Spinning Kicks Video

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading.

I've just finished putting together a quick video of my Spinning Hook kick (and variations) and some Turning into 360 turning kicks. I'm still slowly getting back into kicking, still taking it pretty easy now no heavy bag work just yet, all of these are more technical and just on hand targets.

Main things I notice are that I'm not getting much height in my jumping kicks (especially in my jump spinning hook kick, I used to have no issue getting that to head height) and that my knee drops after hitting the target.

My splits training is coming along, did both the sessions in that I planned this week (2 strengthening and isometric workouts).

Anyway, here is the video.

Change to leg training routine

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. I've changed my leg strengthening routine for a few reasons.

1. Variety is good, you need to pose different stimulus to your muscles to keep challenging them and thus keep getting stronger. I usually find altering my program every 4-6 weeks is a good mix of enough time to allow progression of resistance on an exercise, and you don't get bored doing the same exercises again and again for years on end.

2.Plus I evaluated what muscles I needed to strengthen, in what ranges of motion and decided Squats and Deadlifts while awesome exercises, probably weren't the optimal choices for me at this stage. I've changed Squats to Weighted Lunges and Dead-lifts to Stiff Legged dead-lifts. So still trying to keep basic compound resistance exercises and one Quad dominant(lunge)  and one Hip dominant (Stiff leg deadlift) movement.

The rationale for shifting squats to lunges was I wanted to do an exercise that also helped strengthen my hip flexors, while also strengthening my quads. I also find my stabilizers get a much better workout with lunges than squats. As I am more interested in functional strength and not just building bigger quads, I think I will get better results at this time with lunges....at least until my hip flexor is strengthened and back to 100%.

I switched Deadlifts to the Stiff Legged version because in a  mechanical sense it is placing demands that are closer to kicking than regular deadlifts. In kicking, your supporting leg is usually straight (or very close to it) and your hamstring is activated as a stabilizer in that position.

The rest of the workout will remain the same:

1. Incline weighted leg raises (I plan to progress to hanging soon)
2. An isolated hip flexor raise of the end of a bench that I got from the following youtube video. (I thought I had posted this before.....)



3. Calf Raises
4. Hamstring Pulldowns
5. Adductor Pulldowns
6. I've also added weighted slow turning kicks like from this video


Slow Kicks Help video from TKD_Andy on Vimeo.

Not sure who TKD_Andy is, I think he used to post on the old trickstutorial before the forum was discontinued, but thanks for the video. So I'm doing similar just with adjustable ankle weights on the kicking leg.

Then isometric stretches after that.

Fun Fun

Kicking BOB

Hi guys,

Thanks for reading. Here is the video of me doing some basic kicks on BOB. Focusing more on speed accuracy and technique rather than power. My kicking height is ok, I do seem to drop my knee after hitting especially on my turning kicks, will need to work on that.

While it was my right hip that was playing up actually kicking with the right leg feels better than when it is the supporting leg.

Finally photos

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. I took some photos today during my workout of my splits progression (...or lack of it ) . They show I'm pretty much back to where I started before my injury.

Left Side open front.

Right side open front.

Side.

While I'm not happy about it, at least its documented and I can compare it in a few months when hopefully I'll have made some good progress.

I also did a quick video today of some light kicking on B.O.B just to see analyze how my kicks are after laying off them for a bit. I'll finish editing and post it in a few days.

Damn! Couldnt take photos

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading. I've been doing my strengthening work and my isometric stretches on schedule and it is going well. I really wanted to take some photos of my stretches after today's workout but the Gym was pretty busy. People there must already think I'm nuts doing the strange cable pull-downs that I do, hogging the lat pull-down machine and a couple of benches so I can do them. I don't need them thinking I'm some kind of Narcissist on top of that. Balanced precariously in my maximal stretch trying to take photos of myself in the mirror with my iPhone, I really don't want to know what they are thinking.

I do find it funny though, whenever I'm doing any martial arts related training in a non-martial arts gym. I usually do a few kicks in the mirror maybe some light shadow boxing as part of a warm up and to check technique etc. Almost EVERY-TIME without fail, some guy will then have to go into the room with the boxing equipment and smash the crap out of the bag with terrible form for 30 seconds...and then go back to his weights session, and not doing anything boxing or martial arts related for the rest of his workout. Do they have to prove they have done "some training"? It just makes me laugh inside that they have to prove something...

Anyway I'm determined to get photos done this week, I'll put them up as soon as I can.

Starting isometrics again....finally

Hi guys,

Thanks for reading.

I'm pretty happy to be back to working on my splits again, did my first isometric/PNF stretches for a long time last night. As they were my first in months I went pretty easy and only did 2 sets for each.

I didn't really push them too hard, I didn't know if my hip was ready for them or not but it seemed to hold up ok, I will keep them relatively light for another week or 2 just to be sure but it's nice to be actively working towards my goal again.

I haven't seemed to have lost much in my front splits, I could have gone lower but again I didn't want to go too hard on my first time back.

Side split was not great but considering it was my hip rotators that were injured it's not surprising.

I'll try and get some new photos up soon.

I got to do some kicking on Saturday at my jujitsu class. Did various combos including a turning(or roundhouse) into a 360 turning and I didn't have any problems which was great. Again nice to see I haven't lost too much in my recovery period.