This question comes from Muhammad from Malaysia-
I'm wondering how to make my kicks give more impact to the padding or to the oppenent when sparring. I am also wondering how to mantain my stamina...
It sounds like you are concerned about scoring in a Taekwondo match. Impact is very important. In fact, if you can make a solid impact that makes a resounding ****POP****, you are going to score. There is something very important to understand, before you think about just kicking with more force. First, you must kick with proper technique.
Let's take the roundhouse kick, since it's the kick you'll use 70 to 80 percent during the match, including it's variations. The proper part of the foot to kick with is called the dorsum. It's the flat area on the top of your foot. If you are impacting with the ridge along your big toe, you are kicking with the wrong part of your foot.
Practice kicking a bag, shield, or hogu and rolling those hips over so the flat part smacks the target. When you pop the target just right, the sound will let you know whether you have kicked correctly. The flattest part of the foot is what gives competitors that loud popping sound.
Does this help you score points? You better believe it! If your opponents back is turned to the judge, and you land a roundhouse kick, if your technique makes a loud pop, there is a good chance the judge will score it. In the judges mind, especially when the action is fast, the judge may assume you landed the kick even though they didn’t have clear site of the weapon. This can sometimes work against you if your opponent smacks your forearm protector instead of the target area, and the judges score it. We’ve all had that happen to us, right?
I know the question wasn’t how to score better, but that’s what I chose to discuss today. I have written other posts on Taekwondo stamina. I’ll be writing more on kicking with power soon.
Good luck with your training!
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
