How to Do a Tornado Kick in Martial Arts

The tornado kick is a spectacular maneuver in martial arts. It involves spinning 360 degrees in mid-air while switching lead legs and kicking with your original plant foot. It requires quite a bit of coordination and lots of practice. If you want to hit a target with a tornado kick, you will need a lot of practice.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. 
   Assume Fighting Stance

   Assume a fighting stance with one leg a step ahead of the other. Your feet should be shoulder width apart. Spring lightly on the balls of your feet. Hold your hands up in front of you with fists clenched. Face your target.

2. 
   Point Heel

   Point the heel of your lead foot at your target. You do this by keeping the ball of your lead foot on the ground, and twisting your heel outward. When you have done this, your back should be turned toward your target. Maintain eye contact with your target as long as you can.

3. 
   Whip the Knee

   Transfer your weight to your foot with the heel pointed toward your target. At the same time, quickly whip the knee of your other leg up and around your body, completing the turn you started when you pointed your heel. Be sure this leg remains bent as it comes around.

4. 
   Bring the Kicking Leg Around

   Use the momentum of your knee spinning around to bring around your plant leg. The leg that was on the ground is the one that will do the kicking. The momentum of your knee will carry your body upward and forward. As it does, kick your straight plant leg around in an arc that peaks at your target. Reacquire the target as your head whips around. You can't hit what you can't see. You should still be in mid-air when you strike your target.

5. 
   Go All the Way Around

   Finish the tornado spin, and come to a soft landing. Your momentum will keep you going past the impact point. Come down on both legs with knees bent.

Tips & Warnings

• The tornado kick must be done as one fluid motion. You are spinning around like a tornado and need a lot of circular speed. Focus on whipping your body around and using the motion of both legs to pull the rest of the body. You can also add a step going into the tornado kick to give you a head start. Instead of starting from a standing position, step into the heel point. That will give you some added rotational speed when you begin your tornado kick.
• Do not attempt to use a tornado kick in sparring or combat. It takes a very long time to wind up for a tornado kick. Your opponent would have plenty of time to see it coming and knock you down when you are in mid-air with your back to them. The tornado kick is not very practical for real-life situations. It is more of a show kick.

Resources

• Third Coast Martial Arts
• Punch and Kick .com
• eHow Tae Kwon Do Topic Guide
• Martial Arts Pressure Points

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