Shotokan Karate Techniques

Kick

1) Snap Kick

The Snap kick is a very fast (as the name implies) and strong kick. The kick flies out from the front to hit the opponent anywhere on there body, from head down to knee.

Execution

The Snap kick can be practiced either from a natural/ready stance or from a forward stance. Shift your weight to the leg that will NOT be kicking. Raise and chamber your kicking foot. Next, aim your knee at your target. If you will be kicking to the head, raise the knee up. If kicking toward the stomach, drop the knee slightly. Due to the way your leg in built, when you kick, your foot will go to where the knee points (so long as you don't move the upper leg in mid-kick). Next, begin to extend the kick by flexing the leg at the knee. As the foot is moving out, pivot the ankle so that the bottom of the foot is always as parallel with the floor as possible. Also, remember to keep the toes curled up, as you will striking with the ball of the foot.

Once the kick is extended, retract it IMMEDIATELY (you don't want the foot hanging out in space waiting to be grabbed, do you?!?). After the kick, do not drop the foot right down to the floor. Instead, retract it to the chamber (you may need to kick again) and then place the foot on the floor and return to your stance.

Safety Note: When performing the snap kick, do not lock out the knee! Too much of this could lead to hyperextension of the knee joint (it's pretty painful, believe me). Extend the kick as far as possible, but keep just the slightest bend in the knee.


2) Side Snap Kick (or just Side Kick)

The Side Snap kick is a very fast (as the name implies) and strong kick. The kick flies out from the side to hit the opponent anywhere on there body, from head down to knee. This kick is performed when you are facing your opponent "side on".

Execution

The Side Snap kick can be practiced either from a natural/ready stance or from a forward stance. Shift your weight to the leg that will NOT be kicking. Raise and chamber your kicking foot. Begin to extend the kick by extending the leg to the side. As the foot is moving out, pivot the ankle so that the bottom of the foot is always as parallel with the floor as possible. Also, remember to keep the toes curled up and angled slightly back towards you, as you will striking with the blade of the foot.

As the kick is extending, you may need the counterbalance by leaning back SLIGHTLY. Also, while the foot is moving out, pivot on your base foot. When the kick is extended, you want your the heel of your base foot to be pointing at your opponent. Once the kick is finshed, retract it IMMEDIATELY (you don't want the foot hanging out in space waiting to be grabbed, do you?!?). After the kick, do not drop the foot right down to the floor. Instead, retract it to the chamber (you may need to kick again), re-pivot your base heel and then place the foot on the floor and return to your stance.

Safety Note: When performing the snap kick, do not lock out the knee! Too much of this could lead to hyperextension of the knee joint (it's pretty painful, believe me). Extend the kick as far as possible, but keep just the slightest bend in the knee.

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