Martial Arts Kicks : How to Do a Front Kick

Hi everybody I'm John Graden from the Martial Arts Teacher's Association and johngraden.com. Let's learn how to throw the front kick. This is the most basic of all martial arts kicks but to really do it well takes lots and lots of practice. This is what I mean. It is done with the back leg and there is four parts to every kick. A forward chamber action, the kick the refold, that is where you prevent your leg from getting caught and then recovering. Joining me is my good friend, the chair. So from here we are going to throw this front kick in four parts. I am going to one, fold, chambering, notice that my foot is underneath my knee. I'm not doing this and pulling it up behind me. I want my weapon the foot, always moving towards the target so I'm going to pull that foot right into the knee. From here I'm going to extend the kick and strike with the front kick, the ball of the foot, then I am going to quickly recoil it. Try to take your heel and kick yourself in the rear end so you prevent your leg from being caught. Keep that knee up. In other words I'm not doing this, I'm bringing that knee up and then setting down to a good balance. All power from martial arts comes from that hip. It is called a hip drive or the hip thrust. So this time when I throw the kick I am not just going to kick with my leg, I'm going to thrust my legs and get some power behind it so here I am going to fold and without kicking you just thrust your hips out. One more time, thrust. Now let's thrust and kick, ready, thrust and kick, refold and down. Fold, thrust and kick, refold and down. When we are striking we are striking with the ball of the foot. If you look right down here by my foot, notice my foot is extended and I'm striking with the ball of the foot, straight in. Here is a good exercise to teach you how to do that. When you are sitting instead of watching TV or something, point your toes, pull your toes back. This is a front kick blade position. The rest of the foot is slightly turned in and then pull them all the way back. This is your side kick, round kick, back kick foot position. So point, toes back, foot back, point, toes back, foot back. That is your foot positioning technique. The foot positioning in martial arts is called the blade of the foot so what is my blade for a front kick, foot pointed and toes pulled all the way back. That's it. I'm John Graden and that's the front kick. Thanks.