Tag Info

One of my favorite exercises in that area is holding a side kick against the wall. You execute a side kick with your foot against the wall, and then you shift your weight forward until your foot no longer slides down. This will only work if you hold your leg at least in a horizontal line. Once you have some balance you can work on height. If you get your ...

I have vague memories of simply trying various kicks in slow-motion, trying to keep my balance, until I could do most of them without losing my balance. Alternatively, try to just lift one foot off the ground from a "feet together" standing position. The foot only needs to be lifted until it's no longer touching the ground. Try to keep your balance. After a ...

A fun way to work on balance (and endurance) is to stand in your kick stance, and draw out the alphabet with your kicking leg. This doesn't really work your actual kicking technique much, but it will work your balance and your endurance and strengthen all the muscels needed for kicking, and therefor your balance and technique will improve.

When talking to people about this specific problem in class, I usually surprise them with my comment: "stop standing on your heel." If you are light on your heel but strong on the ball of your foot you have several advantages: You are using your calf muscles. They're very strong and confidence inspiring. You have less rotational friction than a planted ...

If training with a sensei is not an option at the moment, understand that it limits both your knowledge and what it takes to self-correct. A trained eye can see where you are having issues. Since that has been harped on with just about every answer, I'll move on to the technique. Use a Heavy Bag Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between ...

From what you describe, it sounds like the problem you have is maintaining your balance using other parts of your body other than your arms. While your arms and hands will bear the weight while in a handstand, you should also focus on using your core strength (abs and back) to hold yourself up. The idea is similar to standing up straight on your feet and ...

I do: Increase your arms and torso Strength. Work on your wrists. Strength and flexibility. You have to increase your body constrictive Strength. (to keep your body hard, independant of the position. Find out your balance point while upside down. During a handstand, Try to push the ground and at the same time do not let your gravity center to raise. Work ...

Coming from a taekwondo background, I see a lot of balance issues come from "banana" alignment. When you strike with your back-kick (or more commonly, side-kick), you want your body to be in a straight line from heel through your hips to your head, but it's very common for people to lean forwards to look around their body, which will lead to over-balancing ...

Tanner's Law The number of people who can self-teach martial arts is terrifically small. These people do exist. They are generally genetic freaks, established extraordinary athletes in another discipline, and/or have an unusually dedicated group to train with. This is called Tanner's Law, after one such impressive individual. It is of particular importance ...

I hate to say it, but you probably do need to train with a coach to show you why you are pushing your weight off centre. For a straight kick, you should be pushing through your centre of mass to your anchor foot - it sounds like you are aiming incorrectly, or possibly twisting your body incorrectly, but it would need someone to watch you to help you correct ...

To mirror @Vatine - go in slow motion. Get into a stance, slowly bring your leg up in a chamber (that is, knee bent, foot as close to your thigh/buttock as possible) and slowly extend it, then slowly bring it back, then slowly put it down. Start with a kick about knee high and progressively increase the height. Do this ten times on each leg. If you're just ...