Kicks to Opponents Elbows

[Garth Barnard]

IMO kicking elbows is par for the course - it happens.

As has already been suggested by Damian, chamber the knee and roll over the hips before kicking. That way your kick will come in from the side rather than upwards as a 45 degree angle.

You'll find that as your legs tire your kicks will come from the floor, increasing the chance of kicking your opponants elbows.

Regards,

Garth Barnard
B.F.M.A.A.

[boar98]

shin guards&shoes

should wear shin guards and shoes.pad the insoles of the shoes as well.buy a size larger than your foot and stuff the insides with foam and rubbery debri material.
if you dont have time to do that before a sparring session then just limit yourself to hand techniques and spinning kicks where the ball of your foot meets the target(opponent).

[Strepto]

should wear shin guards and shoes.pad the insoles of the shoes as well.buy a size larger than your foot and stuff the insides with foam and rubbery debri material.
if you dont have time to do that before a sparring session then just limit yourself to hand techniques and spinning kicks where the ball of your foot meets the target(opponent).

WTF!!

[Nit]

Strepto, I think he means pad up and learn to kick properly or do something else which doesn't involve elbow blocks, the former is preferable to the latter.

Although I didn't pad up as punishment for not kicking properly, I soon learned how to avoid elbow blows to the foot / shin cause it hurt so much after a few rounds.

[bvermillion]

A simple solution is to bring your kicks up and smack his head. No elbows up there.

[Maxetai]

If you insist on kicking the ribs, try using the good old side kick more often.

[MichiganTKD]

Kicking the elbows

As far as kicking the elbows, I have done it myself plenty of times and it hurts like like hell! What I would recommend is this:
1. If you are kicking strong, such as power kicking, and you contact someone's elbow, it is going to hurt-a lot. It might be helpful to practice accuracy, speed, and control, but keep your foot soft. This is against someone from class who you fight regularly and do not wish to injure.
2. Someone from a different organization, with different goals. is something else. I have fought people from various styles (TKD, karate etc), who used elbow blocking because it was easy. What you practice with them is footwork and combinations, so that even if they try to block with their elbow, you can quickly adjust and switch to kick the other side, the unprotected side.

[Spookey]

Ball of Foot!

Have you tried kicking with the ball of your foot as opposed to the instep?
One or two good kicks to the elbow/forearm/tricept, and the arm normally becomes almost useless...furthermore, in a self defense situation it would be horible to break your foot do to sport style kicking!

TAEKWON!
Spookey

[MichiganTKD]

Elbow kicking

I don't recommend kicking with the ball of the foot in class because if you use the ball of the foot or the heel, it means you want real power and are trying to hurt the guy. We save that kind of kicking for non-partner basic kicking, sandbag practice, and breaking. We do differentiate between free fighting kicking and self-defense kicking.
I think the best way to avoid hitting someone's elbow is to adjust your strategy and footwork so that you you when to switch and contact their stomach. It takes practice.

[Spookey]

Complex situation!

MichiganTKD,

Is it not true that you react as you train! However, this is only an issue for those seeking more than a competition placement!

TAEKWON!
Spookey

[Damian Mavis]

Suggesting you don't kick with the heel or the ball of the foot because it means you want to hurt your opponent is kind of ridiculous. This is martial arts, people get hurt, if there was no danger involved in my sparring over the past 13 years I would suck some major butt right now. Because there was always a chance I would get knocked out or hurt during sparring I got alot better alot faster, and now my defense and reflexes are sharp. My opponents and I never wanted to hurt eachother, we simly accepted that it was part of our training, we were black belts, we expected our partner to come at us hard and we benefitted from it. If we wanted light contact we would have joined ballet.

Sorry for ranting but if TKD gets any more watered down it will be swimming! We need to keep the right training methods alive, don't suggest being EXTRA careful during sparring. Suggesting kicking with a different attacking tool due to constant self injury is one thing, suggesting it due to not wanting to hurt your opponent is awful.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[osopardo]

This just reminded me of a series of drawings published in our local newspaper during the Olympics several years ago, detailing the "correct" TKD round kick and how it differs from other styles. In these drawings the kicker's leg swung around from the back position in an arc that would bring the foot to hit the opponent's head.

As the kick travels towards its target the foot is turned so that the toes point back towards the kicker and the heel becomes the point of impact.

I asked my TKD instructor about it at the time and he confirmed that it was the correct way of kicking. Less chance of you getting hurt and more likely to hurt the opponent more.

I then asked him how come we didn't practice kicking that way and he said, "We do. Watch the higher blackbelts more closely during sparring. They do it both ways."

[MichiganTKD]

Kicking elbows

Why do I get the feeling that many of you have had many accidents over the years? I am not suggesting that kicking with the ball of the foot for front kick or roundhouse is incorrect. Not at all. Simply not in the context of free fighting. Don't forget, if I injure my partner (broken ribs, broken arm etc.) I don't have a good partner to practice with. If he breaks my ribs, arms, etc neither does he. So it is in our best interests to make sure that controlled contact that minimizes injury is used. Don't misunderstand. I've practiced with many people who kick the way I mentioned (instep for roundhouse), who could still beat the crap out of you and generate an awesome amount of power.
In the context of power practice (the sandbag, airshield, basic kicking without a partner) we do practice power kicking that is designed to do damage.
I was told many times that a roundhouse with the ball of the foot is perfectly acceptable for breaking and self-defense. So i don't buy the argument that kicking with the instep is watered down. It just depends on what context is being used.

[Spookey]

Watered Down (context!)

[kicking with the instep is watered down. It just depends on what context is being used.[/QUOTE]

TKD is being watered down from a fighting art to a sporting art!

This is plain and simple...a fighting art would not change a technique to avoid injury! Injury is the key...injure your opponent!
I understand that you kick one way at one time and another way at the other time...but attackers unlike sandbags and pine boards does not stand still, allow you to rehearsese, and take your time for the purpose of consintrating!

Once again...YOU REACT HOW YOU TRAIN! (maybe for broken feet!)

TAEKWON!
Spookey

[Damian Mavis]

I never said kicking with the instep was watered down... that is my primary attacking tool. What is watered down is suggesting you don't use certain weapons beacause you don't want to hurt your opponent. That is silly. Their is no martial arts trainig without pain, if there is you're faking it. Keep in mind I'm not talking about breaking peoples bones, you can use any attacking tool and cause pain without major injury.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD