In taekwondo, what are the steps to having a really nice sidekick?

what do I have to do? I stretch everyday and I am about 3 inches off the ground from doing splits but i just can%26#039;t do it...


The one you do in poomsae.|||nice, or effective?two different things... the side kick (for TKD, yes it is different than Karate), to put it plainly is a horizontal foot stomp... and is the most powerful linear kick... and by shear force.. is much stronger than any round or roundhouse kick, reverse hook, heel kick.... but more difficult to land at a debilitating area, because it is easier to see coming...your grounded foot should point in the exact opposite direction of your target... when chambered your knee and foot should be parallel to the ground, your heel higher than your toes, and your toes pulled back to you to expose the bottom of the heel for striking... if you are kicking with your right leg, your left hand should be held high, in the same position as a fighting stance.. and even in TKD your hands should be held high... when you shoot the heel out your right hand should go out with it for balance.... but this is the important thing.... at the same moment you reach full extension retract just as quickly... i was sparring an outstanding technical TKD guy.. and he posed as i slipped his kick, and it was like he set his chin on a silver platter for me... the TKD side kick is best used for the ribs... and can very easily ruin someones day... its fun to show perfect technique.. and pose.. but it is a recipe for disaster... always always always in any style, retract a strike with the same intensity you throw it... good luck|||that depends on if you mean fast, effective or flashy. if you mean fast then you want to practice hitting a bag as fast as you can and retracting it.


if you mean strong then you do the same just ypu hit a heavy bag instead of a lighter one, or you can try do the kick in a pool or body of water, this increases speed and strength. if you mean flashy then you want to hold your side kick on the air for as long as you can, after a while you%26#039;ll be able to do it higher and higher|||first off u r doing stretching all wrong|||You%26#039;ve probably heard this before but its just practice practice practice. Also when you kick hold your foot in the kicking position for several seconds to build form and strength.|||Especially when you do the %26quot;palgwe%26quot; poomsaes that go past


%26quot;Palgwe Yi Jang%26quot; (Palgwe pattern no. 2), or the %26quot;taegeuks%26quot; past %26quot;Taegeuk Yi Jang%26quot; (Taegeuk pattern no. 2), you will likely do at least one


%26quot;yop chagi%26quot;, or the famous side-kick.





How to make sure that your %26quot;yop chagi%26quot; satisfies your %26quot;sabeum nim%26quot; in your %26quot;dojang%26quot;?





(sabeum nim--instructor below grandmaster instructor)


(dojang--training hall for taekwondo)





Make sure that you relax on the beginning lift of the free leg as it prepares to kick, and on the apex of the kick, create very rapid tension and as soon as the kick is done, elongate


the kick and then relax as you pull the free leg that already kicked down to the ground. Also make sure that your upper body that angles horizontally goes in the opposite direction of the free foot that is kicking. This will give your %26quot;yop chagi%26quot; its power. And of course, any taekwondo kick like %26quot;yop chagi%26quot; will be useless in power without a %26quot;kihap%26quot; (the famous shout) when necessary to do it. I know that poomsaes don%26#039;t allow for %26quot;kihaps%26quot; on every movement....only several %26quot;kihaps%26quot;, usually in the middle or the end of the pattern.





Hope all of this helps.........|||I do karate, but I%26#039;m sure a side thrust kick is similar. get your knee UP! this is most IMPORTANT part of the kick. bring it up, like a front snap kick, but pivot your hips. then THRUST your leg out there, kicking w/ the knife edge. HOLD it for as long as you can (during practice, not kata and sparring!) then PULL your leg back, don%26#039;t just fall into it. pull back to your original position, where it%26#039;s in FRONT of your body. then put it down.