Sifu Dansac Explains Kicking

Spectacular kick hold special place in heart of many Laui; some see amazing kicking skill as whole point of training, not happy until them tie legs in knot behind head and do back flips while tap-dancing on opponent face. This all look pretty cool, Laui, and sometimes win fight, but kicking only one part of whole in Martial Arts; kick will not always win fight and even best kicker should take time to learn about punch and grapple, throw and nerve point. Many is time Sifu see fantastic kicker, full of spin and jump, flashy with axe and hook technique, move like break dancing Terminator, come unstuck and lose him teeth.

WHY SIFU KNOCK KICKER?

Kick is difficult to train, take much study. Kicker must have excellent balance and practice flexibility every day . Kicker also often neglect other area of training, spend all day in the splits without ever put on boxing gloves. Sifu is only be realistic; kick is vital part of Kung Fu, set Martial Artist apart from lesser fighter, but kick is not be all and end all; good kicker is not necessary good fighter.

SO WHAT KICKER TO DO?

Kicker is not to be only kicker; him is train box and wrestle, understand that kick is limit to correct range and right circumstance. Kick comprise only 10% of technique use in fight, but man who cannot kick is deprive himself of that 10%. Sometime, maybe 1% of time in fight, amazing kick is only way to win. Therefore all Laui, whether them love kick or not, should practise splits and balance, learn to do cartwheel and train kick high. Learn you range for kick; know exactly what you range is and understand you speed. Study stance; best kick come from best stance. Good stance is good balance, and the lower you stance, the higher and more strong you kick.

Conversely, high stance is good for quick kick with no warning; practice both Laui, low stance and high, face-smashing super kick and sly lick of toe in enemy balls. Most of all, kicker must realize place of kick in overall strategy; bombs and airplanes not win war; whole army all together win war, every regiment do its own thing to achieve victory. Cavalry have no place charging machine guns, for save hostage send Special Forces, not nuclear air strike. Likewise, for fight up close or in small space, punch and grapple are you best weapons. For open space, very start of fight before opponent close, then is time for kick.

WHEN SHOULD LAUI KICK?

You have multiple opponent? Now is time for kick; now is time for deep stance and all that other flashy shit you learn so hard. Drop low stance, strike cool pose and challenge enemy. There is like three of four of them, they already going to kick you ass; so be brave! Show them what you can do; low stance, big noise, Kung Fu pose. Anyone can do this Laui, but only man who train can follow through; while evil mugger enemy hesitate, unleash most spectacular kick on biggest man face. Kick him, Laui, right in the face. Do you cool spin, give it you jump or you back flip, whatever you cool move is, do it now. Only important issue is that you foot connect with enemy face and horrifically wound him; knock him bang off him feet, spread him teeth all around and spray blood on him friends.

If you do this, him buddies hesitate more and you can do it again to next man in line. If you miss, throw kick for show against empty air, them all muggers jump on you together and kick you senseless; you wake up mugged and pissed on, without you wallet or shoes, maybe in hospital or gutter, and still you got to somehow get home. When you throw kick, you damn well better mean it Laui, and kick you mugger face so hard him eyeballs swap places in them sockets. Be serious with you kick Laui; four guys jump you and now is time to break some heads!

HOW TO TRAIN KICK

In cake that is good kick are two ingredients, Laui; balance and flexibility. Speed is not important; speed come with training, natural development of skill. Practice speed for fun and to show off to girls; when you alone and do serious training, practice stance and stretch, train balance and agility.

Do the splits. Go on do, right now! Try do the splits once per day for two weeks, by fourteenth time you will do the splits. It is easy learn do the splits; all it take is tiny dedication to try one time per day. Slightly harder is be serious about you flexibility, and spend at least 15 minutes every day stretch you self. Stretch arms too, you whole body, not just you legs, and do not push you weak Laui body too hard; work only hard as you are comfortable. When you are stretch, you should not break sweat or be short of breath. What you should be is in pain, Laui; stretch until it hurt and then stop. Do not stretch to the limit of you pain threshold; stretch only until you feel pain, then hold it just where it begin to hurt.

Push you self too hard, and important things in you body will rip and tear; you will do no more training for weeks and months. Stretch gently, but do not be wimp; feel the burn, but do not be stupid and hurt you self. Stretch every day for a month and you will begin to kick well; stretch every day for a year and you find kick easy. Stretch every day for the rest of you life, and you will become contortionist, maybe get job on TV or in circus, tying you self in knots; that right Laui, attitude not aptitude determine altitude, especially of kick.

Also train stance; stance is least popular aspect of train Martial Arts, but stance build muscles in leg and is also good for you flexibility. Good stance is good balance; all good student know this, so no one bother argue. Good stance is low and fluid; you are move from one stance to the next as situation demand, and you are able to kick form every stance and at any point of transition between different stance. To be master kicker, you are train stance so hard you have legs like footballer; nothing less will do Laui, are you serious about kick or not? Sifu Dansac never say it would be easy master kick; him say quite the opposite at length already.

Finally, train weapon. Yes, that right Laui, weapon. Weapon is best raining for balance; it is hard enough keep you balance on one leg with only hands and feet to worry about. Man who can kick well while handle sword or staff have excellent balance, so learn basics of at least one weapon. Practice you kick with and without weapon. In real fight you will not have big Martial Arts weapon to weigh you down; if you have train with weapon, kicking in real fight will be easier.

DIRTY FIGHTING WITH KICK

Best way to kick is dirty way; kick low, at opponent balls and knee. Kick him ankle, kick him joint of hip. It not take stretch every day to kick this low, Laui; if you not flexible you can still use you feet. If you more flexible, consider grab; Sifu have say again and again that kicker must also practice punch and grapple. When you kick, grab you opponent arm; use him for help you balance when you pant foot in him face. Using you opponent for balance help you generate power to throw fast kick without big wind-up; holding onto opponent also help you recover balance from kick, ready second kick or take him down with sweep.

ALL MARTIAL ARTIST SHOULD LEARN TO KICK

You were going to close enemy to punch him; why not try kick him face on your way in? If you miss, big kick is also big step, bring you close to enemy. If you hit, big kick is stun you enemy and knock out him teeth, maybe even win fight easy. If him still on him feet, him not nearly so tasty as before. If you are grab, kick him too; you can still do throw if kick not work, because now kick and grab work together like two for one deal. All you technique should be like this; punch, kick and grapple together, so that opponent cannot deal with all at once. If him duck kick, block punch and wriggle out of grab, still you can hit him with shoulder or knee him in the balls; if you are understand you technique, there is no limit to options for hit opponent wherever he is.

Make kick part of you arsenal, as easy as punch or grapple; do not think, just do. This kind of kick come only from hard training, Laui; to be good kicker without neglect other training require exceptional student. Do not be afraid; instead, try. Maybe you are natural, learn everything fast. Maybe you are just normal person, good at some things and ok at others; still train. Only by train will you get better.

The World Shall Hear From Me Again!