Axe Kick w/ Pause

[short gorilla]

Okay, I figured this could go in either flexibility or martial arts, so I was here, so I posted it here. Whatever.

I'm working on axe kicks. I'm trying to get to a point where I can bring my leg straight up 180 degrees (or farther), then hold it for a second or two before finishing the axe kick. I've been working dynamic flexibility and hip strength, but none of the exercises I do seem to benefit that technique at all. Is it just a matter of continued training and hip strength/flexibility progression, or am I missing something?

I do pretty much all the dynamic stretches, I do leg lifts to the front and side, sometimes with weights. I do hip exercises on machines in the gym, stuff like that. I don't do it everyday so as to avoid overtraining the muscles. Am I being impatient or what? Thanks for any help.

[tracekillz]

try some static stretching and not so much weight train with your hips. in this case i believe resistance training would benefit you more.

[kristo]

try building up some more static active flexibility in that range.

[wynnema]

Okay, I figured this could go in either flexibility or martial arts, so I was here, so I posted it here. Whatever.

I'm working on axe kicks. I'm trying to get to a point where I can bring my leg straight up 180 degrees (or farther), then hold it for a second or two before finishing the axe kick. I've been working dynamic flexibility and hip strength, but none of the exercises I do seem to benefit that technique at all. Is it just a matter of continued training and hip strength/flexibility progression, or am I missing something?

I do pretty much all the dynamic stretches, I do leg lifts to the front and side, sometimes with weights. I do hip exercises on machines in the gym, stuff like that. I don't do it everyday so as to avoid overtraining the muscles. Am I being impatient or what? Thanks for any help.

when you say you do dynamic lifts with weights, what do you mean.

[short gorilla]

No, sorry, misunderstanding. I don't do dynamic stretching with weights. I do dynamic stretching, and I do leg lifts. Sometimes I do the leg lifts with weights.

[XoN]

You'll need to improve static flexibility for starters. Once you've got a good stretch, try doing a front kick waist height, and hold it for 3 seconds or longer, then lower the leg. Rinse and repeat.
If you do this daily, a) you'll have very sore thighs, and b) you should be able to achieve the axe kick.
It'll probably take several weeks to build up the strength to hold the kick at head height.

[short gorilla]

Hmmm... these are all good tips. Thanks. I'm already able to hold my leg out for a good 5-10 seconds at near head level. The problem arises when I try to hold it any higher. I have the range of motion and flexibility, but it seems I just lose any strength after a certain height (maybe shoulder level).

[wynnema]

Hmmm... these are all good tips. Thanks. I'm already able to hold my leg out for a good 5-10 seconds at near head level. The problem arises when I try to hold it any higher. I have the range of motion and flexibility, but it seems I just lose any strength after a certain height (maybe shoulder level).

in that case it is definetely a strength issue. just persevere with active holds, also deep, wide stance squats will help

[short gorilla]

I'll keep plugging away then. Thanks for the responses! :smile:

[Wesker]

To be able to pause and hold the leg at that height demands some serious leg strength and flexibility.
Do strength training for your legs, work on your front split, do dynamic stretches to the front and do static active stretches. Work your way up.

[Skilzat85X]

Dude if you can stretch that far flexibility isn't a problem. It's strength. Even holding your leg up at chest height is incredibly hard for people who haven't trained to do it.

What you need is strength, and it won't come that quickly. You can stretch until you can split 360 around your head but that isn't going to help you hold up the weight of your legs.

Hold your leg out straight in front of you, then try lifting it slowly and holding it as high as you can. Feel that painful tightening sensation in your quadriceps? That's because you need strength to hold it up that high. Especially when you're holding something as high as an axe kick, you're going to need monumentous strength to pull that off.

The only thing you can do is strengthen the muscles that hold your leg up there. You can do certain lifting exercises or you can just practice holding your leg up as high as you can at the threshold of your comfort zone for a while, then gradually building up higher and higher.

[glide2]

What you need is strength, and it won't come that quickly. You can stretch until you can split 360 around your head but that isn't going to help you hold up the weight of your legs.

I don't think that's right. If you get to the point where you can effortlessly do an oversplits (like contortionists do) on a passive stretch, you'll have no problem in doing the splits on an active stretch. I've seen contortionists do an oversplits on an active stretch and I don't think that they rely solely on strength to do that.

[XoN]

Legs weigh a lot, and you're well and truely out of the optimum power band at that height. It's a strength issue.

[Ashtar]

It sounds like you get the static-passive flex, you work on both straight-leg hip flexion and extension for both legs (since you probably want to do the move with either side), and then static-active stretching is done to put them together.

The pause at the top seems like mainly a trick for control though. If you held it up there too long, wouldn't that compromise the stretch reflex, which is where a lot of the power from the axe kick comes from?

[Trixter]

I don't think that's right. If you get to the point where you can effortlessly do an oversplits (like contortionists do) on a passive stretch, you'll have no problem in doing the splits on an active stretch. I've seen contortionists do an oversplits on an active stretch and I don't think that they rely solely on strength to do that.

He's talking about holding your leg there. They can do an oversplit in a legraise, maybe ok, but holding the leg there is something else.

[short gorilla]

Ok, cool. This is the kind of information I wanted to hear. Debates like this spark ideas and the more ideas the better.

I'm not so worried about the power of the axe kick because in a case where I would be pausing at the peak of the motion (exposing my groin the entire time) I either wouldn't be hitting anythin/anyone hard, or I would be doing it to preceed another technique. Keep it coming though guys. Thanks! :smile:

[glide2]

He's talking about holding your leg there. They can do an oversplit in a legraise, maybe ok, but holding the leg there is something else.

No what I'm saying is that if you have a ridiculous static range of motion (oversplits), then holding your leg up should be easy. I might be wrong though.

[Skilzat85X]

No what I'm saying is that if you have a ridiculous static range of motion (oversplits), then holding your leg up should be easy. I might be wrong though.

You are, simply because you need muscle to hold it that high.

If you're holding your leg straight up high, you're hamstrings will be stretching, however your quadriceps will be the ones holding it up. And since your quads will be contracting to pull it up, it doesn't matter how far they can stretch. Of course, you're hamstrings need to be able to stretch easily too. You need both flexibility and strength.

[Trixter]

You are, simply because you need muscle to hold it that high.

If you're holding your leg straight up high, you're hamstrings will be stretching, however your quadriceps will be the ones holding it up. And since your quads will be contracting to pull it up, it doesn't matter how far they can stretch. Of course, you're hamstrings need to be able to stretch easily too. You need both flexibility and strength.

Bingo.

[Ashtar]

The base leg needs to have flexible hip flexors.