Shadow kicking and the pain of it..

Posted by: nospoon_TKD

Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/13/06 04:41 AM

Hello MA's

I'm practising TKD for about 1 year now (a little more)
When I'm practising on a heave bag or just spar I don't feel hip pain.
But when I'm doing a side kick to the head or upper torso, most of the time I feel pain in my hips when I only hit air.

Can anyone explain this to my or knows a way to exercise without having this pain?

Please don't say, "don't shadow kick", this is the last option I wan't to consider.

Thanks a ton in advance.
Posted by: Taison

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/13/06 05:52 AM

I've been shadow kicking at home for like 2 months.

I'm all MT, but recently I've been exploring into Shotokan/TKD/Kyokushin kicking techniques. The pain is there as well, but I don't mind. I kinda like it. . It goes over the next morning.

Now the question is, what's happening and why is it happening? I feel it's hurting inside the thighs.

-Taison out
Posted by: nospoon_TKD

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/13/06 06:26 AM

Quote:

I've been shadow kicking at home for like 2 months.
The pain is there as well, but I don't mind. I kinda like it. . It goes over the next morning.

Now the question is, what's happening and why is it happening? I feel it's hurting inside the thighs.

-Taison out



hehe.. it's not the muscule pain I do like! It's a pain wich isn't normal muscule pain, but it feels more like a hip problem.

I visited a doctor some time ago and they made xray's. There wasn't anything to see at those pictures

Maybe I need to stretch even more.. I don't know.
Posted by: trevek

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/13/06 07:46 AM

Are your feet in the right position?

I had a training partner who complained about a pain when he kicked and by turning his foot a little to the side it went away.

Just a suggestion.
Posted by: zapper

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/13/06 10:10 AM

if you are going to kick high with a side kick and arent super flexible, your gonna have to twist your hips a bit rather than keeping it in the same line as the side kick...thats how im taught,.
Posted by: nospoon_TKD

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/13/06 11:46 AM

I have the idea itīs because I donīt hit something.

Maybe to much force on the joints wich won't be adapted by a punch bag?
Posted by: Supremor

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/13/06 12:14 PM

Quote:

Are your feet in the right position?

I had a training partner who complained about a pain when he kicked and by turning his foot a little to the side it went away.

Just a suggestion.



I think that's the most likely problem. Other than that, try not to lock your leg out and make sure you have correct body alignment. Your body should be in a straight line behind the kick, don't kick at an angle. Otherwise, demonstrate the technique in front of your instructor, and see if he can give you pointers on what's going wrong.
Posted by: Chen Zen

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/13/06 12:56 PM

Try not to put so much power in it. Everyone wants to train power constantly.Power is all well and good but it isnt always neccessary over form when training. Whats happenening to you is that you are over extending the leg muscles and tendons. Since the impact of the bag or opponent isnt there to stop the foot then the leg keeps going. remember physics class? An object in motion tends to stay in motion.... so practice a little slower with just a little less power.
Posted by: nospoon_TKD

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/16/06 02:25 AM

I will indeed demostrate my kick to my Sabum, and without much force

Thank you'll for your replies
Posted by: DaDoN_1

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/21/06 09:42 AM

well...i used 2 have that as well..but i was told it was from poor technique, i got some advice on how 2 change that, if u are kicking with ur right leg...try 2 get ur right shoulder 2 be in line with ur leg on the ground...that's the best ican explain it...but if u do it correctly..it works wonders on speed and power without the pain
hope that helps u man
Posted by: MikeMartial

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 01/21/06 12:46 PM

Quote:


But when I'm doing a side kick to the head or upper torso, most of the time I feel pain in my hips when I only hit air.

Can anyone explain this to my or knows a way to exercise without having this pain?

Please don't say, "don't shadow kick", this is the last option I wan't to consider.

Thanks a ton in advance.



One of the issues with shadow sparring is the transmission of energy. If you throw a roundhouse kick into a heavy bag, the bag absorbs that force.

If you throw a kick into thin air, your leg has to absorb the force it generated to stop it. This translates into stress on your muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, and bone.

Is it really an issue, though?

For some people, no. After a hard class of TKD (in which we do a large amount of shadow sparring) I will be sore the next day, but nothing major, and certainly nothing acutely at the time.

For many others, though, it ends their martial arts career, if you will, eventually. I think genetically, some people can handle the stress better--this may be a bio-mechanics factor, or nuances in technique. Over the course of many years, this "wear n tear" may have a compounding effect.

For this reason and others, I am moving away from traditional martial arts that emphasis shadow sparring, and into martial arts that emphasis bag and pad work.

But I'm totally digressing. Chances are, your hip flexors are a bit strained at the moment; throwing high kicks and stopping them is putting too much stress on them.
Posted by: Joe7987

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 02/10/06 10:26 PM

Are you making sure you stop the side kick.. or are you just throwing it out there and letting it stop itself? With a heavy bag, the bag stops it.. In air.. you are responsible for stopping it. If not, you will end up hurting yourself. So make sure you stop the kick. Don't overextend it and let it pull you. That may or may not be the case in your predicament, but it's worth a try.
Posted by: TeK9

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 02/10/06 10:37 PM

I didn't konw you could hyperextend your leg while practicing side kicks with nothing but air. I was under the impression that if you stretch properly could execute completely without pulling back.

I think your his hip problem is more of a sprain or tear than it is the way he practiced the technique, perhaps he needs to stretch more. When I execute my side kicks I follow through completely that help build the thigh muscles. Usually this puts pressure on the hammstring but if you stretch properly there should be no worries.
Posted by: dicen

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 02/11/06 04:23 AM

When shadow sparring you are not supposed to go full power, theres nothing to transfer the engery your kick is generating. If you constanlty kick full power in the air your body is going to feel it, its like the ball tied to a rubber band connected to a paddle. If you hit the ball hard enough the rubber band will snap. Also the pain in your hips could just be you'er not loosening them up enough. I have that problems sometimes I usually do hip rotations before, during, and after I practice to make sure they stay loose.
Posted by: vivek

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 02/11/06 01:06 PM

Can anyone can tell me how to practise shadow boxing and shadow kicking.Please tell me i searched almost every where but i got something about shadow boxing but not shadow boxing.
"PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO PRACTISE SHADOW BOXINF AND SHADOW KICKING".Thnx.
Posted by: TimBlack

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 02/11/06 05:44 PM

Once a guy in my class accidently killed his shadow with a sidekick... broke it's ribs when it wasn't looking. My master (lethal haddock fame) said that this only happened to people who didn't quite understand what shadow boxing was...

Seriously though, unless you're trying to kill your shadow (we've all been there) then you can't 'practice' shadow boxing... it's a method of practice itself. Shadow boxing/kicking is about practicing your techniques, and moving a bit. You can make up drills to help focus things, but you can't 'learn' to shadow box/kick.
Posted by: funstick5000

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 02/11/06 09:02 PM

Quote:

Can anyone can tell me how to practise shadow boxing and shadow kicking.Please tell me i searched almost every where but i got something about shadow boxing but not shadow boxing.
"PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO PRACTISE SHADOW BOXINF AND SHADOW KICKING".Thnx.



all shadow boxing/kciking is is just practising combinations and moves on your own. you don't hit a bag just air - thats why they say your boxing your shadow. its there so you can practise combinations and build stamina.

you can also practise in front of a mirror so you see that you aren't telegraphing your movements, i.e. doing something that gives away what attack your about to do - such as hunching your shoulders before you punch etc.
Posted by: TeK9

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 02/12/06 09:29 AM

Tim please...Dont lie to the boy, how is he ever going to learn. Shadow Boxing is an ancient technique practiced by special japanese ninjas, however, the koreans were so envious of their japanese oppressors that they created an elite group of korean TKD ninjas who mastered the art of shadow kicking sparring. These special TKD ninjas went around japan, china, okinawa and france kicking people in the A$$.

Posted by: vivek

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 02/12/06 10:28 AM

Can i practise seeing mirror.
I thought that when you practice kicking types seeing your image in mirror"Then it is shadow kicking".
And when i use various punching styles seeing my image in mirror"Then it is shadow boxing".

ARE THEY RIGHT.
Posted by: TeK9

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 02/12/06 04:19 PM

Yes, shadow sparring can be practiced with or without a mirror.

-TeK
Posted by: Joe7987

Re: Shadow kicking and the pain of it.. - 02/12/06 07:05 PM

sorry, hyperextend was the wrong word.

What I mean is that... if you don't stop the kick at the end, you could end up feeling like you're pulling your leg out of your hip. I know I did this a few times when I first learned the side kick.. and quickly realized that it didnt feel good and probably wasnt right.