High kicks, painfull learning experience..

Thijssss · White Belt

First of all, thank you for reading my post.

I've been training Muay Thai for nearly a year, (I know this is the TKD section) and most schools don't really do any high kicks and spinning things.. now I feel really lucky because my sifu also did many other martial arts like TKD, karate, kung fu .. he is also teaching us those technique's. Now the problem is that i'm not the guy who can just stick one leg in the air ..

Recently I caught a pain in my left hip.. now I stopped training to let it heal, my teacher told me to rest and that he had the same mostly when he trained TKD because of the many kicks he had to do.
Any of you who are doing TKD who reconize the problem I have? I wondered if someone maybe had some tips to make a good recovery from this etc'.

*btw, I have to go to college on bike everyday.. takes me 30min to get there or 15 if I really put everything I have in to it and don't have any red lights against me .. but won't bikecycling be very bad to this injury?

I hope someone can give me some nice feedback

_________________

Greetings
Thijs

[CT]pizzaboy · Green Belt

Sounds like a problem I've had before. I was doing a hook kick with my right leg to someones head and I brought the leg up to fast. The hip socket got disslocated,only minor thouhg. I couldn't perform a roundhouse or front kick on my right leg for a month. However, a side kick was easy to perform. Now I sterecht my hip alot before I go to class and try not to flail my leg when kicking, keeping it under controlled.

SBN Doug · KF VIP

Honestly, your question is probably better placed in the Health and Fitness section. However, KickChick is also a TKD practisioner, so she'll probably see it here anyway.

Were you kicking cold, or had you stretched and warmed up your legs first?

Jiggy9 · Purple Belt

Yes Kickchick - the in house specialist! I'm confident she'll be able to help you out!

P.S Welcome to the boards

Gorgoth · Yellow Belt

I used to have a problem with that.. whenever i threw a high front kick the area right at my hip joint would hurt like hell...

I just started stretching more... with one particular stretch... you lay on your back and get a partner to your left leg down with his or her leg (kind of using the space on your shin to lock the leg down with your toes on the ground) then your partner picks up your right leg and pushes it straight back until you reach your maximum distance... then your partner pushes a little farther and holds it for a count to 12... then repeat this with the other leg...

If that makes any sense at all... that is how i stretch before every training session... and by having your partner push you a little past the point you tell them to stop... you will get more flexible faster... i dont know if thats healthy or anything... you'd have to ask Kickchick about that... thats just what i do...

anywho...

Kickchick might be able to explain what i'm talking about (if even she knows what the hell i'm babbling about)...

well... hopefully some of what i said makes sense...

-Gor

KickChick · Black Belt

Oh the pressure!

I'll try and offer some suggestions Thijssss .
First of all, you are not used to high kicks and therefore neither are your muscles! You need to condition the required muscles before you can perform such kicks .. which means you need to learn to stretch properly and strengthen those muscles.
When done correctly stretching with a partner can be more effective than stretching without one. The problem with using a partner, the partner doesn't feel what you feel, and so cannot respond as quickly to any discomfort you may feel during the stretch. This greatly increases your risk of injury.
The exercise Gorgoths suggested is fine however please be sure that if you do, choose a partner that you trust to pay close attention to you while you stretch.
Also the best time to stretch is when your muscles are warmed up,usually by performing some type of brief aerobic activity. If the weather is very cold, or if you are feeling very stiff, then you need to take extra care to warm-up before you stretch in order to reduce the risk of injuring yourself. You can find tons of posting on stretching in the Health & Fitness Forum (Fexibility Determination is one such thread)....
Warm-up followed by a good Dynamic Stretching rountine is best you are going to be doing kicking drills. Here is a good exercise to work the hip flexors which is where you are experiencing an obvious muscle pull.
-- Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent. Lift your right foot off the floor until the thigh is perpendicular to the floor. Keeping your thigh at this roughly 90-degree angle, straighten your leg as much as you can. It's fine if you don't get the working leg all the way straight.
Pointers:
• After you've straightened the right leg, hold at the top of the movement for a second or two before bending the knee again.

• Power the movement with the quadriceps. As the quads work, the hamstring stretches naturally.

• Don't round your lower back by letting your glute rise from the floor.

I can't say enough about the latest book I've been reading "Stretching Scientifically" .... another Dynamic Stretching routine which is great for developing the strength in the legs and hips is to to alternate kicks (after warmup) ... start with 10 front kicks left and right leg (knee straight) then 10 side kicks lift leg out to the side toes pointed forward, left and right.... and then 10 back licks swinging leg up with knee straight and heel flexed, left and right. Gradually trying for my height with each kick. Do everyday and increase the number of kicks say, every 2 or 3 days. You will find that you will have more leg strength and flexibility.

If you want the link to that book here it is ....
http://www.stadion.com/stretch.html

ok .... the pressure is off!
Welcome to KarateForums Thijssss!!

jakmak52 · Green Belt

There's only three things I do for not tweaking my hip joints, I think the highest kick I ever needed to throw that high was and is an ax kick from the front or a roundhouse from an angle, (oh ,and that angle is so important for me)...the three things are
1. Stretch
2. Stretch
3. Stretch

Oh the pain... I rather go through the discomfort of stretching than the agony of the results of not..

_________________
Best regards,
Jack Makinson

Deathcometh · Orange Belt

I think it's a good sign that you can feel your thigh strengthning but sorry i can't help with the pain

Cory Reynolds · Yellow Belt

I recommend the book "Streaching Scientifically" by Thomas Kurz. It will teach you methods of streaching without damaging your muscles.

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