increasing kicking strength?

[seany85]

I have just a two questions,
1) would this program help improve kicking power?,
"horse stance for as long as you can"
"lay down on your back, raises your legs 6" off the floor hold for 1 min
increase to 45 degrees hold for 1 minute, then 90 degrees hold again for 1 minute,then work back down to 45 degrees and 6" off the floor"
side leg raises, 120 each side

2) since all these exercises are focused on the hips, any chances of damaging either the joint or the muscle?

[Colin Chua]

Both these exercise will not increase kicking power. These exercises are geared towards improving muscular endurance not strength, thus enabling you to repeat your kicks longer.

To increase kicking power you will have to work on...

Bag work: Go all out on a kicking bag. Kicking 50 - 100 each leg ,full power. There is also device which you can attach to the bag, that measures the power of your kick. Check out martial arts equipment suppliers on the internet.

Pad work: Similar to the above but using Kicking Pads instead. A partner to hold the pads will be required.

Weight Training : Work on your hamstring, quadriceps and calves. A good example will be to do squats either with free weights or on a machine. Work on 50 - 70% of your 1RM (ie. 1 rep max, the heaviest you can execute for 1 rep) with 3 sets of 7-10 reps. Where a weight lifting belt to protect your back.

As to your other question....your hip joints or muscles will not be damaged. Be careful with the leg raises though, if you do it wrongly, you will hurt/strain your lower back. As to horse stance, don't hurt your groin muscle.