Footwork and Training Methods to Improve Your Lead Leg Round Kick

[@sargent5150]

Your assumption is correct.. you gain more range by lowering your level on the low kick because you are changing the angle that the leg extends.

[@hard2hurt]

Hmm... makes sense.

[@BootyBot]

@Silent Psykosis the hip angle is changed by the angle of the torso, not by the level change of the hip. The torso change happens as a result of bending your knee naturally because of the muscles involved in the kinetic chain required to balance on one leg when you bend it. The level change is *not* required to gain the reach increase. You can get the same amount just by moving your torso. This is why in TKD, they teach you to extend your torso in the opposite direction horizontally when you throw a sidekick (it also contributes to power). I'll show you: Stand up, and stand in a bladed stance. Keep your standing leg and torso perfectly straight. Now raise your kicking leg. Observe the length. Now bend your torso away from the "opponent" while holding the sidekick. Notice the length change. No level change required.

[@hard2hurt]

@Badass warrior no man I'm not doing that stop asking

[@groundedtruth1358]

This is reasonable but I don't think it's the feeling he was talking about. I just tried to answer that in my comment. In summary, the non-lowered level allows you to actually travel further while maintaining balance, power, and reach. However, the way the video is shot and the choice to not swing the bag mixed with him wanting to hit the bag hard is "cramping his style" so the kick feels shorter because he's not actually using his full reach given the nearly stationary position of the bag.

[@groundedtruth1358]

I would say at least test this idea and see. My sense is that you'll go further than you think.

[@thagrifster594]

Redness on your shin says everything. Another good one Mike.

[@LOLplayer232]

😂😂😂

[@JWMCMLXXX]

"Does your lead kick suck? Of course it does. They all suck" ahhh. That's a relief. Thought it was just me.

[@JJettas69420]

Me: ACCEPT people who were born as a southpaw

[@jvcco6929]

Mine sucks so bad i haven't been kickboxing for that long but somehow I always fuck up that lead kick. And i don't know why but im having trouble with that little step with your rear leg before the kick 😂

[@gerardhart9052]

Lead leg kicks are either flick kicks or you need to use your entire body like a thrust kick or capoera roundhouse. Even so are less powerful so main benefits are speed and surprise. Should be executed without any set up moves. So for roundhouse stand at least 45 degrees away from target. Facing forward just takes away power.

[@kugaththeplaguefather6332]

Mine is just total dogshit, When I pivot I feel like it doesn't deliver enough power therefore I'm doing something wrong, When I land the kick I'm extending it way too early literally just damaging my foot.

[@Shsnawj]

What does the lead leg mean ? Please someone answer

[@Huhmasta]

Love how clean your gym is

[@pandnh4]

02:58 this is why I love this guy. That's years of dealing with amateur foolishness surfacing.

[@robbybee70]

what helped me was many reps of the Pendulum kick, and thinking about leading with the hip

[@hard2hurt]

Yeah I rep that a lot.

[@TheJbrew51]

My lead roundhouse is Terrible, going to practice it today. Perfect timing on this video.

[@victortorres7851]

After getting the full concept of turning the support leg and hip. We usually teach our students to practice throwing the opposite side shoulder of the kick to help generate power. Usually practiced off of a cross or quick pendulum step. It tends to help a lot with hip drive.

[@hsinhaowang]

The lower you squat, the more distance there is between each leg. When you pendulum, you a bringing the rear leg up to move the momentum forward. It's the same reason why a wider, deeper, bladed stance gets more distance in TaeKwon-Do/Sport Karate. Or why you "feel like" you get more height when you jump from a squat. the attitude you have while you do a technique in a very specific way says a lot about how it's going to be done as well. A lot of any technique comes from the psyche behind it. When you feel like you can do better, you do better.

[@finhyland4270]

What a great tip.

[@hard2hurt]

Psycho Powa!

[@hsinhaowang]

@@hard2hurt Psyche as in mentality, but this is better. *"Use the psycho power you insolent whelp!"*

[@Brantendo64]

Also, lowering my base also gives me better balance when I have my leg extended all the way due to the counterweight of my body. Just something I’ve noticed as a novice.

[@robertjackson3819]

I love how you teach and learn at the same time, and give us something to think about. Well done, brother.

[@user-xu3kz4ru8f]

Thank you, for another great description of the Muay Thai kick! This is just as descriptive as your last video on the rear leg kick. Which was awesome!

[@kodain]

Sometimes, four inches is all you need ^_-

[@hard2hurt]

Heyoooo!

[@justbreathe8835]

Not what she said.

[@BWater-yq3jx]

ever.

[@lavans5721]

All width, no length Like a plate

[@mrdiippzzz7444]

Any Howard Stern fans all know “4 inches is fine”

[@squishyoctopi7042]

Lead leg kick is like the jab. It's the fastest, so you wanna make it strong.

[@-archingk-k364]

I love this video just show all you need in the first 10sec. 0:00 rear foot step front 0:02 rear foot step right 0:06 switch stance 0:08 jump

[@ayy4028]

Could you do a full breakdown of your jumping kick? Looks dope!

[@Kongobongoes2007]

He just did.

[@damienholland8103]

Yup, I can't really generate much force with the lead kick unless the power comes from my hip turning. Haven't tried the jumping version, though, might try it for fun. I notice you're using more of your shin than I was when I started kicking the bag again. I kept coming away with ankle injuries but I smartened up. Now I have to try to reduce hip flexor problems that keep happening.

[@RodieLEE]

switch kick bro

[@C0mmand01128]

What helps me with the lead leg round house is pushing off the ground with the front foot (like a spring) and flicking the rear legs hip down into the ground to get the power. Its from like a TKD stance tho which is different from being squared up like you were.

[@hard2hurt]

Yeah different stance but the principles could still apply. I will try to think on it that way.

[@Docinaplane]

Good information! You do those kicks really well. The way I like to do this kick best is with a rear foot slide after kicking straight from the floor with good hip turn. The groin is the primary target. My instructor taught me this kick by telling me "I'm going to kick you in the groin with my front leg. Tell me when you are ready to block it." Ok - Bam!! He hit me so fast I couldn't believe it.

[@hard2hurt]

Cliff does one with the rear foot slide that is sweet. I dont have the left him mobility to turn it up like that.

[@patzamudio]

Thanks. I use the pendelum and have always emphasized turning that hip over, and even getting lower for a quicker ranged strike. The part towards the end is also a little practice exercise I have just kind of started doing over time, but I always felt clunky so am glad to see that you also do that and I'm not a total idiot.

[@justine1230]

One way I'll throw the lead leg is to wind it up with a slip or throwing a cross to the lead side. Kind of like you are about to throw the liver shot but you unwind into the kick instead. Unwinding right into your kick generates some additional pop, you can also add in a little hop into that cheat step on the unwind (like a leaping hook).

[@hard2hurt]

Not bad especially if you've used the liver shot there once already and they start backing up. Nice.

[@nidstang373]

My front leg round kick is downright pretty if I do say so myself. I won my last fight with it (knockdown followed by rnc)

[@hard2hurt]

Well you did say so yourself...

[@jdnlaw1974]

One of the simplest yet helpful videos I’ve seen on leg kicks. Thank you.

[@TheComedyHistorian]

Your assumption is spot on… My lead leg kick does suck :( but it’s getting better now that I watched a great video on it. Thanks brother

[@Lydonfox]

Hey Mike, got any tips for improving reaction time/reflexes. Maybe even some solo drills for that kind of stuff?

[@FirstStrikeAthletics]

Lydonfox I play a game with my students called “whack a mole”. I haven’t made a video for it yet but I’m sure you can get the idea from the name.

[@wc3iskey]

@hard2hurt your question at 2:28 when your bending your knee more you activate the back part of your leg and your back muscles more look closely and you will see you are able the lean more backwards because of it which opens up your hip more it also changes the heavy point on your body since your moving your front foot almost a foot forward ( im not good at american metric system )

[@stuart4860]

if you step forward, its no longer the lead leg

[@lukehowe2179]

Glad I wasn't the only one scratching my head there. Good video nonetheless.

[@eldenlean5221]

Look carefully, he is not stepping into a south paw stance. he is still in an orthodox position, its just more square, and the heel is already facing the target. Its still a lead kick, but you are cutting the distance,loading the kick and squaring up at the same time. Imo its the best way to throw a really hard lead kick thats still relatively fast.

[@stuart4860]

@@eldenlean5221 when he changes stance and kicks off the rear leg- it is not a front lead leg kick that is my point, i understand when he shuffles up and kicks off the front leg it is still the front leg.

[@eldenlean5221]

@@stuart4860 yeah thats what Im saying he never actually changes stances, it looks like he is, but if you look closely at his legs and his body, its still the same stance, just more open. If his body was facing towards his right leg, then he would be changing stances, but his body is still facing the lead leg. Hes really squared and his right heel is already facing the target so its hard to tell, but its still the same stance and its still a lead kick, he also changes angles slightly.

[@eldenlean5221]

@@stuart4860 never mind I see what part you are talking about. Its still a lead kick imo. Its similar to the shuffle but you are stepping in place. Hes not moving his hips and body enough to fully change stances, hes just squaring up and loading the hip at the same time with the rear leg. In my gym they teach that as a "middle" stance. Its not really, its still the same stance but its so square its almost diferent.

[@JoeyCentral]

Nice video. Lately I have been training in the gym and focusing on getting stronger. Sadly, I have neglected my fight training while doing that. After watching this video, I have gotten the motivation to go back to doing it on my rest days (assuming that my leg DOMS aren't too painful haha).

[@noway9081]

All good stuff. My teacher always told me to focus on spinning my rear foot on the ball so that my rear heal faced forward when throwing the front kick. Getting the hip over and throwing the leg correctly were all important, but he really emphasized the spin and rotation on the back foot. And for the record, by front kick doesn't suck.... it blows!

[@hard2hurt]

Yeah you should really focus on whatever foot is on the ground if you want a good kick.

[@noway9081]

@@hard2hurt I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not! If you are, then I gotta say, that was a sweet burn. lol

[@hard2hurt]

@@noway9081 haha no I meant it but it does sound like a ridiculous statement. (Its true though)

[@alexbrubaker6821]

Found this channel today. I already love it! You all do good work and know how to explain things with ease. Definitely a daily view for me. Keep it up!

[@Zack1440]

Love the stomp step at 1:40. It's a great way to coil in for added power.

[@pugscaniche7866]

Great video thank you. I do a forward step with my right leg and I'm good. I have injured my foot so many time by kicking the bag right that I prefer that way now. Funny thing tho I'm better at kicking the pads than the bag itself.

[@unknownentity8256]

Your hip moves a bit more forward when you are lower to the ground so thats why it adds couple inches to the range. Alot of Thai's use this tactic on bodykicks.

[@wonderfultiger]

this is first video out of many kicking instructions that i am pleased to watch.

[@mjohnson6703]

This is exactly what I needed to see. I had no idea how to kick effectively with my lead leg.

[@oldskoolfattieg]

I've been training for about a year and my lead kick has just been awful. this video really helped me to start improving that kick, just a bit, but its getting better.

[@Dr-Grayson]

As someone who also doesn't switch there's a few things I've learned in developing front leg kick power. First is to turn your supporting foot till your heel points at your target that way you get maximum power and pivot, plus you're still in a good position to recover. Next you sink down bending your support leg (when you're kicking low if you kick midline or highline your support leg should really be straight) but keep your posture that means don't lean back it will weaken the kick. Also doing lots and lots of dexterity drills for kicking is super important. Multiple kicks without touching the floor, different kicks with the same leg. The more fluid and dextrous that front leg becomes the more dangerous it will get, plus your kicks will land easier since you have more options.

[@hard2hurt]

I should have mentioned some of that stuff...

[@AndrewAttard78]

Great video. This is something I'm working on in class now. We're training front leg kicks and double front leg combos.

[@RamonChiNangWong078]

Have the same problem, that's why I'm practicing the heavy bag in southpaw And when I switch, I use the oblique kick

[@superawesomejeff]

Front kick or oblique kick to get the bag swinging, then practice with the weight of the bag falling into your roundhouse kicks as you pivot off to get the range and angle. Try to stop the force of the falling bag with your kick. I noticed a big change in my balance and ability to set up either leg roundhouse off of people's natural reaction to run down the retraction of my teep, or my jab. Kicks are way more effective when you can get your opponent to walk into them. Not to mention the power you learn to generate just by stopping the bag.

[@hard2hurt]

Practice what you suck at!

[@BWater-yq3jx]

I actually found it helpful to intersperse lead leg round kicks on the bag with rear leg round kicks (with the same leg). To help get the feel of the stronger kick mechanics into the weaker kick. 💥 😁👍

[@Warped.Wizard]

Great video! Definitely gonna try these out next time I'm at the gym.

[@cyanomical]

Coming from a TKD background we teach/practice the lead leg pendulum round kick a lot and because I'm also a short guy with even shorter legs this is an issue I'm more than a little familiar with. Really the squat = range thing is really about 2 separate elements: flexibility, and hip push. Basically your leg is always the same length, but its furthest reach comes when your kick horizontal to the floor. Very few people have freakin gymnast flexibility in the hips and can kick fully horizontal from standing straight up. If you inspect your footage from about @2:00 but especially @2:29, you can see that by squatting down in your kick you are actually leaning your body back and hence angling your hips up more allowing closer to horizontal lead leg kick with limited hip flex. Its why we tend to lean away a little when we go for head kicks too. I notice that when you go for the deep squat you're also pushing your hips closer to the target (only a few inches) but that's also contributing to a longer reach on your lead leg kick. That's a technique we focus on when going for max reach. I really like your focus on bottom foot rotation. Its something I drill into my students that is a critical step in round kicks. Pivoting your bottom foot and pointing your heel at the target forces your hip to rotate in the direction of the kick, increasing power. It also allows your power to turn horizontally into the target instead of slashing diagonally upwards which robs power (@Kwonkicker explains this in his round kick tutorial better than I can). What I like to teach people at a higher level is to sync that pivot and hence hip rotation with the kick to add that extra rotational momentum to the kick to increase power, which is most noticeable on the lead leg kick which has the least windup.

[@edgar22452]

I'm a Shotokan karate fighter. We heavily rely on our front leg in combat. The front leg kick gives u more options. Hook, axe, side and lead leg round kick as well. Front leg all day baby!

[@poorkwamoi]

great video. I practice Front leg round house kick a lot. That is one of Bruce Lee's signature kicks. He deflects the jab and then kick with the front leg to the head. His footwork was tremendous and pivots ob the back foot. I have been practing that since the 80's. My front house round kick was considered one of he best in my class because I spent months, years working on it. Great video! As I become older and older, I work mainly on my footwork more than anything. At 52, I am not going to go toe to toe with some 25 yo no matter how strong I think I am. Haha. I am going to use footwork and evade and find opportunities. younger folks don't like to work on footwork..LOL have a great Day, Mike

[@hard2hurt]

Footwork is everything. It can make up for so much in every other area.

[@kristianjensen5877]

I think the reason that a lowered base (at 2:15) gives extended range might have something to do with the slight crouch allowing for better lead leg and hip extension. A lowered stance kick feels less "poised" to me though and I think an opponent would have an easier time breaking my balance compared to standard base (due to the additional flex required in the supporting leg to achieve the lowered posture).

[@mathiaskovendy7292]

Yeah, your lead leg would get chopped out all day. This happens a lot to MMA wrestlers who take deep stances.

[@pranakhan]

You can transition to the lower stance when the opponent is backing up. It may make him think you're going for a takedown, then he'll eat a long distance leg kick for trying to back out.

[@hard2hurt]

Yeah lowered is probably sketchier on balance but if you could discourage them from trying to counter...

[@donworland]

Umm......okay....are you watching me train.....I was busy throwing vomit at a bag all day in the back yard, and you post this.....you are like a Jedi huh? As usual, thank you this actually already helped make me feel a bit better about taking it slow, your method specifically has helped me get back up to speed, so to speak, it's been some time since I've had the bag and clear skies etc. Your posts are very valuable.

[@BradYaeger]

Power generation is one of the most unique things to teach. It varies so wildly from person to person, technique to technique. Some have freakish, natural power in one area, but almost none in another . Finding a way to get them to understand it is the hard part because none of us learn the same. For example, i had a student that just couldnt get a strong back kick no matter how detailed i got. So I called it a Mule kick instead and BOOM she was slamming it straight in and out like a Champ. And that got me to thinking about all those old animal styles and how people could relate to them versus breaking it down like modern Kenpo might , so I started focusing on the student instead of the style. What sports have they played, what jobs have they had, stuff like that.

[@eddiehuff7366]

Really like your channel...just found it recently. Love your practical advise. My front wheel kick is weak too no matter how much I practice. In actual matches I've scored more with outer crescent kick than any other kick. ..,reason being it usually lands side of face. As you know judges give more weight to head kicks (they shouldn't but do). FWIW and to explain even more....the style I was in matches were decided by 4 corner judges and a ref/judge in the center. No stoppage after a point. We just went 4 minutes and they picked a winner. Anyway a couple times I actually got the shit beat of me but won the match because I was able to land several of the crescent kicks from almost inside the clinch.

[@akshayr2682]

You are awesome! Thank you for this video and I will definitely practice this one out!!

[@jackbush8223]

Another sneaky way to throw the lead leg is to lean forward on that leg, tip your chin/head forward to bait them to attack and when they come in, lean back onto your back leg while doing the shuffle step forward and send that lead leg up (but while your head is moving back/evading). The head/shoulder movement from the evasion can be channelled into the force of the kick too. I've found that extending and placing your lead jab arm near to where you're about to strike with the lead leg tends to align your body correctly for the lead leg strike while also potentially keeping an arms distance between you and the target as they lean in and you lean back into the kick (also might trick them into thinking you're gonna try intercept them with a jab when secretly the round kick is about to hit a millisecond later).. I'm talking about a head kick with the lead leg here ideally used as a counter attack/with a very slight shuffle step forward but at the same time as your upper body pulls back, so it's effectively a stationary attack, it's an intercepting attack. Also.. I used to skate (skateboard) and I think this is what taught me good form when it comes to my kicks. There is really something to be said for transfering skills from one art to another. The co ordination/balance needed for skateboarding translates really nicely into fighting form as far as kicks go anyway. It's easy to fall over getting this sneaky type of head kick wrong or by missing the target actually, so it is kinda silly or at least a journeyman to expert level technique to actually attempt in a real confrontation or anything. Sparring is one thing but using it in a fight would be something else like. Bruce Lee level reflexes are probably required hahaha. No doubt other sports/arts Tennis or something like that could segway into certain aspects of a fighters punching form for example as well. I mean, especially when it comes to timing, relaxation of the arm, lots and lots of little factors I imagine.

[@jackbush8223]

To make a slight correction to what I said above^, because as you may know sometimes it's difficult to describe in words how these techniques work, I've been practising it on the double end bag since I posted my first comment and I've realised something. It isn't a "stationary attack" like I said earlier. It is, but only up until the very moment of impact, and if you're light enough on your feet and transition your momentum from that initial stance of leaning on the lead leg with the head forward baiting while doing the smallest of shuffle steps forward (like a Muay Thai snap kick shuffle set up, looks almost like a subtle little stance change but it's not, you'll know what I mean) then the way you land should place you behind where you started the entire movement from, making it an attacking retreat more than what I said earlier; a stationary kick, it's a lovely kick to be honest and I love trying it on my friends in sparring and drilling it on the bag. I mentioned Bruce Lee, the one and only in my previous message, there is some sparring footage you've more than likely already seen, its some of the only footage of him full contact sparring. It was Long Beach 1967 karate tournament he gave the demonstration, I'll paste the link to the video, but anyway, near the end of his sparring sesh with I believe his student Inosanto he tries a very similar kick to what im attempting to describe. He misses the kick, doesn't land it, throws it a bit early but his momentum lands him behind where he was before he threw it. A lead leg snappy head kick and pre-emptively poised exit, demonstrating how even when he misses his target with the kick (because, he was of course human) that he can still recover his balance while retreating out of the distance of the attack you potentially managed to bait from your opponent. I'll paste the link below.

[@kchuen]

2:14 your centre of gravity is lower, your legs are more spring loaded as they bend more, hence you cover more distance when you release. Same for the stance in basketball.

[@JohnRBIV]

thanks for these videos, too bad I can't stop in or anything, feel like you guys could teach me a ton about my round kick. keep it up

[@mycinematics8948]

0:42 I feel personally attacked.

[@hard2hurt]

Is that you? Hahaha

[@mycinematics8948]

@@hard2hurt I am guilty.

[@drigzmo9419]

Me too. Once he said that I was like shit, im caught

[@GeorgeOu]

Your kick is maximum reach when the foot is at the level of your pelvic bone (hip socket more precisely) because the leg is horizontal, which has maximum reach. So if your target is the thigh, lowering your hip socket to the target will give you max reach. But if your target is the ribs, it's better to go up on the toes which gives you more reach and power. You get more power when you kick lower than kicking higher so you bring your body higher by going up on the toes.

[@allenmcfarlinmcfarlin8440]

Thanks for this vid.can’t wait to train this.another great vid!!!

[@RawDoggin_78]

For the squat thing: i think of it like that: the closest distance beteeen say, A and b is the vertical line beteeen their closest places. When you crouch lower, it gets all horizontal which eliminates the y axis so you reach further. And i dont rly know but you also may be able to extend your hip better in that position tho i think this one is bs i'd say the first one lol.

[@hard2hurt]

Sounds right.

[@BFGalbraith74]

this is the best round kick tutorial on KZbin...

[@hard2hurt]

Bold words...

[@friendli29]

You get more range when you squat down because you are also instinctively shifting your hips forward and your torso back. This brings your legs closer to the target AND your head further from the target at the same time. Kind of the same principle as a lead side kick or lead teep, if you're bending the knee of your back leg, then explode that leg up onto the ball of your foot (incorporating a twist if it's a side kick) whilst snapping your hands and torso back at the same time, you are not only being defensively sound, but creating better range and generating more power. What you gain in these areas, you sacrifice a little in speed, but with practice and muscle memory the difference becomes negligible.

[@HazJ777]

Everyone should learn how to dance salsa and the brain will work out the mechanism naturally. Great video BTW. You can also drive off the lead foot to create the momentum. A lot of Muay Thai guys tap their lead foot constantly. It's just like dancing 🕺

[@silasginell9251]

I know what you mean by squatting down to make the kick work better, I am 6"1 south paw and I rarely use a switch for my lead kick, works well for me to skip the switch, especially hard leg and body kicks. I'm sure my height provides some type of advantage with not having to switch.

[@groundedtruth1358]

To the question about being lower and reaching further - that's not really what's happening but I think I see the source of the confusion. When you didn't lower you were actually increasing your reach much more than when you were "lowering." The reason that it "feels" shorter is that the bag is not mirroring your distance change, vis a vis in order to make proper contact with the bag, which you are trained to sense with your body, you feel a little cramped. You have a habit (at least in the video) of landing your kick while the bag is swinging towards you so that you can feel your shot land with the most amount of power - there's nothing wrong with this in and of itself obviously but try pushing the bag and then doing the "non-lowered" movement while you're chasing the bag and I think you'll find that you actually have a lot more reach, especially when you turn your hip over. That's off the top of the head so if it reads a little clunky forgive me. -Best

[@hotboxmiller8211]

I like pengulum step, or left round kick from boxing range with switch jab as my setup

[@denis2211gru]

Hey Mike, this video's really helpful, I will definitely be watching this again while practicing my lead kick. Just wanted to say thanks and that you're a good coach (even though this video's old lol)

[@holygrail3288]

i just started to do muay thai and my lead kick is…let’s just say i look uncoordinated asf doing it, these tips did wonders brother

[@gregtavarez3322]

Iv learned that too! That if your lower you can sometimes generate more power and range always

[@hard2hurt]

We had a couple of guys from another gym come visit and they all did it. I tried it and was like hmm...

[@Kcitz_]

Thank you so much I was doing drills and realizes I never have tried to learn lead round kick so I said oh I’ll just throw it I fell on my ass I quickly realized that I can’t just throw it out thank your for these tips

[@novaclan3339]

You have more range when you are lower because your center of gravity also lowers and forces your whole body to become more horizontally linear when kicking so your leg can reach further it’s like atnding straight up and taking a jab step and when you squat and take a jab step

[@TX59N]

That hop kick at 4:28 is what I used to destroy my old laptop early one morning a few years ago. It was very effective. Keep up the good work Mike.

[@hard2hurt]

Fuck that laptop! It was an asshole.

[@TX59N]

@@hard2hurt Yeah it worked my last nerve that morning. No regrets.

[@Djent7779]

Omg pivot rotation is new for me thanks

[@kungfookatcc]

Once I know my knee is back to 100% I'm gonna try that jumpy kick on the bag 💯

[@bothanjedirogue]

😁 real talk, finally! My lead leg kick sucks, so yours!! True shit, we always think we kick like Joe Rogan till we watch the replay!!! Awesome 😊

[@vernshein5430]

Excellent video! The cheating kick reminds me of Joe Lewis from the 70s and his Angular Attack system though he usually used side thrust kick. The jumping roundhouse does work if the opponent is stationary, like when they are hurt or gassed. I like to use it to pound their arms so that they lower them a bit and then try for a clean head strike. It also has the advantage of not requiring rotation on the base leg so those of us with bad knees can really torque the kick in without worrying about our base leg knee. Especially when you are on a bad high friction surface like carpet and have sticky sole shoes like runners.

[@TKDPWR]

I hate to say it, but thats where traditional martial arts eg Karate and Taekwondo get it right. Im talking about the mechanics of the move thats all. Bruce Lee had a nice pendulum step to front kick also, but that was in the movies but looked good.

[@LordFarquaad35]

Herman Yep I agree, this is a basic yet one of the most frequently used kicks in taekwondo sparring. The reason why a lot of people struggle to generate power through this kick is because they don’t lead in with the hip.

[@toryp3378]

If you are lower, you can lean back further than if you are upright. Like a cartwheel kick. Lower your torso the higher you raise your legs.

[@supersonic174]

in kyokushin I like to parry the powerpunch downwards which opens up the right side of the body, where it then is open to a lead round house kick, but I do wonder if enough power goes into it to do damage.

[@PRSer]

Something to note is what you're showing here are very good ways of generating more power in the lead leg, which is usually the weaker leg. It's also perfectly okay to have a weaker lead leg attacks. You just have to be able to generate enough power for the lead leg to be annoying to an opponent. You don't need to have full knockout power. You can use the lead leg to harass with short quick snappy kicks to the calf, side knee, ankle or thighs.

[@hard2hurt]

"Enough" power is a good point.

[@offroadastroothervans.4685]

It's almost like your body is laying down and extending your legs when you kick! That's why you get an extension on the Kik

[@muvmentpodcast8242]

nice jump kick, good balance on the way up..... keep ur legs relaxed when following through the kick and allow it to swing through the bag, essentially ur swinging a dead leg which is a heavy leg like a baseball bat.... thats the physics iv understood when studying the roundhouse kick, pretty much everything your describing plus a swinging a dead leg

[@nurglematthew893]

Great Guy. Do you help your students decide which glove weight makes sense for them?

[@remosasso8027]

Wicked video thanks man helped alot

[@petercharalampopoulos7180]

@hard2hurt When your hip is lower you throw your leg more parallel to the floor, which gives you more range

[@LunaticReason]

Nice I was training last week doing lead leg roundhouse and I was having such a hard time with it not only the power but also the accuracy on my kicks especially the higher they go. Most of the time I felt like I was just flicking the pad and I need to fix that. Sorry I don't know if what you're showing is the proper lead roundhouse in that you're using the switch to set it up, There is also a way in which you can throw the kick that goes up into a diagonal instead of round and over on the horizontal that can be much faster.

[@hard2hurt]

Practice practice practice.

[@melvinalucas5103]

Great vid the lead leg can be thrown in different variations yesir it all implies that specific kick for a specific situation in a fight dynamic movement is important yesir the various methods in throwing the lead leg Roundhouse differs from traditional muay thai to K 1 to Glory to MMA because of the difference in dynamics that are in accord to the specific combat sport for instance Dutch style incorporates that panddellum lead leg also with the emphasis on stepping out as you shown and lowering your base on the lead leg kick shows respect to the defense of getting out the way of possible counter punch mma does to due to the possibility of a take down however, in kickboxing you dont have to worry for the take down yesir Great vid just wanted to concur and chime in awesome stuff

[@adamzoubi96]

If you want to surprise someone with your lead kick you can fight in the opposite stance and when you throw the lead kick it's gonna be hard and fast, I discovered that when I decided to fight in the orthodox stance, every time I throw the left kick it lands hard so try it

[@hard2hurt]

Adam this is like fighting southpaw so your jab can be better... that's not a thing.

[@kevinkimani6409]

Men!! Those Roundhouse low kicks properly loaded & executed do so much damage!!!..once landed a proper one,on the back of the bag somehow my 4year old daughter had somehow sneaked just close & the momentum of the bag hit her n threw her some few feet away..she was OK.....bought her Mom pizza that day & she kept on wondering why!!!!

[@kevinkimani6409]

@Evrim so unfortunate! Hope the mom didn't eat you alive

[@fourhorsemenmechanix757]

@Evrim lol

[@hard2hurt]

I bet she wont lurk around the bags again!

[@andrecheongavocadojudo2114]

Weird thing for me is, I'm a righty but my lead kick is more powerful, and my rear kick has less power but more control

[@hakeaooda1549]

Because the natural stretch of your leg is downwards, if you squat or lower yourself while throwing it, your hips get more horizontal, allowing you to find a more natural slot to throw it with less contraction, more relaxed. It should feel that way, with less stress. I'm a baseball player. Baseball players do the same to find their throwing slot, its the path in which the arms moves the smoothes and allows for higher throwing speed and arm comfort. Sounds logical enough.

[@datupangurraider7812]

Thanks again.n this is what I need to improve 💪😃👍🤝

[@MTBJJ2001]

Shin conditioning tips?

[@ajsim]

When you're lower, your center of gravity is lower, so you're able to tilt more without falling over. Your body forms a bit of a "T" shape, which allows you to get more rotation and length. Stranding straight up, you're not able to tilt your upper body as much.

[@moreparrotsmoredereks2275]

When you throw a leg kick, your leg makes a downward angle from your hip to your target. If you squat, you lower your hip closer to the height of the target, making your kicking leg more horizontal and therefore have a longer range.

[@finhyland4270]

Cheers

[@hard2hurt]

Makes sense

[@rlwickland5396]

Mike , I keep it lighter on my lead leg . I try to do about a 60 / 40 split on my weight front to back . With slightly more weight on my rear leg the front round kick comes up pretty easily . That is good for checking leg kicks and firing off a counter front round or front snap kick . I also keep my stance tight enough to disguise weight transfers and make kicks off the lead leg come off the ground easier . I have TKD roots so we do all of lead leg work. Curious what your thoughts are on the comment . Excellent videos by the way

[@Dan53196]

Icy Mike is a bad ass 💪

[@toxiknao8826]

I have a really hard time turning the left side of my hips. Any stretch exercise for the hips?

[@bracalares]

When you squat more, you reach further because lower you get with your still leg, closer you get your body to a laying position, and your body is longest when you lay on your back with straight legs. You get the idea

[@nicktate7839]

This helped a shit ton. Thanks.

[@thefunkslamdunk9224]

What do you think of the Bill Wallace style lead round kick? Seems quite a bit different from yours, but really effective.

[@daxisperry7644]

Bill Wallace does that because his right knee is damaged and can't kick with it. So he could only practice with his left and thus became super comfortable with it. Since he only has the one leg to kick with, he needs a more mobile and quick kick to set them up and keep his opponent out of range. Hope this was useful.

[@jedschuler6994]

@@daxisperry7644 no, it wasn't. You just spewed facts most kickboxing fans already know. You didnt address the mechanics or stance he used. Nor did you address the effect of leg kicks on the blade stance. Your analysis wasn't even JV level. You just wanted to tell, "I know stuff!".

[@sassmaster1737]

Jed Schuler God you seem like a fucking dick.

[@daxisperry7644]

@@jedschuler6994 Oh shit, you're right, because I totally can read that guys mind. Didn't know I'd run into the KZbin comment moderator. My bad. Hope you feel superior now.

[@jedschuler6994]

@@daxisperry7644 you tried hard, don't feel bad.

[@rudolphsimmonds1382]

EXCELLENT TUTORIAL

[@semja]

You're humble and hilarious dude

[@LeeMaverick]

Thanks for that! Some great tips! :)

[@andrewhannigan931]

this is so important to southpaws in MMA fights as in order to get an orthodox fighter's lead leg you either go on the inside ( idk how effective that is) or use your lead leg.

[@hard2hurt]

Inside is good. It hurts.

[@andrewhannigan931]

Would a knee teep of the rear leg be a decent setup for the inside leg kick? Just a random idea I had.

[@hard2hurt]

@@andrewhannigan931 teep them once in it, then fake it maybe, set it down and then throw the inside leg kick.

[@torislituano]

The squat range increase happens with punches too? I think that as you lower your stance, you can reach further because of the trailing leg's position ( as you squat, you leg is not fully vertical and you have a range increase because of that)