How to Do a Taekwondo Roundhouse Kick

The roundhouse kick is very effective. With proper execution, the roundhouse kick can be a surprising and devastating attack. The rotation of the hips results in a kick more powerful than the front kick. Inexperienced opponents won't expect a roundhouse kick to come after a flurry of punches and the roundhouse kick is a great addition to combinations when sparring with experienced opponents. The roundhouse kick is a necessary addition to any martial artist's list of honed techniques.

Things You'll Need

• A physicians approval

Instructions

Getting Into a Front Stance

1. Stand with your feet directly beneath your shoulders. Your left foot should be beneath your left shoulder and your right foot beneath your right shoulder.

2. Move one of your feet forward. This will be called your front foot.

3. Make sure that your front foot is moved into a position where you are able to easily maintain your balance. Have a partner push you gently from the front to test and see if your balance is strong.

4. Bend your knees until you are in a comfortable stance in which you are unlikely to lose your balance.

5. Turn your body slightly away from the side that your front foot is on in order to protect yourself better.

Executing a Front Round Kick

1. Shift all your weight on your back foot.

2. 

   Raise your front leg in front of you with your front leg bent as much as comfortably possible. While doing this, try to balance on your back leg.

3. Turn your entire front leg so that your leg is parallel to the ground and your knee is pointing to the side.

4. Curl your toes up. With this kick, you want to strike your target with the ball of your foot (the bump that sticks out when you curl your toes up). Doing this will prevent you from damaging your toes.

5. 

   Extend your leg most of the way until the ball of your foot strikes a real or imaginary target.

6. Bend your leg again and lower it to its original position on the ground.

Executing a Roundhouse Kick

1. Shift your weight on your front leg.

2. Lift your back leg and pivot on your front foot, moving your back leg in front of you.

3. Balance yourself on your front foot and move your back leg in the position of a round kick, as described in step 3 of section 2. Rotate your hips while doing this.

4. Follow steps 4 and 5 of section 2

5. Lower your back leg to the ground in front of you or return the leg to its original position behind you.

Tips & Warnings

• Do warm up and stretch before practicing

• Do practice mixing the round and roundhouse kick into combos

• Do snap your foot at the end of the roundhouse kick to increase power

• Do rotate your hips quickly to increase speed and power

• Do try to keep your hands up while executing kicks in order to block if needed

• Do train both kicks with both legs

• Do not bend your kicking leg past a comfortable level because you will hurt your knee

• Do not extend your leg all of the way when executing the round and roundhouse kick