| This ten article series will deal with the various | | | | truly perceptive and honest person with yourself, |
| components that need to be addressed when | | | | you can forget about asking yourself. If you do, you'll |
| considering the utilization of a particular kick in a | | | | probably be able to execute any one of a dozen or |
| combat or self-defense situation. These ten | | | | more jump spinning kicks taking out as many as two |
| components can also be used by the tournament | | | | dozen ninja villains before your feet ever touch back |
| competitor although certain segments would have to | | | | down on the ground. Way to go Hollywood! The first |
| be modified slightly for the tournament aspects of | | | | person you should consult with is your instructor. If |
| kicking, rather than the more intensive nature of | | | | he is qualified and competent (you shouldn't be with |
| using a kick or kicks in combat. Although all of these | | | | him or her if they aren't) he will be able to fully |
| individual components are important, they are most | | | | assess your ability and give you his honest and |
| effective when combined together and utilized | | | | forthright opinion. The next group of people you |
| correctly when executing a kick. Although I will only | | | | should speak with is your senior classmates. They |
| be discussing one of the components in this article, | | | | too should be able to give you their assessment of |
| here is the complete list of all ten of them. 1. Your | | | | your kicking abilities. Now after you have spoken with |
| Kicking Ability | | | | your instructor and your senior classmates, you can |
| 2. Your Intended Application | | | | then talk to yourself. Now I don't recommend doing |
| 3. The Environment | | | | this in a public place or your liable to end up getting a |
| 4. Telegraphing | | | | visit from the large men dressed in white carrying the |
| 5. Striking Implement | | | | butterfly net and the canvas jacket with extra long |
| 6. Striking the Correct Target | | | | sleeves. What I do recommend is a private time of |
| 7. Initial Impact | | | | self-reflection where you can honestly evaluate your |
| 8. Impact | | | | own abilities. Here is a list of the important items that |
| 9. Retraction or Follow Through | | | | I feel you need to look at when considering what |
| 10. Return to Fighting Position Component One; Your | | | | level your kicking ability is at. 1. Length of time spent |
| Kicking Ability: Your kicking ability is just that, your | | | | learning those kicking skills. 2. The degree of flexibility |
| kicking ability. Not your perceived kicking ability, but | | | | that you have in your legs. 3. The amount of power |
| your actual reality based kicking ability. This may be a | | | | that you are able to generate with your kicks. 4. |
| hard pill to swallow, but you may not have the ability | | | | Your ability to execute every aspect of those kicks |
| to utilize all of those flashy spinning and flying kicks | | | | correctly from start to finish. 5. Your own past |
| effectively in an actual self-defense situation. Now | | | | experiences in actual fights, not sparring in the dojo |
| the good news, if you can realize this and accept it, | | | | or at a tournament. 6. Your ability to effectively and |
| then you are off to a lot better start than most | | | | consistently land a kick on a training partner |
| people who like to kick. Awareness is the key to | | | | anywhere from the waist down without them seeing |
| survival, and nothing is more important than | | | | it even after it hits them. 7. Your ability to execute |
| self-awareness. Now there are a lot of "self-defense" | | | | that very same kick without telegraphing it. 8. Your |
| experts out there than don't advocate kicking at all in | | | | attitude towards being confronted with a violent |
| a self-defense situation. However, when you do a | | | | situation. 9. Your overall physical condition. 10. Your |
| little research into why they believe this, most of the | | | | ability to use your brain intelligently. One of the best |
| time you will find out that they had a bad experience | | | | training aids that I have ever used and still do is a |
| and/or witnessed a bad experience with someone | | | | large full length mirror. I have used a mirror to train |
| who tried kicking and ended up getting the worst | | | | with ever since I first started taking lessons over 25 |
| end of the beating. This is almost certainly due to a | | | | years ago. It is without a doubt the most important |
| lack of proper knowledge not only of how to kick, | | | | piece of training equipment that you can use, if it is |
| but also the who, what, where, when, and why of | | | | used correctly. What you want to do is to stand in |
| correctly applying a kick. Which unfortunately seems | | | | front of the mirror in a fighting position. Then without |
| to be fairly common with a lot of the McDojo's that | | | | thinking about it, execute a kick at your reflection in |
| are so prevalent in today's society. These articles will | | | | the mirror. Now a word of caution, make sure you |
| help clear up some if not all of those problems. For as | | | | are back far enough from the mirror that you aren't |
| many of the "self-defense" experts that are out | | | | going to actually hit it. This can not only be dangerous |
| there that don't advocate kicking, there are many | | | | to yourself and be very expensive, but you could |
| more that do, although they recommend that you | | | | also end up with seven years of bad luck. If you |
| should never kick above waist high. For the most | | | | believe in that sort of thing. When you can stand in |
| part this is very sound and intelligent advice, and | | | | front of the mirror and execute a kick, or any |
| should be adhered to for the most part by everyone. | | | | technique for that matter, without telegraphing it |
| However, like every known rule or law, there are | | | | then you're starting to make some real progress. This |
| exceptions. For those few individuals out there who | | | | is not an easy thing to do, but you can do it. It just |
| are truly gifted in the art of kicking you can, with | | | | takes a lot of time, hard work, and proper instruction. |
| careful planning and intelligence, execute kicks to a | | | | The next article in this series will deal with the second |
| standing opponents head with amazing results. I | | | | of ten components needed to kick effectively in a |
| know I've done just that on numerous occasions. | | | | combat or self-defense situation. That component is, |
| Now how do you know just how good you are at | | | | "Your Intended Kicking Application. |
| kicking? Well, first and foremost unless you are a | | | | |