Article of the Month

The guy that you're sparring looks very intimidating, but you're confident in your abilities. You move from side to side, circling your opponent and waiting for an opening. Suddenly, you spot an opportunity, cock your leg and unleash a soaring roundhouse kick. You connect with all your might, flush on the temple! To your dismay, your opponent doesn't even move…

Virtually every martial artist can benefit from increasing the power in his or her kicks. While form and technique are obviously of paramount importance, you still need the force to back it up. Fortunately, any aspiring trainee can greatly heighten their kicking power, provided they adhere to a regimented exercise routine specifically designed to accomplish this objective.

While more and more martial artists are realizing the benefits of weight training, too often they adopt a bodybuilding-oriented routine. This approach, however, will produce less-than-optimal results. Bodybuilders train to look good in posing tights-not to throw a spinning crescent kick. Having a great physique will be of little utility when you are involved in a high-level sparring match. Rarely will someone concede a match simply because you look like Mr. Olympia-you've got to be able to back it up with athletic ability.

In order to increase your kicking power and improve your martial arts skills, you need to apply the principle of specificity to your training. This principle states that, in order to improve performance for a specific sport, you must train in a style consistent with that sport. For instance, if you want to be a marathon runner, you will achieve better results by running long distances than by cycling or stair climbing. Accordingly, in order to generate more power in your kicks, you will need to incorporate specific exercises and techniques that approximate kicking activities.

Training for martial arts requires a great deal more than simply bulking up. Any type of punch or kick will involve the recruitment of your entire neuromuscular system. Every muscle in your body is connected to nerves, which are controlled by impulses sent from your brain. When you want to release a powerful kick, your brain first has to send an impulse to the muscles in your leg before that kick can be thrown. Thus, you must develop the mind-to-muscle motor skills necessary to allow your body to respond with instantaneous force every time you throw a kick. The best way to accomplish this task is to choose exercises that simulate the various types of kicks in your arsenal. The following movements will achieve this objective, working synergistically with one another to improve all facets of your kicking repertoire.

Squats:Squats are the ultimate leg exercise, targeting virtually every muscle in your upper thigh. No power routine would be complete without the inclusion of this exercise. They will help to improve the forcefulness of all your kicks, as well as providing a muscular foundation for your lower body.

To perform the movement (you can use either a barbell or a machine-there really is no difference in overall benefit), you should begin with the bar resting high on the back of your neck. Stand with your feet placed approximately shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed slightly outward, grasping the bar at roughly shoulder width to balance it into position. Slowly lower your body until your thighs are roughly horizontal with the ground and your knees extend over your toes. Your lower back should be slightly arched and your heels should stay in contact with the floor at all times. When you reach a "seated" position, quickly reverse direction by straightening your legs. At the top of the movement, make sure to stop just short of locking out your knees, as this will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise and increase the potential for injury.

Leg Extensions:Leg extensions primarily work the muscles surrounding your knee. Therefore, they are particularly effective in improving kicks thrown with a bent knee, such as front and side kicks. They also better your ability to push off and pivot on your kicks, aiding in the force that you can produce.

While bodybuilders most often perform this exercise using both legs to lift the weight, it is best for the martial artist to execute the movement one leg at a time (unilaterally). In this way, you will be able to concentrate on each leg separately, allowing for better muscular isolation. Moreover, unilateral performance will ensure that your stronger leg does not assist the weaker leg in lifting the weight, providing complete, symmetrical development of your musculature.

To perform the movement, you should begin in a seated position, with your legs hanging vertically at a 90-degree angle and your right shin pressed up against the pad. Next, lift the weight by using the force in your right leg to raise the pad forward and up, finishing just before your knee is in a fully locked position. When you reach the contracted position, slowly return the weight, making sure to stop just before the tension on the machine is released. After you have achieved the desired number of repetitions, repeat this process with your left leg.

Cable Adductor Pulls:This exercise works muscles of the inner thigh. It is especially beneficial for improving your crescent kick, which requires strong inner thigh development for maximal power.

To perform this movement, you should begin by attaching an ankle cuff to a low cable pulley and fasten the cuff to your right ankle. Your right side should face the pulley and you should grasp onto a sturdy portion of the machine to restrain your upper body. Allow your right leg to pull away from the midline of your body as far toward the weight stack as possible. At this point, immediately reverse direction and pull your right leg toward and then across the midline as far as you can. When you finish the desired number of repetitions, repeat the process on your left side.

Jump Squats:Jump squats work all of the upper thigh muscles, as well as recruiting the motor skills necessary to elevate your body. This exercise is specifically useful in the performance of flying and jumping kicks-the impressive show kicks that are staples in virtually every martial arts movie. Moreover, they help to generate a significant aerobic effect, which will help to enhance kicking endurance.

To perform this movement, you should begin with your torso in an upright position. Slowly allow your body to sink down until your thighs are roughly horizontal with the ground and your knees extend over your toes. When you reach a seated position, immediately reverse direction, accelerating your momentum upward and springing into the air as high as possible. Slightly bend your legs on the descent to cushion your landing and help to absorb any shock to your knees. If you can perform fifteen repetitions without a struggle, consider adding ankle weights to increase resistance.

While choosing the proper exercises is obviously crucial to achieving results, equally important is the way in which these movements are performed. Since the objective of this routine is to improve your kicking force, each exercise should be executed in a fashion conducive to maximizing the power in your legs. Power is a combination of speed and strength, and is directly influenced by the force that you generate in your training. It is harnessed by employing "speed reps", with the goal of producing a high velocity release. Thus, you should perform each lift explosively, executing your repetitions in a forceful, rapid manner.

To help visualize this process, think of each repetition as a kick. You wouldn't throw a kick in a slow, deliberate fashion-your opponent would see it coming from a mile away. Rather, you would snap it with force and power, not allowing your rival time to react. Accordingly, you should focus on driving through each repetition, just as you would try to drive your kicks through a target. In this way, you will maximize the force of movement, developing the explosiveness necessary to increase the power in your legs.

As a rule, explosive lifting techniques only should be utilized in the concentric (positive) portion of an exercise. This is the segment of a lift where a weight is being moved against gravity, producing a contraction in your target muscle. Maximum speed should be generated at the beginning of a repetition, making sure that you remain under control of the weight at all times.

The eccentric (negative) portion of the rep should be much slower than the positive. You need to resist the weight on negative repetitions, forcing your body to work against the pull of gravity. Not only does this reduce the risk of injury, but it also provides additional gains in strength. In general, it should take you about three times as long to lower the weight as it does to raise it.

For best results, you should employ a low repetition scheme (between six to eight repetitions for each exercise), choosing a weight that makes you struggle to complete the last few reps of a set. Low repetitions will target your fast-twitch, strength-related muscle fibers, producing a physique that is geared for power. Moreover, by pushing your muscles to the point of momentary muscular failure, you will maximize the stress to your neuromuscular system, forcing it to adapt by becoming stronger.

Three sets should be performed for each exercise, resting only about a minute between sets. This will allow enough rest to permit adequate recuperation of your working muscles, while keeping your heart rate elevated throughout the workout. By training in this fashion, you will simultaneously improve strength and power, as well as increasing your aerobic conditioning.

You need only perform this workout one time per week and it should take no more than thirty minutes to complete. If you are diligent in your efforts, this routine is guaranteed to improve your kicking power. Your kicks will literally explode off the ground, progressively building momentum as they crash into your chosen target. Before long, your sparring opponent will not be able to stand his ground when you unleash a soaring roundhouse! The force will be with you.

Archive of Articles