arts. Or you could learn one method, close your eyes to everything else, stand there after five years and say you know it all, and there is nothing else anyone can teach you. " To many of those in this world already", Please remain a student your whole life, as there is so many wonderful things in this world to learn in the martial arts. Even saying the word martial arts, to many it means punching and kicking towards each other. The media had a hand in people thinking this, the martial arts is learning how to heal people as it is to protect oneself. In fact, many of the nerves one learns to attack, are the same nerves one learns to massage when injured. The martial arts is learning a philosophy, whether that be the Tao, or Buddha, the point is, it is much more then punching and kicking towards each other. In the Chinese Martial Arts, there are many sections of education, from herbal medicine, most of the time a basic course in, Dit Dat Jow, especially once a student starts to learn, Iron Palm training. The herbs for your palm are very important. Martial arts is learning how to meditate, one of the easiest things one can do, and yet it is one of the hardest things to get students to do. However those students that do learn how to meditate and stay with it will experience things others will never ever experience. If you want to be the very best at martial arts, please start to meditate, ask your instructor if he or she would teach you the basic method, and start out slow and add a little more every month until you can do twenty minutes a session. All I can say to end this is you will not regret it ever, it is that amazing.

Sifu Fiedler back in 1976, doing crescent kick, notice heel on ground, using bottom of foot to hit target, not ankle

Ok lets get back to some training tips with for your kicking.

Number one: make sure to train your balance, one of the best methods to train your balance it to always do you kicks in phases, what ever kick you do fast, do it in slow motion, and watch how hard it is. In fact this was the way that everyone did it long time ago, but with the advent of commercial martial arts, many of the hardest types of training methods were stripped away. When I say doing your kicks in phases, if you are in Ky Moo Kwan, then you know what I am talking about, if not, then here is what I mean.

Stand in bow stance". Bring your kicking leg to the first phase, which is from the floor, to standing on one leg. Your kicking leg is now in what is called a crane stance, with leg hanging down at the bent knee. Now all you have to do is put your leg out in front very slowly, until you have straightened out your knee all the way. Now your kick is at the second phase, exactly in the position where you would kick someone, if doing a front kick, make sure to pay attention to detail, pull your toes back. This position is the hardest, hold your leg out there for ten seconds if you can, if not, build up to it. Now bring your leg back to the knee, and then to the floor, with each position, watching you have good balance throughout, now here is some pearls of wisdom, if you are going to loose your balance, do not put your foot down to the floor, if you have to bounce around on one leg, do it, but do not put your foot down, this is a matter of life and death, to put your foot down, is death, to keep your balance, is life. Remember that, even if you have to jump around on one leg to get your balance before bringing your foot back to the floor, do it. It is that important.

Make sure to do this same thing with the phases with all the basic kicks.

Now for your second tip:"

When you learn how to kick, and I am talking about you really have a great deal of balance, everything is coming along well, and now you want to go to the next level of skill with kicking. When you kick, bring your leg back faster then when you kicked out. When pulling your leg back, always try to pull your leg back faster then what it went when you kicked outward. As soon as you start to pull your leg back, really pull it hard, and fast, and with balance, the faster you can pull it back, the less someone can catch it, and more incredible abilities that will come from this practise.

Now for the Third Tip:"

Read the Third Eye by Lobsang Rampa

And then talk to Sifu Dee about what you have just read. Also if you have any questions about the book, please ask Sifu Dee, he will also talk to you about many other amazing things that have to do with what is in that book, you will be amazed and if you would like some doors opened in your life, that have never been opened. PLEASE READ

Much more to come

Thanks for coming hope to see you soon

Sifu Dee

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Last modified: 10/30/07