Marc,
The kick you're talking about sounds to me like what we call a "round kick" at the Muay Thai Academy in San Jose, CA. The knee is brought up on the side, then the leg is turned while pivoting and "whipped" around. Is this what you're talking about?
I had all kinds of problems at first with this kick. I always felt off balance, I never could get it to spin easily, etc. My suggestion is that you be aware of every part of your body at that point where you start to feel uncomfortable performing that kick. When you start asking yourself whether you're doing the kick correctly or not, check yourself. See what you like and don't like. Personally, I have a visual in my mind of what a perfect round kick looks like, and in my mind, I observe how my skeletal structure mimics this. Where do the ball and socket joints in my legs rotate? How much? Where in by body do I feel off balance? At what point do I feel off balance, and can I correct it by bodily awareness? This might seem a little silly to some, but I find myself throwing faster and better kicks, and I'm more confident that I'm doing it correctly. As always, my suggestions are just my humble opinion.
Tom W.
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