Side kick from a narrow stance
A good sparrer will be able to anticipate and counter a side kick – especially if there is an initial step before that kick. Adopting a more narrow stance will enable you to kick faster with less telegraphing.
Our first LIVE Expert Coach interview – broadcast in our Members Facebook Group on 21 March 2020.
Another in our series of excellent sparring videos with Mr Mark Trotter, this session focusing building an effective counter for the side kick.
Mr Trotter coaches Miss Phillipa Henry through tactics employed against the lead leg side kick, such as using the body positioning to draw in the opponent.
The main counter attack is with the leading hand punch, then following up with a turning kick. Once mastered other techniques are added to the drill including the jab, back kick and reverse hooking kick.
This is an in-depth session showing how a drill is progressed until the student becomes proficient and able to use the counter in actual sparring.
DON’T FORGET TO WATCH No. 10 – Paul McPhail performs Juche forwards and backwards
For my 5th degree black belt grading in 1993 I thought it would be a cool idea to perform Juche Tul forwards then backwards for General Choi.
The plan failed miserably as I started the backwards part… I hadn’t even considered the possibility that General Choi would take offence to it. He turned his head and refused to watch. I figured… well… I may as well carry on now and struggled through to the end.
I passed the grading so I guess the General had forgiven me by the day the results were announced.
Here is the footage of the pattern at the grading.
A follow-up clip from the last video about how to use the dodging punches as a counter attack.
This is an effective kick for free sparring, especially when combined with pushing in with the supporting leg, as demonstrated here. Use your opponent’s arm as a target for training.
Spend any amount of time in a dojang and you will see some guy (and it is more often than not a guy) whose moves look, well, clunky. They have a tense stiffness about them, a forced attempt to generate power. Trust me I know I was that guy (and still am on occasions).
Instructors faced with the clunky guy almost invariably say “try to relax”. Of course as soon as anyone tells you to relax you are likely to find yourself completely unable to do so, in fact, you are likely to actually stiffen up more. Akin to the experience of being told not to think of a pink elephant, the first thing that pops into your mind is a pink elephant.
