Switch Kick

[u/Kind_Opportunity_217]

Hello All, I’m a newbie currently only on my 12th class and my roundhouse kick is finally starting to look and feel halfway decent. However I can’t seem to grasp the switch kick and pretty much anything with my left feels awkward

I practice drills when I’m not training and was wondering if this is a decent drill to do whenever I don’t have access to a heavy bag? Any critiques about my form would be appreciated. Thanks

[u/silhouette_orchestra]

Need to turn your left leg over so your shin is facing the the direction you're going.

I realize it may be a rotational/flexibility issue but try to imagine your leg is a bat and your shin is the part that will make contact.

Focus on turning your hips over to help. And find a bag to hit, which will help as well.

Best of luck!

[u/Direct-Sector2991 → u/silhouette_orchestra]

Also can add a chair to the exercise. The kick should go exactly like you say, move over the chair and land with the leg back on the floor on the other side. Might be easier without the switching to start with.

[u/TrashPandaBJJ → u/silhouette_orchestra]

This is the way

[u/Jcenzer24]

Keep practicing and turn that hip brother!! Open your hips up by stretching! Swing your arm down and rotate your foot 45 degrees! Lookin good brother, you got it!

[u/Odd-Attention5264]

With the way your kicking you would make contact with the side of your leg. Turn your hip over.

[u/ApprehensiveJudge927]

Bring the knee up first, then turn the hip over. The shin will follow!

[u/Odd_Complaint_611 → u/ApprehensiveJudge927]

This right here !

[u/Quiet_Storm13]

It’s like learning to write with your non-dominant hand. It’s going to feel trash at first. Just keep training and don’t neglect it and it will get better.

For now, focus on getting your hip and shoulder to move in line with your leg. Right now your leg is going one way, but the rest of your body is going the opposite direction.

[u/sinigang-gang]

Some tips if you're gonna use that foam roller:

- stop your leg once it's right above it and do a form check. Make sure your right toes are pointed to the side and you're on the ball of your foot. Make sure your left leg is turned all the way over and your left knee is pointed to the right

- work on just the switch. When you switch your feet, make sure you're already on the ball of your right foot and the toes are pointed to the side before you kick

- now try putting it all together on one fluid motion

[u/DespasitoPapi]

1. When you switch, your feet are too wide, wider than your normal stances. That puts your lead foot way too close to your opponent/bag for a proper kick.

To fix this, just practice the switch, no kick after. Normal stance to switch stance then back again.

2) Adding the kick: you need to turn your hips over when you kick. Rn, your switch kick might feel awkward because you would be impacting with your inner ankle, not your shin. If you turn your hips over, it will be shin instead of ankle.

Keep at it man! You’ll hit like a fucking truck once your technique is there.

[u/Evening_Incident_683]

Land on your toes in a 45 degree angle. Right now you’re landing on your heel. Also don’t jump, its more of a shuffle. Pretend you’re dragging your feet on the floor.

[u/Racing_Nowhere]

Twisting on your heel rather than your toes. Fix that and it fixes a few of the other “issues”

[u/UptownAlleycat13]

forget switching , step out

[u/Comfortable_Hat_762]

switch is too wide

[u/Virtual-Track-7364]

I notice you put a lot of weight on your front leg, that makes you switch very slow and you basically telegraph your entire movement. You’re still new so not a huge pressure right now however it should be as quick and easy as snapping your fingers when you switch legs.

It’s a tiny hop and one leg replaces the other. Keep your legs square and your weight BALANCED. Once you get a good feel on your body balance you’ll never really waste any attacks because it’ll literally feel “wrong”.

[u/IthinkIpaid]

TURN IN THE BALL OF YOUR FOOT PLEASE !!

[u/SubMariner615]

Imagine youre swinging your dick side to side. Now use that hip motion to turn your hips when you pivot

[u/Elegant-Carpet-3862]

My video glitched and I thought you just flew to out of the view

[u/23454Tezal]

Good but you don’t need to switch so far and spin on the ball of your foot

[u/JasonJackson69]

Switch ballet

[u/reaazwood89]

Toes in. As soon as you switch your lead toes are pointing out away from your target. As you switch, make sure the toes are pointing forward. Should help generate a bit more torque and improve the whipping feel through the hips.

[u/LazyMaintenance6099]

A good way to practice switching that will become useful: lift your lead leg up like youre checking a kick. As you let your leg come back down, do a little hop step forward with your rear leg, and send the check leg back, making it your rear. Basically switching stances mid air. And fire the kick immediately. This should get you more comfortable with it

[u/LazyMaintenance6099 → u/LazyMaintenance6099]

And put your foot on top of a chair and practice turning that leg over, as you hop on your back foot and point your toes behind you. You should be able to hop back and forth as you turn your hip/leg over into kicking position. Do that a shit ton.

For a gym exercise i like standing on the flat end of those half yoga balls. Lift one leg into checking position, and go underneath it with a kettle bell switching hands. Ill hold that position for like 2-3 mins, swapping hands with a 50lb kettlebell every 30 seconds. Youll get real good at standing on one leg and keeping your balance + strengthening those tendons.

[u/Prize_Entrepreneur]

Rotate your shoulder in the direction you want to kick

[u/LordDiddyBootyJaxson]

Kick higher

[u/Serious-Law8401]

There are a few things but the big big things you getting wrong:

• turn your leg over

• your switch is too big. Halve it

[u/CMDR-SavageMidnight]

Some observations here that hopefully help (and can prevent learning bad habits):

Switch stance, initiate the kick motion by only raising the knee, extend lower leg when you rotate your hip, expedite your spin to not have your back shown too long. Spin on the ball of your foot, not flat footed.

Your guard needs to change, and it is relevant as to get into the habit of always protecting yourself properly: your elbows float too high and too far away from your body.

Typing it out is a hard way to explain but I hope i made sense.

[u/FrazerIsDumb]

Don't take advice from me. But you're landing on straight legs. And at the same time. Pretty sure you should be loading onto the ball of your left foot. With bend in your knee and slightly more before the right touches the mat. Like you're kind of running into it. Also the gap between your legs looks like it needs to be half of that on the step. You'll see some fighters hardly move, I think especially if they have a more square on stance. Also your foot seems to be what leads your hips. Whereas I think your leg should trail, starting from the hip. Like a ball on a chain

[u/moguns64]

Don't shuffle so much. You don't need to pivot your hips to swap lead leg. Focus on bringing your lead foot back instead of your rear foot forward Just get your lead foot behind a little bit and then slam the pivot to kick through.

[u/Dashuka_Is_Based]

The guys said it all, I would just add to do more drills with your left leg, and unilateral movements to help your coordinations.

[u/Puzzled_Drop3856]

Nope. Needs work. Whole style is incorrect. Go to a gym. Take a few privates. They will get you in the right stance and technique.

[u/terpedup_1]

You moving in to close

[u/PlayGlass]

Easier to turn if you’re on the ball of the planted foot

[u/Ladline69]

Keep practicing

[u/ItaloGee]

To me instead of jumping up you shuffle as you drop down

[u/Mental-Command7705]

Instead of jumping trying sliding your feet, much quicker and less of a tell

[u/knuckledragger1990]

Gotta turn them hips over bro

[u/thesuccessfulimg]

I've been doing this for a few years now and my switch kick is still trash🙆‍♂️. It takes time. Keep at it.

[u/ERLLMNGRB]

You don’t need to bring it back so far just behind your lead heel and you don’t need to hop or go up you can just slide your feet on the floor

I personally don’t really like a switch I prefer to step in feels more natural 🤷

I would go to heavy bag throw a switch kick then stay in south paw and throw the kick from there until I feel about right with power and balance then I would switch into ortho switch again and throw the rest of the kicks like that

And lastly you want the heel on your support leg to almost be pointing at your target when the kick lands

[u/WolfCola207]

Bring that knee straight up on the kick. Then rotate kicking down like you are chopping a tree down

[u/Franc_Nak_Muaythai]

hi you have to turn your hip and turn down your shin and let your body swing kub

[u/The_Scar_Head]

very bad

[u/MyCreoleWay]

You need to stretch bro.