Shoulder Question

You ARM snaps back and down, across your hip. Your instructor is probably breaking the kick down for you to make it easier to learn.

Your shoulder turns WITH the hip to add power. It's not a counterbalance--the arm moves to add momentum to the motion of your hip.

Tony, try this--forget about your leg. For the right leg kick, focus on the right hip--where your pelvis sticks out a bit, what people usually refer to as the hipbone.

PUSH that side of your hip up and forward. Then turn that corner of your hip over. Think of a kind of half-egg shape. That's your goal.

the arm motion gets your hip moving forward and up, and the flip comes from the hip and shoulder turning over.

Also--you can try the draw a semi circle with your foot too--Kuhn Kao recommended that awhile ago and it helped some of the people in my class.

Paulm is right.

Your arm swings the opposite direction of the kick, but the shoulders rotate with the hips. Sure, its a hard concept to get down at first, but you'll get used to it and eventually it will be second nature.

To help with the mechanics to this kick, stand squared up with your heavy bag, or someone holding Thai pads. Make sure your arms are immobilized, like held behind your back.

Without stepping, just rotate in place and kick.

With the arms immobilized, you will find that your hips and shoulders HAVE to rotate together for the kick to work at all.

After practicing his for awhile, then add the arm swing back in. Make sure that only the arm swings in the opposite direction, but your shoulders still rotate with your hips.

Khun Kao Charuad; SuriyaSak Muay Thai

Yes and no...the arm swing comes first and then the hip and shoulder turn over.

I never really forced my arm to move one way or another. It does swing the way you guys described, but not by any conscious effort.

I was just experimenting a moment ago, and adding a bit of force to the arm swing does seem to help with the momentum of the kick. Wish I had a heavy bag here! (I'm at work)

Are you guys forcing the arm swing, or just letting it swing out on its own?

But if you swing the arm hard...doesnt it sorta pull the shoulder in the same direction...thereby causing your shoulder and hips to move in 2 directions?

-Tony

Ok, I remember a thread here a few months back stating, that if you were doing a right roundhouse, your right shoulder should also rotate to the left. (like your hip)

I went to MT class for the first time today, and the instructor was like 'Snap your arm back' - I'm doing a right roundhouse, he told me to snap it to the right, thus causing my shoulder to rotate to the RIGHT instead of left.

Am I missing something here, he's a very good instructor, alot of people highly recommend him...so what gives?

Thanks

-Tony

Your instructor is correct.

Your arm should rotate away from the kick to act as a counterbalance.

But I thought (what do I know, I could have misinterpreted the answers here) that when you counter-rotate your shoulders, then you're messing up your momentum.

Also its hard on the back, etc...and other things I dont remember

-Tony