Roundhouse Kick Variations

The roundhouse kick belongs the repertoire for copious martial arts varieties and comes in a number of forms. This piece is concerned with adding power to this kick when doing it from the back leg of a basic fighting position.

In essential terms the roundhouse kick travels from the back leg position outside the body line to the objective taking a circular route. This direction is true for the roundhouse in all variants of the kick at least to some degree. It can be thrown at the head, body or legs.

Different varieties of the roundhouse kick

In Karate and TKD the roundhouse kick usually tends to be more ‘snappy’ with just the foot taking an indirect route rather than the thigh, shin and foot doing so, as in Kickboxing or Muay Thai Boxing. In the Karate and TKD version of the roundhouse kick, the standing foot remains pointing forward until the knee of the kicking leg travels right to the front when it turns sharply with the hip turning to. The kicking leg rotates and the lower leg snaps forward into the target. This kick is fast!

In Muay Thai, your standing kick is turned out before the kick is slung. This movement opens up the waist and allows the hip to be slung forward as the kicking leg begins to move. As the leg follows the standing foot turns out sharply again as the leg contacts the target, transmitting momentum into the target. This version realizes devastating power.

The opening up of the waist stretches and loads the musculature adding weight to the thrown hip, which gathers momentum which is moved to the leg and finally the target. The kick has a whipping action and is very powerful. In comparison the Karate version is quick and has much lower production before execution, i.e. . Unfortunately, this is at the cost of effectiveness.

These varied performances have developed as a result of the competitions of the various Martial Arts. Karate and TKD competitions are all about point scoring for clean kicks delivered to the opponent; speed is the key component in realizing points and winning. For Kickboxing and Muay Thai, speed is still very important however, in the ring the idea is to cause damage to the opponent, this is not achieved through a snap kick. You must be able to deliver effective kicks to the challenger, tossing the hip as described achieves this.

Conclusion

To get more force into the roundhouse kick it is essential to open the midriff, as per the Kickboxing release of the kick. This type of kick will be useful if you are attacked while the snap version will be less so. If you want to polish a more effective roundhouse kick you need to tinker with it and adopt the Muay Thai version!

The key is to utilize the POWER from the Kickboxing roundhouse to your regular technique.Epics Karate lessons for kids, train this and much more in our regular Martial Arts classes and a toned down version at the Karate classes for kids.

Roundhouse Kick Variations

The roundhouse kick is performed in a quantity of ways through the many different Martial Arts varieties. This composition is concerned with adding power to this kick when performing it from the back leg of a basic fighting position.

In basic terms the roundhouse kick travels from the back leg position outside the body line to the target taking a circular course. This direction is true for the roundhouse in all varieties of the kick at least to some degree. This kick may target the head, body or legs.

Differing versions of the roundhouse kick

In Karate and TKD the roundhouse kick tends to be more ‘snappy’ with just the foot taking an indirect route rather than the thigh, shin and foot doing so, as in Kickboxing or Muay Thai Boxing. In the Karate and TKD version of the roundhouse kick, the standing foot keeps pointing forward until the knee of the kicking leg travels right to the front when it turns sharply with the hip turning to. This causes the kicking leg to turnover 90 degrees to the ground and the lower leg or foot is ‘snapped’ into the target. This kick is speedy!

In Muay Thai, your standing kick is turned out before the kick is thrust. This action opens up the waist and allows the hip to be thrown forward as the kicking leg begins to move. As the leg follows the standing foot turns out sharply again as the leg strikes the object, shifting momentum into the target. This version perfects damaging power.

The opening of the midriff stretches and loads the musculature adding power to the thrown hip, which gathers momentum which is transferred to the leg and finally the target. The kick has a whipping action and is very powerful. In contrast the Karate version is quick and has much lower production before execution, i.e. it is much more troublesome to see. Unfortunately, this is at the cost of effectiveness.

These varied performances have developed as a result of the competitions of the various Martial Arts. Karate and TKD competitions are all about point scoring for clean kicks delivered to the opponent; winning is dependent on speed to score cleanly. For Kickboxing and Muay Thai, speed is still very important however, in the ring the idea is to cause damage to the adversary, this is not achieved through a snap kick. It is essential to create power and to deliver it to the target, tossing the hip as expressed achieves this.

Conclusion

To get more force into the roundhouse kick it is crucial to open the midriff, as per the Kickboxing version of the kick. This version is way more useful in a fight than the snappy kick. If you want to get more power in your roundhouse kick adapt it to be like the Kickboxing variation!

The key is to practice the FORCE from the Kickboxing roundhouse to your regular technique.Epics Karate classes for kids, train this and much more in our regular Martial Arts classes and a toned down version at the Karate classes for kids.

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