Posted by: purplegoat
Roundhouse Kick Mechanics - 08/12/07 12:10 PM
I'm learning the Muay Thai style roundhouse kick in a MMA class. The way it was presented seems standard compared to everything I've seen on the web except I am taught to not take the initial step with my leading leg and I am being taught to keep my guard up at all times.
Looking at the mechanics of stepping vs. not stepping it seems that stepping with the leading leg may provide more momentum. But it may be a little less stable since during that split second of stepping, my weight would not be balanced. So not stepping leads to more stability with a less powerful kick.
The other aspect of keeping the hands in guard position at all times serve to protect the face and body from kick/strikes but some momentum for the kick is lost because the kicking side arm is not thrown down during the kick. So keeping the guard up leads to better defense but a less powerful kick.
This is taking place in a MMA class, not a Muay Thai class.
Has anyone ever seen the roundhouse kick executed in this fashion? Are my observations accurate or is this just bad form?
Looking at the mechanics of stepping vs. not stepping it seems that stepping with the leading leg may provide more momentum. But it may be a little less stable since during that split second of stepping, my weight would not be balanced. So not stepping leads to more stability with a less powerful kick.
The other aspect of keeping the hands in guard position at all times serve to protect the face and body from kick/strikes but some momentum for the kick is lost because the kicking side arm is not thrown down during the kick. So keeping the guard up leads to better defense but a less powerful kick.
This is taking place in a MMA class, not a Muay Thai class.
Has anyone ever seen the roundhouse kick executed in this fashion? Are my observations accurate or is this just bad form?