How to Perform a Round Kick

A round, or roundhouse, kick is a primary kicking technique in karate and Japanese martial arts. The purpose of a roundhouse kick is to circumnavigate your opponent's defense. Kicks such as the front ball kick, side kick and back kick are linear in motion and strike your opponent's frontal targets. The round kick takes a circular path and strikes from the side, commonly in the knee, ribs or side of the head. There are some basic steps you can take to help perfect your technique.

Things You'll Need

  • Kicking bag or padded target
  • Workout area 10 feet x 10 feet or larger
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Instructions

    • 1

      Face your kicking pad or target and stand approximately 4 to 5 feet away. Step back into a fighting stance with 50 percent body weight on each leg, and with your feet and center line facing a 45-degree angle away from the pad. The leg you stepped back with is the one you will be kicking with.

    • 2

      With your knees bent, twist your upper body forward and then let your hips unwind with the motion. The kick uses the principle of torque to generate energy. When untwisting, pivot on the ball of your front foot. This will allow your body to rotate through the action. If you don't pivot on the ball of your foot, your hips won't be able to rotate completely and will obstruct your kick.

    • 3

      Simultaneously bring up your back knee so that it is in front of you and pointed toward your target. Imagine a waist-high table in front of you and you are laying your knee and upper leg flat on top of it. This is the proper way to chamber your leg, or cock it for the kick.

    • 4

      With your knee pointed toward your target in the fire position, extend your leg and strike the pad with the instep, or top part, of your foot. Use the rebounding energy from the strike to re-chamber your leg and pull it back to your starting position. Keep your toes pointed down when making contact to avoid breaking them against the target.

    • 5

      Perform the sequence again, this time with all of the steps simultaneously. Twist your upper body, unwind and use the torque to whip your knee around in front of you chambered, extend your leg and strike with the instep of the foot, retract and reset. Keep practicing this until you feel smoother and your body is essentially feeling like a whip.

    • 6

      Switch sides and try the kick with the opposite leg. Start slow until you have worked out the motions and then add the energy and timing. Switch off each leg every couple of minutes.

    • 7

      Work on control and now do the kicks without the padded target. Rotate, unwind, extend and throw your kick in the air at an imaginary target and then pull it back. The challenge now is you do not have the pad to rebound against and your muscles will begin to develop the control to bring the leg back on its own.