How to Perform a Hopping Side Kick in Women's Kickboxing

Women in Southeast Asia have had their own kickboxing leagues since the 50s. Female versus male kickboxing bouts have been held in the past. The victory of the male is never assumed, this sport emphasizes speed over strength and most women are faster and have slightly better reaction timing than men. Japanese women’s kickboxing leagues have been in operation since the early 80s. Women’s kickboxing in America was introduced in the late eighties primarily as a form of aerobic exercise, but as it grew in popularity from overseas video footage of kickboxing matches and the creation of the American Kickboxing League, women wanted in on the action and proved themselves just as capable. With that in mind, here is a guide that will explain some of the fundamental attacks in women’s kickboxing, specifically the hopping side kick.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Practice space
• Hanging or standing heavy practice bag

Performing A Hopping Side Kick

1. Begin standing sidelong to the practice bag roughly four feet from it. The bag should be closest to your left side if you’re right handed. Your feet should be more than shoulder width apart with your knees bent and your back straight. Put your fists up to cover your upper chest and lower face.

2. Remember where your front foot is placed and, starting with your weight on your forward leg, hop. You will want to hop toward your opponent so your back leg comes down slightly beyond where your front leg was.

3. Transfer your weight to your back leg shortly before coming down, raise the knee of your front leg up so your femur is horizontal with the ground and turn it inward so your foot is cocked and aiming at the bag.

4. Drive your leg out, striking with the flat heel of your foot immediately after landing. Make sure your rear leg is braced securely against the ground. If you kick too soon, your attack will have no strength behind it and you will likely just push yourself backward in midair.

5. Take a single long pace backward to return to your starting position. Never turn your back on your opponent or turn your back on her. A good way to make sure your opponent does not catch you flat footed when you pull back is to drag your forward foot against the ground and pull yourself back with your rear foot. It may look odd, but it ensures you always have a foot on the ground with which to push off should you need to dodge suddenly.

Tips & Warnings

• There are three principle forms of kickboxing as well as many other versions less well known to the American populace. Japanese kickboxing allows a fighter to strike with the elbow, knee, foot, and fist, hitting any part of the opponent’s body barring the crotch. American kickboxing allows a fighter to strike an opponent above the hip only with a fist or foot. European kickboxing is somewhere between the two, allowing the use of the foot, fist, and knee, but not the elbow, against any part of an opponent’s body barring the crotch. The force generated by the stepping side kick is considerable. You would benefit from using a practice bag no less than 80 pounds in weight. Any lighter bag would be thrown around too much rather than create the real resistance you would feel when actually striking a real person.

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