As the quality of the competition and techniques seen in continues to improve, the push kick is emerging as one of the most potent weapons used by today’s martial arts athletes. “It works for anyone,” says, coach of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team and head coach of the 1991 Pan-American Games team. “If timed properly, the push kick can be a devastating maneuver. It allows a competitor to get maximum power from his kick, enabling him to use his leg reach and strength to his maximum ability. Competitors are discovering this more and more.” As a result, Park says, practitioners are developing innovative ways to employ this powerful technique. Ideally, the push kick will make contact with the heel, but the ball of the foot also works, the author says.

• Martial Arts Taekwondo

“The push kick combines thrust with snap,” Yeon Hwan Park says. “If done at the right time, you can combine the force of your opponent’s attack with a great deal of your own body’s power.” That results in a powerful kick, but it must be refined through practice. To throw a push kick, lift the knee of your rear leg to your chest. Slide your supporting leg forward as you do, then shoot out your kicking leg in a piston-like fashion. Try to land your foot directly on your opponent’s chest or face.

Taekwondo or Tae Kwon Do (Korean 태권도/跆拳道 tʰɛ.k͈wʌn.do , English pronunciation / ˌ t aɪ k w ɒ n ˈ d oʊ /, or / ˌ t aɪ ˈ k w ɒ n d oʊ /) is a Korean martial art, characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques.

Ideally, you should strike with your heel, but if distance doesn’t permit, the ball of your foot can suffice. The modern classic “Taekwondo: Advanced Sparring Techniques, Volume 1″ by Herb Perez is still available as a DVD. Park suggests several drills to develop your technique and timing. One involves squaring off with an opponent in closed cover (chests facing opposite directions).

As he attempts an, you aim for his solar plexus with your push kick. If timed right, your kick will land him on his back.

“If you wait until his ax kick is at its highest point, it’s too late to start a counterstrike,” Yeon Hwan Park says. “As he begins his motion, you must begin yours. Don’t wait, especially in a situation like this when your face is exposed.” He recommends another drill to illustrate how a push kick can repel an attempted back kick. “Once your opponent turns his back, thrust a push kick into the area just above his waist,” he says. If done properly, the push kick will stop the back kick before he can complete the required turning motion. Park advises students to follow up with a roundhouse kick. In repelling a back kick, a push kick works especially well when done off the front leg, Yeon Hwan Park says.

“You don’t need to thrust it in with any great amount of. If you keep your leg and foot straight, you can practically lift your foot up and just place it on his waist as he turns into the kick.

Since he’s moving into your leg, there will be sufficient force without your having to do much except stay ready to follow up.” Again, Park emphasizes that you must time the kick so it’s unleashed concurrently with the attacker’s kick. “If you start your kick when he starts his, your foot should be in position to cut off the back kick, then follow up,” he says.

“If you’re late with the push kick, you’re going to run into a back kick, which is probably the most powerful technique in taekwondo. Your kick should land at or just above his hip. Once you’ve stopped his momentum, he’s a sitting duck.” Like the Korean martial arts? You should own a copy of “Hwa Rang Do: Defend, Take Down, Submit” by Taejoon Lee and Mark Cheng. For the next drill, square off with your partner in open cover (chests facing the same direction). As he unleashes a rear-leg roundhouse, skip in with a forward-leg cut kick, a variation of the push kick that applies basically the same principles but in a sideways motion.

Make sure your kicking leg moves first and your supporting leg slides forward immediately afterward. When he throws the, there comes a point when he’s full-bodied. It lasts only a moment — until he turns his back into the kick more fully and incorporates his upper-body power. That, Park says, is precisely what the push kick or cut kick can help you exploit. “If you cut off his roundhouse with a kick as powerful as a push kick, your opponent is likely to be off-balance,” he says. “As he moves backward from the impact, perpetuate his motion by throwing an immediate back kick off your other leg.” The key to making the push kick effective lies in raising the knee and driving the foot forward using a piston-like motion, the author says. Yeon Hwan Park claims the push kick can wreak havoc on a poor puncher.

To illustrate, face your partner in closed cover with your right side back. As he lunges forward and changes sides to effect a lunge punch, thrust out a push kick. Distancing and timing are essential in this drill.

To practice the crucial timing aspect of the push kick, Park suggests squaring off with a partner in closed cover. He throws a back hook kick, which you avoid by sliding backward but remaining within kicking range. Once his leg touches the ground — most people land after spinning 270 degrees, thus partly exposing their upper body — let loose with a rear-leg push kick. Your task becomes easier because his momentum moves him backward.

Since you change sides during a push kick, be sure to change your guard, as well. Otherwise, your head could be exposed to attack. To practice an offensive push kick, face your opponent in open cover. Take one quick step forward and change sides, and as he retreats, he changes sides, as well. Once he moves back, thrust in your rear-leg push kick. This drill will help you get a sense of the kick’s forward motion and a better understanding of timing and distance.

When you practice your push kick, don’t forget the footwork. If you can kick well but are unable to get within reach of your opponent, Park says, your kicks have only aesthetic value. Learning how to step to facilitate your kicks takes time, and learning to combine stepping and kicking can take longer. For this reason, Park advises students to step with their kicks immediately after they develop an understanding of the basics of both skills. “Try to step faster than your opponent,” Yeon Hwan Park says. This way, you will be able to land your push kick before he settles back into a stance.

“Footwork is very important for all your kicks, but especially for one like the push kick, which you can just throw out of nowhere. For example, many competitors have very fast roundhouse kicks, which they can throw without having to set them up. For the push kick, though, you must create a situation wherein you can move forward safely and not extraordinarily fast.” The push kick combines speed with power, Park says.

“It’s slower than a roundhouse kick but more powerful. It’s less powerful than a side kick but faster. It doesn’t require a great deal of strength, but it does take practice.” In years to come, Park predicts we’ll see even more intricate ways to score with the technique. (Photos by Rick Hustead) Jeff Leibowitz is a New York-based free-lance writer and martial artist who has studied taekwondo under Y.H. Park for more than 30 years.

Contents.Hand attacks Taekwondo hand strikes are performed as a close distance alternative to kicks. They are executed in a number of ways from standing, jumping, spinning and rushing forwards. Hand strikes make up fast combinations of strikes which can leave an opponent stunned and unable to defend himself.

Taekwondo hand strikes can be separated into two distinct styles:.Various surfaces of the hand may be engaged as the striking surface depending on which area of the opponents body which is being targeted. This leads to a large array of hand positions. Forefist - A closed fist may be jabbed out directly to strike with the forefist knuckles. This is a suitable position for general punches to soft areas of the body. Without protection, it is inadvisable to strike the bony face as fingers are likely to get broken on the hard temple and jaw bones. Hammer fist - A closed fist may be brought down in a hammering motion to strike with the underneath. Such a strike can obliterate an opponent's nose, making it nearly impossible for him to retaliate.

Backfist - A Son Deung clenched hand is swung backwards into the face of an opponent. The back of the hand makes contact and the momentum garnered in the swing makes this a powerful strike. Spinning backfists are a knockout punch and banned in most Taekwondo competitions. Knifehand - 'Sonkal' is the Taekwondo name for a move similar to the 'karate chop', i.e.

Where an open hand is hammered down to make impact with the underside. A ridgehand is the opposite, where the top of the open hand strikes. These are commonly made to the side of the neck. Fingertips - Jumeok can be used to strike vulnerable areas of the body such as pressure points.

Four finger strikes engaging the tips of the outstretched hand (known as a spearhand) can be made to vital points in the neck. Thumb - Eomji is a fist with the thumb protruding over the top.

This is a formidable weapon in pressure point striking. Vulnerable areas can be targeted all over the body such as the sternum, the spaces in between the ribs and other nerve clusters. Palm heel - a classic self-defence strike where the hand is pulled back to engage the base of the palm in an upwards thrusting strike. This is particularly dangerous if applied to the base of the nose or chin and can result in death. This strike is banned in competition Taekwondo.

Elbow strike ( palgup chigi)- The forearm is folded inwards towards the body and the strike is delivered with the outside of the forearm or elbow while stepping forwards. Tae Kwon Do also makes use of reverse and front elbow strikes. Four-knuckle strike - This is a fist shape particular to the Asian martial arts. Instead of closing the fist completely, the fingers are held out and only the knuckles are bent, thereby presenting the upper set of knuckles as the striking surface.

This fist is used for breaking boards as the smaller surface area concentrates the punches power. In self-defence, it may be used to purposefully break an attacker's jaw. Eagle strike - In this strike, the fingers all touch together, and the hand is pointed down, exposing the top of the wrist,which is then swung upward to strike the underside of the jaw. If done properly, this strike can easily fracture the jawbone, and is usually banned from competitions due to the extreme danger.

If done improperly, however, the practitioner may break his wrist. Tiger claw - A strike using the space between the index finger and thumb. Fingers are made rigid, and the attack is usually directed towards the neck/trachea. Serves as a way to incapacitate an opponent for a few seconds.

Pincer hand - A strike which uses thumb and forefinger to strike opponent's throat. In this technique a fist is closed except thumb and forefinger which are fully extended outwards. Scissor finger - A fist in which forefinger and middle finger is extended out as if to dig someone's eye. Similar to Pincer hand except that the forefinger and middle finger is extended outwards.

Chestnut fist - Similar to normal fist except that first three knuckles are pushed outward slightly with thumb.Kick ( Chagi). Main article:All kicks can be executed as jump kicks, spin kicks, jump spin kicks or multi-rotational spin kicks. Also, all can be performed by the front or rear leg in a given stance.Some of the best-known Taekwondo kicks include:. (앞 차기 ap chagi): This is a very linear kick. The practitioner raises the knee to the waist, pulls the toes back and quickly extends the foot at the target.

It is also known as the snap kick. The front kick is one of the first kicks learned in taekwondo; if mastered it can become one of the most powerful. This technique is more meant to be used to push the attacker away, but can injure the opponent as well.

(옆 차기 yeop chagi): A very powerful kick, in which the practitioner simultaneously raises the knee and rotates the body 90 degrees, while extending their leg. Jump Spin Kick.

( an chagi/ bakkat chagi): There are two variations of this kick: the outer crescent and the inner crescent. In the outer, the practitioner raises the extended leg as high as possible, and slightly up across the body, (a bit across the centerline of the body), then sweeping outward to the side, in a circular movement. In the inner, the motions are the same but the direction of the kick changes, this time originating from the outside of the body, heading towards the inside, or centerline of the body.

These kicks are also called 'inside crescent kick' and 'outside crescent kick' at some taekwondo schools. Reverse Turning Kick (반대 돌려 차기 bandae dollyeo chagi): This kick may appear similar to a hook kick, but is performed with a straight leg, and usually at least a half-rotation. The heel connects with the target. There are several spinning kicks that involve the rotation of the entire body and head before the kick is released.

Martial Arts Taekwondo

Spinning kicks include the back pivot kick (dweel chagi), spinning hook kick (dweel huryeo chagi), spinning axe kick, returning kick, 360 turning kick, and a number of other kicks of varying popularity. ( on mondollyo chagi):The practitioner steps forward and spins in the direction of their back leg while raising their knee and jumping to perform a spinning inside crescent kick in midair. (뛰어 차기 ttwieo chagi). : Jump Spin Hook KickThere are also many kicks that involve jumping before their execution. These include the jumping front kick (ee dan ap chagi), jumping side kick (이단 옆 차기 idan yeop chagi), flying side kick, jumping axe kick, jumping roundhouse (ee dan dollyeo chagi), jumping spinning hook kick, jumping spinning roundhouse kick, jumping back kick, and jump spinning side kick. Normally, jumping kicks involve pulling up the back leg to help gain height during the jump and then performing the kick itself with the front leg. Advanced kicks: There are a variety of kicks that can be used in combination or stem out from a simple kick to create more difficult ones.

Some of these include 540 Kick (One spins 1½ times in mid-air and does a kick, usually a back spinning hook kick), a 720 Kick (the practitioner spins 2 times in mid-air and performs a kick, usually a back spinning hook kick), and Triple Aero Kicks (Practitioner performs round house kick, back spinning hook kick, and another round house kick in mid-air). Fast Kicks: Also, many kicks can be employed using a fast kick style. The practitioner shuffles the back leg forward to the front leg, and the front leg comes up and kicks closer to the enemy than the practitioner had been before execution. This can be used with side kick, roundhouse kick, front kick, hook kick, and axe kick. Monkey Kick: This is an awkward, ineffectual kick that is just barely impactful enough to cause hogu that are rigged for electronic scoring to register a point, especially in (formerly WTF) - style sparring.

It is often cited as an example of how the practice electronic scoring harms sport Taekwondo. Electronic hogu have embedded sensors that detect the vibration from a blow. In principle, the idea is that a legitimate taekwondo kick (such as a roundhouse kick) will impact the hogu and cause the sensors to vibrate - thus scoring a point. Because there is no guarantee that the legitimate kick will impact directly on the sensor, the sensors need to be calibrated to detect even 'light' impacts. This kick takes advantage of this light calibration by allowing the competitor to score a point with a simple, awkward tap of the foot on the hogu, as long as the impact occurs near a sensor.

In the case of a Monkey Kick specifically, this light impact is accomplished by tapping the bottom of the foot against the opponent's sensor while standing very close to the opponent. Because of the seriousness of the situation and after many complaints from different Member National Associations, the WT Technical Commission discussed the case and decided to sanction the athletes who used the technique in excess. Subsequently, the WT Technical Commission called all coaches from the participating countries for a meeting and so, the coaches as rarely as it seems, could express their opinion about this serious situation to the WT authorities.Blocks. Main article:Taekwondo blocks known as Makgi are used to stop and deflect an incoming attack. They engage various parts of the arm with the hand and are held in different positions such as knife-hand, closed fist etc. Each block is suitable for a particular kind of attack and may be combined with another punch or kick to make a counter-attack. Single Forearm Block - Wae Sun Palmok is used to deflect an attack (usually a kick) made at the torso.

Starting up near the opposite shoulder,and the leading hand is projected down and across the body to deflect the kick with the forearm. Low Block - Najundi Makgi is used to defend against low attacks to the torso or legs.

This is one of the most basic Taekwondo blocks and one of the first things a beginner will learn. The lead forearm is bent and raised to shoulder height, snapping the arm down straight with the palm facing the ground, which blocks any incoming low kicks. Rising Block - Chookya Makgi is another basic Taekwondo block, used to defend against overhead attacks to the head and shoulders.

The arm is bent and raised above the head, and the underside of the forearm absorbs the impact of the blow, which may be painful but is better than it connecting with your head or delicate clavicle. This block is used to defend against Hammerfists, Axe Kicks and overhead strikes with blunt instruments. Palm Block - Sonbadak Naeryo Makgi is a standard block used to deflect incoming kicks and punches. The open hand is raised up to shoulder height and thrust directly down to meet the attackers limb. The heel of the hand makes contact with the attacker's forearm in case of a punch, or shin in case of a kick.

Although simple, it requires a lot of partner training to get the timing of this Taekwondo block correct. Knife Hand Block - The hand is kept in a knife hand position to block attacks to the torso. As the front arms sweeps down in an arc from the inside to the outside of the body, the back hand is simultaneously pulled back to the back hip and ready for a counter punch. Double Forearm Block - This is a more advanced Taekwondo block, designed to be used against a strong attack to the center of the body. Standing sideways, the lead forearm blocks the attack with the fist closed.

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The second arm provides further support, linking into the crook of the arm so both forearms are at a 90 degree angle to the body. Double Knife Hand Block - With the hands held open in the knife hand position, a powerful kick aimed at the solar plexus can be successfully blocked.