Front kick is the most basic of kicks. There are 3 key points to front kick:
Raise your knee first - the leg must not swing upwards
The snap (hiki ashi) - as you kick, the leg must come back immediately
Foot position - the ankle must be tight, with the ball of the foot (koshi) pushed forward and toes back. The foot should remain parallel to the floor
Additionally the support leg should be stable and bent the the supporting foot completely flat on the floor.
Yoko Geri Keage - Side snap kick
Similar to mae geri, keage is a snap kick - the foot returns quickly. This kick is to the side and you kick with the outer edge of the foot. Key points of keage are:
Raise the knee first, with the sole of the foot almost touching your supporting leg and the toes pointing towards the front
The foot position - you must kick with the outer edge of the foot. To do this you must rotated your hips, otherwise your foot will be angled and you will kick with the toes, which will break
The snap back (hiki ashi), the foot returns in the same direction immediately after executing the kick. Place your foot down - do not fall.
Yoko Geri Kekomi
Kekomi is a thrust kick. As you kick you lock your leg and body and hold for a while before returning. The knee travels in the direction of the kick. For snap kicks the knee remains in-place. Key points of kekomi:
Raise the knee first
As you thrust your leg out, your leg rotates like a corkscrew driving your leg out. The hips rotate as your leg thrusts out, as does the supporting leg.
The foot position is similar to keage - you are kicking with the outer edge of the foot (almost with the heel). The ankle must be tight.
Finally we finished with kata. Our beginners practiced kihon kata to count, with more advanced students going through heian shodan, heian nidan and heian sandan. Videos of these kata are on our kata page - you can watch these to help you remember the kata.
