Hi, I'm new to taekwando and I was wondering if anyone could give me tips on how to perform an ax kick? (Being able to bring your foot up vertically and bring it down with the heel) Is there any specific stretching methods I should take care of? Thanks in advance.

That's a good question. What does your instructor say on the subject?

err..well..maybe he didn't ask his instructor, if he didn't he probably wouldn't have created the thread...try doing leg raises, ie dynamic stretching..don't think u'll be able 2 accomplish this over night..

Ax kick is about pivoting the foot, bringing up the knee and then extending out the leg and "bringing" it down touching your foot controlled to the ground. This should be done as flat as foot as you can. Do your leg stretches, possible some lunges and then go through these motions slowly to understand the movement. Build up to it. You might as well train the right motion then pick up bad habits later where I see too many people just swing their leg up and then drop it down.

Front stretch kick/leg raise (same thing, different terms)

Also.. Crescent kicks seem to help out too.

The biggest key to an axe kick is extending the hips on the way down. This not only extends your reach, but also helps you to naturally accelerate the kick on the way down. An axe kick can be preformed from the outside in, the inside out, or straight up and straight down. I prefer the last one whenever possible, however this requires that you extend your hips considerably on the way down compared to bringing the leg up. I prefer this method because it limits the chances of a straight on counter-attack while you are executing the move because your leg will be in your opponents way.

Let me know if I have confused you, or if you have any other questions.

SaBum Nim

since when is an axe kick a "controlled" kick??...is that what ur saying dereck??..correct me plz if i'm wrong..but don't u go all out in an axe kick??..how can a true axe kick be controlled??(not tryin 2 deviate from the topic though)

Nope, there's plenty of control in an axe kick. Don't want to miss the mark do you?

I believe I understand what Derek is saying. Althought an axe kick is done with great force and acceleration, your foot should not be slamming off the ground or put you in an off-balance position. Instead you should finish on balance, with your kicking leg lightly touching the ground and most of your weight on your back leg. This will put you in the best position to execute your next technique.

SaBum Nim

yeah..i get where u are coming from, but Leo what does missin the mark has 2 do with control??...but don't worry...i get what u were tryin 2 say
but an ax kick..isn't controlled at all until that very last moment b4 your foot reaches the ground..

In addition to what others have said, don't lock your knee

I stand by what I said ... and thank you for all that understood me and explained further.

An ax kick is a controlled kick just like a punch is. An effective punch is thrown with control down the middle with force and is not over extended at the end so that you lock your elbow, and then it is retracted so that you can perform another punch or set up for something else. Of course you can throw a wild punch and get lucky and you can throw a wild ax kick and get lucky ... but I'm not going to rely on luck.

When using an ax kick you have a target and you strike with control and end in control so that you can re-adjust and attack again or defend. You throw a wild ax kick you can get lucky but again you can't rely on luck and why set yourself up for your opponent to tee you up? All kicks or punches should be done with control. Control is more effective and less likely chances of getting yourself injured by either your opponent or hyper extending a joint.

The force you are using to hit your target is also controlled so that you go through the target and once through the target you reduce that force so that you touch down on the ground instead of slamming the force to the ground. Injuries to yourself can happen and you will be off balance because all of your weight will be on the front foot.

I hope that this better explains what I was saying.

yup...i do understand what u said..didn't i say so? if i didn't, sorry, but i do understand..BUT thanks again for the further clarification dereck

wow....ok thanx for the tips everyone

I love the axe kick. It has created so many opportunities for a shot to the head when I fight. Knock the hand out of the way, and then you have a 100% open head shot. I love it.

There is one drawback though. You can be fast when doing it, but if the guy you are fighting has a really strong upperbody and can see it coming, that is a big no-no. Then again, in a real fight, I seriously doubt that I'd use an axe kick.

I've been told, have yet to try, but if somebody extra steps before doing a roundhouse then this is a perfect time to do the ax kick. As soon as they take their first step then thunder them. This is why extra stepping is bad. Your opponent can read you and it takes you one extra step to perform your move. DON'T EXTRA STEP.

I found for me that the best way to do a good axe kick is to be really warmed up. Do about 50 jumping jacks, 100 squats, and jog for 10 mins. Then go into the side split(american split) position and hold it for at least one minute on each side.

sounds plausable, but its all about yours, and their, speed.
imho i don't really like axe kicks, too slow, to easy to miss and they leave you to vunerable. if i'm going to raise a strait-leg that high i'd rather use a outside cresent kick or one of those cresent kicks with the small arc-distance (from shoulder to shoulder across the face) can't remember the name of them though. other than that you can't beat a good front/push kick to the gut/knee, or a side or roundhouse kick - more likely still i'll use fists.

I haven't read through the rest of this thread, so it might have been covered:
When I first started TKD, I was doing static stretching to get my kicks better -- mainly putting my leg ontop of kicking bag/wavemaster, and stretching to the forward and side, as well as the ones where you sit down, spread your legs, and put your chest on the ground.
Recently though, I've changed my stretching to a completely dynamic routine -- All I do for stretching for kicks (lets say the ax), are first joint/hip rotations, followed by leg raises, which progress into an axe kick.
Read up on the science of stretching.

with good training an axe kick can be quick. its a kick that u usually should use after u have executed another technique... otherwise it can be easy to read...

I agree and disagree on that.
An neryo-chagi is a very fast kick and it is also a good kick for attacking, not only in defence.

samples
http://www.sascha-hofmann.com/videos/German%20Open%2004%20gg.%20Turkei.wmv
or
http://www.sascha-hofmann.com/videos/La%20Sila%20Open%2004.wmv

Sushi,
it looks quite simple and fast! I would be afraid of a counter-attack to my head. while one leg is in the air you are not stabilized at all. I think it is too dangerous to use in a fight.