Want to improve your kicks? It takes work and practice to perfect them, not something you can do by just attending your martial arts class once or twice a week. Commitment to regular training is key, we know it is difficult to find time around a busy lifestyle, so we have written you two 5 minute kicking workout routines that you can do in your own home daily between classes.
We use an interval timer app to keep us on track during our workouts -
Front Kick Workout
1. Dynamic Leg Raises - Start in a walking or fighting stance, while keeping your leg straight, swing your leg up in front of you to where you are feeling a stretch but no pain. Do this for 30 seconds on each leg
2. Front knee lift ups - Stand leaning your back flat against a wall for stability, lift your knee to belt height, this is your neutral position. For 30 seconds on each leg lift your knee from neutral to as high as you can get it towards your shoulder and drop it back to neutral. Repeat this several times through the 30 seconds then swap leg
3. Front Kick Extensions - Stay in place from the previous exercise using the wall for stability, lift your knee up into your neutral position, lift higher to your high position and then extend your leg out into a front kick and hold for a second before bringing your leg back to neural position. Repeat this several times through the 30 seconds then swap leg
4. Extended Pulses - Stay in place from the previous exercise using the wall for stability, lift your knee up into your neutral position and extend your leg into a front kick and hold. While extended pulse your leg up and down for 30 seconds then change leg.
5. Laying Quad Stretch - lay down on one side, legs out straight, grab the top leg at the ankle and fold your leg up behind you towards your glute. Hold this for 30 seconds, roll over and change legs.
Side Kick Workout
1. Dynamic Leg Raises - Start in a walking or fighting stance, while keeping your leg straight, swing your leg out to the side of you to where you are feeling a stretch but no pain. Make sure the standing foot toes are pointing away from the direction of the kick. Do this for 30 seconds on each leg
2. Knee lift ups - Stand side on leaning or holding the wall for stability, lift your knee to belt height in front of you but as if you were to side kick into the room, this is your neutral position. For 30 seconds on each leg lift your knee from neutral to as high as you can get it towards your shoulder and drop it back to neutral. Repeat this several times through the 30 seconds then swap leg
3. Side Kick Extensions - Stay in place from the previous exercise using the wall for stability, lift your knee up into your neutral position, lift higher to your high position and then extend your leg out into a Side kick and hold for a second before bringing your leg back to neural position. Repeat this several times through the 30 seconds then swap leg
4. Extended Pulses - Stay in place from the previous exercise using the wall for stability, lift your knee up into your neutral position and extend your leg into a Side kick and hold. While extended pulse your leg up and down for 30 seconds then change leg.
5. Frog Stretch - Go into a kneeling position and push your knees out as if you are trying to do box splits with your knees. Hold this for 30 seconds, then try and push your knees further apart and hold for another 30 seconds.
