The Front Kick

For Beginners, the Front Kick provides a quick and easy way to develop your foot techniques. As a new or novice student, you have limited flexibility, normally. Some students may be in gymnastics and have great flexibility but these are the exceptions.

With this limited stretching ability, you should not try to perform this kick so high that you find yourself on your tippy-toes each time. This makes the technique less powerful and accurate, not to mention, you will always be off balance.

From a Front Stance(feet shoulder width apart, front leg bent, back leg straight), raise your knee up to your target. Your knee does the aiming just like the sight of a gun. Point your knee toward your target then extend your lower leg outward striking with the BALL of YOUR FOOT, NOT YOUR TOES.

This point is of utmost importance. If you strike something with your toes they will break. Part of your stretching exercises should include standing 2-3 feet from a wall and leaning forward letting your toes stretch as your feet are lifted as you lean toward the wall.

This will allow you to "Form Your Foot" with toes pulled back and the ball of your foot pointed toward your target and fully exposed. This is your strike point. The striking foot must be flexed downward creating a focused point of impact (the ball of your foot) in addition to pulling the toes back.

If the foot is flexed up, the kick will be useless because you would be exposing the arch and heel of your foot as the point of impact. By not forming your foot correctly you are basically stomping at your opponent from an upright position.

This is a common error with beginners so practice forming your foot by placing the ball of the foot on the ground with your heel 4 to 6 inches off the floor. This will force your toes back to fully expose the ball of your foot. Then, use your foot muscles to hold the toes back and raise the formed foot 2 to 3 feet in the air and hold it. Do this several times a day to train your foot to go into this position on command.

Watch my foot in the video, you will see that the ball of my foot is in this "Formed Foot" Position.