Knee cocked down syndrome...

This I do systematically.

 

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What do you think about this?

 

Correct me if I'm wrong bur isn't my rechambering in that clip already a sign of flexibility improvement?

I remembered you correctly pointed out that my rechambering was that of a back kick, not sidekick.

 

Exactly. Now repeat thousands of times!

One thing you can do when practising this:

Standing normally, lift one hip so you effectively lift one foot off the ground as high as possible using only your hip (as if you have one leg shorter than the other). Hold this hip position on the kicking side, and it will add height without lean, while strengthening your core muscles and hip flexors in the right position. You may need to rotate your top shoulder (chest to target) in order to avoid your lower ribs grinding on your hip at the iliac crest.

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I don't think your flexibility is a problem, it's more to do with understanding the posture and developing strength.

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Good job on taking on constructive critical feedback without becoming defensive or making excuses. This is a step forward. I now believe you have the potential to improve. I wasn't sure before. Keep it up.

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Great! Thank you for your patience and insight Gnarlie. Very few people in this world (especially online for free) care to help a guy out and you were in no way obligated to do so. I think it "clicked" now . You hit the nail on the head. The root cause of my problem was poor posture due to excessive leaning, leading to overrotation and warped technique. I also underestimated a little bit of perserverance on my hips and taking it step by step, not going too high with the kick. I was under the impression that excessive leaning aided my technical deficiencies, when it actually caused them and induced terrible habits.

Forcing myself to lean as little a possible was really the cure. I also didn't believe in myself that the hips would "hold up" (like a phobia). I feel assured now that I can move freely and that the hips will be fine! I just need to be patient, build strength by repetition and not give in to temptations (kicking too high, too fast etc) and stick with it!

 

But how about these ones from the KKW in 2013? Wouldn't you agree that these leans are quite radical (too much in my opinion)? And this is again their own promotional tapes

 

There's no question the ITF guys lean less than in Shotokan (by some margin too) but judging by this, the KKWs poomsae demonstraters lean as much as in Karate if not more.

 

This is Ik Pil Kang. As far as poomsae competition coaching goes, he's the man.

Here's the thing - age. He is older than us.

Look at the height too. There is a point at which you have to start leaning to gain height ( it's not needed for a horizontal kick.)

So it's always going to be a compromise. But before compromise can begin, a good understanding of the potential of the hip alone is necessary.

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It's also the kick from Taegeuk 5 Jang, which has a very specific hand technique simultaneously, so the lean is necessary to facilitate correct distancing.

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Compare it to this ITF Tull representative, and this is just a random selection. The leans are very uniform no matter who does them

 

Really?

I find it depends on where you look.

It's a lot to do with the individual's circumstances and less to do with style. More advanced people understand the ideal posture - reaching it is another matter.

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Talking about competitors now only. The ITF form competitors all move very identical to one another. There is next to no personal flavor to anyone of them, if you watch the tull championships. All move very smooth and nice with very little lean but there is no real variance to their delivery.

The North Koreans tend to win most of them but they aren't doing anything fundamentally different. Just slightly more solid. Things like balance and consistency from start to finish. But style wise no difference.

 

Well I can tell you that I have never seen an experienced ITF forms guy lean like that, and it doesn't matter if he loses first round or is world champion.

 

I could say the same about WT competitors, especially now that the older categories have been eliminated.

Have a look here. These are students at the Taekwondo faculty at Yong In Uni in Korea. They study Taekwondo as their main subject, working toward a Bachelor, Masters Degree, or Doctorate in sport science with TKD as a major.Along with attendees and alumni of other Korean Taekwondo Faculties at other Universities, Taekwondowon, Kukkiwon, they are our master instructors, and role models. Take a look at the side kicks and tell me if there's any inconsistency or too much lean...you have to seek out the best if you want to join them.

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The picture you referenced had almost everyone leaning more than any national level ITF competitor in tull. Their postures varied as well.

 

Indeed. This is because people are built differently. It is possible to achieve the ideal posture, but for those who start later in life, or are experiencing the effects of age, at what cost?

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