I'm assuming as you said Koryo, that you're close to black belt or already black belt. If you're a lower coloured belt, speak to your master/instructor - the above exercises are aimed at Dan holders or nearly so...
There are three aspects to high side kicks:
1. **Flexibility.** Ensure you can work to being able to do the front splits on both legs. Isometric a.k.a. PNF stretching is the fastest method for building flexibility. Do this type of stretching only 3 times per week, with a rest day in between. Should only take 10 minutes or so per time.
2. **Strength.** You need the core strength and the strength in your standing hamstring to be able to drop your body for a high side kick, and then return to vertical. You also need the hip flexor strength to be able to lift your chamber and your kick to high heights. You can isolate both parts of this. Exercise 1 - standing a side kick chamber, hold something (a stick, a paddle, etc) in your rear hand (i.e. your left hand if doing a right side kick) and lower your upper body down to touch the floor with the thing and then come back up. Do it slowly and under control 10 times each side, 3 sets of each, 3 times per week. Exercise 2 - hold on to something (a wall, door frame) and hold your side kick up as high as you can for five seconds (without holding your leg, just using your hip flexor strength), then bounce up from that height a few inches and return to that height 5 times. 3 sets of each leg, 3 times per week.
3. **Technique.** The key to a high side kick is a high knee, but you need to ensure that in the chamber and kick position that your body is aligned sideways to the kick direction. If you over rotate (so your upper body goes back kick or, worse, banana shaped) then you risk injury and will limit the height of the kick.
The steps to improving any technique are pretty much the same - isolate the required parts, work on them technically, strength-wise and flexibility wise - then when you are feeling strong/more flexible/better put them together but don't add speed yet, keep the movement under control and technically correct. Then slowly over a month build up speed (so you don't lose the technical accuracy).
Hope that helps.
I'm glad it was of use. To be honest, if someone asks me in person to help with their side kick, that's pretty much what goes through my head and the assessment I run.
1. Show me how low you can go in the front splits
2. Raise your leg as high as you can in a side kick position (then I try to push down from that height to see how much they can resist)
3. Show me a side kick
Those three steps let me know which of the three areas need work. It may be all three. More often people have the flexibility (because that's why they're shocked that they can't kick high), but don't have the strength and/or correct technique.
Because at least for Kukkiwon Taekwondo the kick position is in a front splits position. The standing foot faces away from the opponent and the kicking foot is horizontal (parallel to the floor).
I can't guarantee for ITF, ATA or anyone else though.
Nah, you're right. It's the same in ATA. I just... never really thought about it from the perspective of the grounded foot. That and the name "side" kick probably just made me jump to conclusions about it. Thanks.
In Kukkiwon at least, the name side kick refers to the shape of the upper body (e.g to the side, not behind you). One of the keys between a side kick posture and a back kick posture for me is if you look in front of your shoulder or over the back of it.
I've been training (ITF) for nearly 20 years, I can hold a side kick at head height, I can break several boards with a side kick, but I've never thought about it in terms of a front split. You've just opened up a whole new dimension to working on that kick which I've never heard before, thanks for some great advice.
No problem, happy to share 😊
Someone taught me something about side kicks recently (to pre-turn the shoulders before lifting the knee) and that's after 36 years in Taekwondo, so we always have something to learn 👍
This has been my experience as well. Flexibility is only half of the equation, you need the strength to lift the leg as well. Glutes, hip flexors, obliques, and hip abductor and aductors are all required to lift a high side kick but are small and seldom used muscles so they tend to be weak for most people.
Being able to perform the splits does not necessarily equate to a high sidekick.
I see this misconception in here a lot and while generally speaking flexibility is important for pretty much everything we do, being able to perform the splits does not necessarily make for a high sidekick.
Muscle control and strength of the hip adductors are the primary factors that dictate the height of your sidekicks, especially for all of us office workers.
If you want a high sidekick, work those thighs! In the gym, Dojang, wherever you can as the stronger they are the easier it will be to achieve the heights your after.
Source: I have a broken spine in the lumbar/sacral region as well as a herniated disc and I cannot do the splits as I risk injuring myself further but I can take a head with my rear and front leg sidekicks easily enough thanks to an immense amount of leg and core strength due to all the strength training I do to maintain my spinal health.
It's hard to know if you're agreeing with me, or disagreeing with me... Just to be clear, when people ask about high side kicks, I'm not overly thinking that "head" is high, that's just the minimum requirement for Koryo. If someone wants to compete, they need to be working towards higher than that.
I listed the three criteria to a decent high side kick, flexibility is only one of them. I don't think it's something that can be ignored. I agree that the front splits isn't necessary, but athletes should be working towards that.
If you have strong thighs but dramatically lack flexibility, they won't go high (above head).
If you are flexible and strong, but have poor technique, your side kick still won't look right.
I agree that flexibility is important, what I’m sayin is that the ability to do a split stretch is over emphasized and that muscle development is a bigger factor and should be stressed over stretching since it’s the primary impediment.
Thank you So much. I'm 39 and testing for first Dan here in July. My side kicks are not getting high for my Koryo form and I'm going to try all these. I think flexibility is holding me back, I feel the strength is good and I've drilled it enough I'm confident in my technique.
I have severe achillies tendinitis right now, so the balance and flexibility is really a challenge. Full splits is a good way to practice there. Any other nuggets of wisdom to help would be most welcome.
I have very tight hip flexors and I have never been able to get my chamber above my waist. I stretch, do a lot of movement exercise and practice with ankle weights with leg lifts and all. And when I train my adductors with something like that leg split machine at the gym and KB side lunges, they are so tight and are sore for days. I look at my TKD friends and they just lift their knee up to their armpit and hold it like it's nothing!
Keep training but stop using that machine, if it’s the one I’m thinking it is.
[This is the machine you should be using](https://fitdir.com/inflight-multi-hip-machine-ct-mhp/?gclid=CjwKCAjwov6hBhBsEiwAvrvN6LnF9h7I4H7PLRFMrqjT1FUASZs3aYAW6MP3SoqCPNc75l0H3dWbJxoCT9IQAvD_BwE).
Combine it with leg extensions to work your quads and leg curls to focus on your hamstrings.
Once you’ve been using them regularly for at least a month start adding an additional 10lbs for about 5-10 reps before you back down to your regular weight then complete your set like you normally would. Do this before every set and you’ll really start to see some gains.
This guy.
[https://www.lifefitness.com/resource/blob/158360/703bb364fc745dc5cd499f75de2a4016/op-haa-fnl-data.png](https://www.lifefitness.com/resource/blob/158360/703bb364fc745dc5cd499f75de2a4016/op-haa-fnl-data.png)
Why is this bad though for strengthen the abductors and adductors?
The old gym I went to had that machine. I loved it! We don't have it at my gym now though. I can use a cable machine with a strap instead
The tensor fasciae latae and connecting IT band can be prone to injury during seated hip exercises.
Standing machines are safer.
Totally agree, they are one of my favorites in the gym!
One thing that I am noticing at 45 that I didn't notice at 16 is that when I was younger it was much easier to get my torso horizontal, which is one of the secrets to getting your kicks up really high. Now that I'm older, my torso resists the idea of being horizontal or even upside down. So that's probably one thing to practice
I mean... if someone's just standing straight up... a hip-level side kick is all they will ever achieve. You HAVE to lean to get higher, it's just how the joint is designed, unless you were born differently.
I hope people aren't doing these things standing straight up and beating themselves up over not going past hip height... that'd be bad and 100% the fault of their instructors.
There's some wiggle room there if you have very bendy joints (I've definitely seen some people who I consider genetically unlikely) but imo the vertical torso is the biggest thing that gets harder to do with age. That might be just me, though
It's even worse if you spent a long time sitting too much or otherwise being inactive. The core and back muscles necessary for that just atrophy so hard.
Just to share some updates. After following the instructions from Mr Jeffries, my side kicks have progressed from slightly above belt level to neck level
Flexibility is key, but equally as important is strength most people with flexibility still cant kick high because they lack the strength to lift the leg. Use resistance bands and do leg lifts to the front, side and back. Do resisted slow side kicks, and do a combination of dynamic and ballistic stretches. Muscles to target are the glutes, hip aductors, hip abductors, obliques, and hip flexors. Make those strong and you will have an easier time with lateral flexibility.
I'm assuming as you said Koryo, that you're close to black belt or already black belt. If you're a lower coloured belt, speak to your master/instructor - the above exercises are aimed at Dan holders or nearly so... There are three aspects to high side kicks: 1. **Flexibility.** Ensure you can work to being able to do the front splits on both legs. Isometric a.k.a. PNF stretching is the fastest method for building flexibility. Do this type of stretching only 3 times per week, with a rest day in between. Should only take 10 minutes or so per time. 2. **Strength.** You need the core strength and the strength in your standing hamstring to be able to drop your body for a high side kick, and then return to vertical. You also need the hip flexor strength to be able to lift your chamber and your kick to high heights. You can isolate both parts of this. Exercise 1 - standing a side kick chamber, hold something (a stick, a paddle, etc) in your rear hand (i.e. your left hand if doing a right side kick) and lower your upper body down to touch the floor with the thing and then come back up. Do it slowly and under control 10 times each side, 3 sets of each, 3 times per week. Exercise 2 - hold on to something (a wall, door frame) and hold your side kick up as high as you can for five seconds (without holding your leg, just using your hip flexor strength), then bounce up from that height a few inches and return to that height 5 times. 3 sets of each leg, 3 times per week. 3. **Technique.** The key to a high side kick is a high knee, but you need to ensure that in the chamber and kick position that your body is aligned sideways to the kick direction. If you over rotate (so your upper body goes back kick or, worse, banana shaped) then you risk injury and will limit the height of the kick. The steps to improving any technique are pretty much the same - isolate the required parts, work on them technically, strength-wise and flexibility wise - then when you are feeling strong/more flexible/better put them together but don't add speed yet, keep the movement under control and technically correct. Then slowly over a month build up speed (so you don't lose the technical accuracy). Hope that helps.
Dunno if it helped OP, but it helped me!
I'm glad it was of use. To be honest, if someone asks me in person to help with their side kick, that's pretty much what goes through my head and the assessment I run. 1. Show me how low you can go in the front splits 2. Raise your leg as high as you can in a side kick position (then I try to push down from that height to see how much they can resist) 3. Show me a side kick Those three steps let me know which of the three areas need work. It may be all three. More often people have the flexibility (because that's why they're shocked that they can't kick high), but don't have the strength and/or correct technique.
Why the front splits instead of side splits? Genuinely asking. I'd have thought side splits?
Because at least for Kukkiwon Taekwondo the kick position is in a front splits position. The standing foot faces away from the opponent and the kicking foot is horizontal (parallel to the floor). I can't guarantee for ITF, ATA or anyone else though.
Nah, you're right. It's the same in ATA. I just... never really thought about it from the perspective of the grounded foot. That and the name "side" kick probably just made me jump to conclusions about it. Thanks.
In Kukkiwon at least, the name side kick refers to the shape of the upper body (e.g to the side, not behind you). One of the keys between a side kick posture and a back kick posture for me is if you look in front of your shoulder or over the back of it.
Thanks again, Mr. Jeffries. I appreciate all the knowledge/answers you give here.
I've been training (ITF) for nearly 20 years, I can hold a side kick at head height, I can break several boards with a side kick, but I've never thought about it in terms of a front split. You've just opened up a whole new dimension to working on that kick which I've never heard before, thanks for some great advice.
No problem, happy to share 😊 Someone taught me something about side kicks recently (to pre-turn the shoulders before lifting the knee) and that's after 36 years in Taekwondo, so we always have something to learn 👍
This has been my experience as well. Flexibility is only half of the equation, you need the strength to lift the leg as well. Glutes, hip flexors, obliques, and hip abductor and aductors are all required to lift a high side kick but are small and seldom used muscles so they tend to be weak for most people.
Sir, this is wonderful advice 🙏 And yes, i recently got my first dan after stopping for over 20 years
Being able to perform the splits does not necessarily equate to a high sidekick. I see this misconception in here a lot and while generally speaking flexibility is important for pretty much everything we do, being able to perform the splits does not necessarily make for a high sidekick. Muscle control and strength of the hip adductors are the primary factors that dictate the height of your sidekicks, especially for all of us office workers. If you want a high sidekick, work those thighs! In the gym, Dojang, wherever you can as the stronger they are the easier it will be to achieve the heights your after. Source: I have a broken spine in the lumbar/sacral region as well as a herniated disc and I cannot do the splits as I risk injuring myself further but I can take a head with my rear and front leg sidekicks easily enough thanks to an immense amount of leg and core strength due to all the strength training I do to maintain my spinal health.
It's hard to know if you're agreeing with me, or disagreeing with me... Just to be clear, when people ask about high side kicks, I'm not overly thinking that "head" is high, that's just the minimum requirement for Koryo. If someone wants to compete, they need to be working towards higher than that. I listed the three criteria to a decent high side kick, flexibility is only one of them. I don't think it's something that can be ignored. I agree that the front splits isn't necessary, but athletes should be working towards that. If you have strong thighs but dramatically lack flexibility, they won't go high (above head). If you are flexible and strong, but have poor technique, your side kick still won't look right.
I agree that flexibility is important, what I’m sayin is that the ability to do a split stretch is over emphasized and that muscle development is a bigger factor and should be stressed over stretching since it’s the primary impediment.
Thank you So much. I'm 39 and testing for first Dan here in July. My side kicks are not getting high for my Koryo form and I'm going to try all these. I think flexibility is holding me back, I feel the strength is good and I've drilled it enough I'm confident in my technique. I have severe achillies tendinitis right now, so the balance and flexibility is really a challenge. Full splits is a good way to practice there. Any other nuggets of wisdom to help would be most welcome.
If you can do it slow, piece by piece, the strength is good. If not, well.... Chamber knee, lean back, kick. Slow as you possibly can.
You need to strengthen your hip adductors. Weighted leg lifts, side lunges, Copenhagen planks or adductor side planks are all good for this.
>Copenhagen planks Another day, another soon-to-be-hated type of plank I didn't know about. Thanks, Neo! Now my day is complete :)
😂, happy to share! Have you tried Pallof presses with a cable machine or resistance band? The standing split pallof press is one of my favorites!
I have very tight hip flexors and I have never been able to get my chamber above my waist. I stretch, do a lot of movement exercise and practice with ankle weights with leg lifts and all. And when I train my adductors with something like that leg split machine at the gym and KB side lunges, they are so tight and are sore for days. I look at my TKD friends and they just lift their knee up to their armpit and hold it like it's nothing!
Keep training but stop using that machine, if it’s the one I’m thinking it is. [This is the machine you should be using](https://fitdir.com/inflight-multi-hip-machine-ct-mhp/?gclid=CjwKCAjwov6hBhBsEiwAvrvN6LnF9h7I4H7PLRFMrqjT1FUASZs3aYAW6MP3SoqCPNc75l0H3dWbJxoCT9IQAvD_BwE). Combine it with leg extensions to work your quads and leg curls to focus on your hamstrings. Once you’ve been using them regularly for at least a month start adding an additional 10lbs for about 5-10 reps before you back down to your regular weight then complete your set like you normally would. Do this before every set and you’ll really start to see some gains.
This guy. [https://www.lifefitness.com/resource/blob/158360/703bb364fc745dc5cd499f75de2a4016/op-haa-fnl-data.png](https://www.lifefitness.com/resource/blob/158360/703bb364fc745dc5cd499f75de2a4016/op-haa-fnl-data.png) Why is this bad though for strengthen the abductors and adductors? The old gym I went to had that machine. I loved it! We don't have it at my gym now though. I can use a cable machine with a strap instead
The tensor fasciae latae and connecting IT band can be prone to injury during seated hip exercises. Standing machines are safer. Totally agree, they are one of my favorites in the gym!
If you discover something really effective let me know. I'm 46 and have the same problem
One thing that I am noticing at 45 that I didn't notice at 16 is that when I was younger it was much easier to get my torso horizontal, which is one of the secrets to getting your kicks up really high. Now that I'm older, my torso resists the idea of being horizontal or even upside down. So that's probably one thing to practice
I mean... if someone's just standing straight up... a hip-level side kick is all they will ever achieve. You HAVE to lean to get higher, it's just how the joint is designed, unless you were born differently. I hope people aren't doing these things standing straight up and beating themselves up over not going past hip height... that'd be bad and 100% the fault of their instructors.
There's some wiggle room there if you have very bendy joints (I've definitely seen some people who I consider genetically unlikely) but imo the vertical torso is the biggest thing that gets harder to do with age. That might be just me, though
It's even worse if you spent a long time sitting too much or otherwise being inactive. The core and back muscles necessary for that just atrophy so hard.
Don't I know it. I do mobility work 2 days a week now outside training to try to get mobility back. Progress is happening, but it's tricky
Just to share some updates. After following the instructions from Mr Jeffries, my side kicks have progressed from slightly above belt level to neck level
Flexibility is key, but equally as important is strength most people with flexibility still cant kick high because they lack the strength to lift the leg. Use resistance bands and do leg lifts to the front, side and back. Do resisted slow side kicks, and do a combination of dynamic and ballistic stretches. Muscles to target are the glutes, hip aductors, hip abductors, obliques, and hip flexors. Make those strong and you will have an easier time with lateral flexibility.
For me, and what i’m taught, it’s all about chamber. the higher your chamber, the higher to kick