Help on hips

[selkirk]

Hello, I have been a student for about 5 months now. I have been having a great time and have a great instructor, but cannot seem to get my hips loosened up enough to make proper punches and kicks, etc. Can anyone recommend any thing I could do to help me engage my hips more the way I am supposed to? Any help is much appreciated. Thanks. Selkirk

[gregg]

Re: Help on hips

Hi mate, here’re some clues that might help you:

• Try to always think about “crushing a cigarette” with you base foot (right foot when throwing right cross or left foot when right low kicking)
• Try also, always to think about getting poxer from you legs firts, to do so you can practice inf ront of a mirror slowly
• Don’t forget to keep both knee’s slighly bent
• Try to have some thai punching drill
• Try also, to pratice punching in front of a mirror with both hands claspsed in your back, you shoulder, legs and hip motions should be obvious enough to tell wich kind of punch you would be throwing.

Hope this will help you!

[j-millar]

Re: Help on hips

This is a trick I use, but I am no Leslie Martinez. (Just one of my many Krav Maga Heros)
Find a corner in your house, door frame, garage pole, anything that is vertical and secure. Stand in your fighting stance, front foot slightly past your vertical target, hands behind your back, and practice the rotation, focusing on touching your hip to the target. Don’t do it hard, this is not ment to create power, only muscle memory. You will find that when your hip touches, everything else falls in line. If your shoulder touches first, you are leaning, meaning you are trying to go after it with your arms, and not engaging your core. The “homework” I often give is to do this every morning and every evening while or just after you brush your teeth. Try this also with a partner holding a tombstone vertically against their body. We try to “hit” partners and move them without using your arms.

[hemibuck]

Re: Help on hips

Try putting a ball next to your feet…if you engage your hips correctly the ball will roll away when you punch. Remember your feet move because your hips move..they are connected. One more thing I tell my students is to loosen up…the looser you are the more power you will have. Good luck!

[garddawg]

Re: Help on hips

I would want to see how you squat. Easiest way to tell where someone is tight and what is hindering their movement.

[coda-vex]

Re: Help on hips

quote garddawg:

I would want to see how you squat. Easiest way to tell where someone is tight and what is hindering their movement.

+1 Until I started lifting I had no idea how the hips effect so much of my movement. Now that I’m stretching about 20 mins a day I can really feel how weak they are/were, Garddawg’s website linked at his sig has a lot of great info.

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