Conditioning / Kicks / Shadow

Ten low kicks

Low kick, reset, low kick, reset, with the reset counted as part of the rep.

Rear low kick, reset, rear low kick, reset, for a counted round. Ten low kicks in a row with a reset between each one is a round most gyms run, and the fault it exposes is the support foot: by the fifth kick it has stopped turning. The loop is kick, reset, kick, reset, so the reset is counted as part of the rep.

The actions, phase by phase

Rear low kick

1. Stance. Same start as the body kick: hands up, chin down, weight ready to move.
2. Turn support. The support heel turns out and lifts so the hip can come over.
3. Chop down. The shin arrives at thigh height and angles down through the target, the foot relaxed behind it.
4. Recover. Let the leg swing back to the stance rather than stopping it dead.

Watch for. The study shows the angle of the shin and the turn of the support foot. It cannot show the thigh it lands on, the check it might meet, or how much to commit. Do not throw this at full power into air.

Muay Thai guard

1. Base. Keep a stance from which either leg can lift.
2. Hands ready. Bring the hands into your coach-taught guard.
3. Balance. Keep the torso upright enough to manage kicks and checks.
4. Reset. Re-establish the base after every action.

Watch for. This illustration does not show clinch posture or an opponent.

Turn on every one

1. The support foot turns on every single one.
2. Reset the guard between kicks; do not chain them into a spin.
3. Count shape, not power.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Support foot stops turning. the support heel turns out on every single kick.
2. Chaining kicks into a spin. the guard is rebuilt between kicks; the loop does not carry momentum.
3. Counting power instead of shape. count clean turns, not hard kicks.

A starting prescription

3 rounds of 90 seconds with 45 seconds between them. Ten and reset, as many sets as the round allows, no power. Load the study into the session builder with these numbers and change them to suit the round you are preparing for.

What this loop is, and is not

Solo rehearsal of a shape you have already been taught. No partner, no contact, no pad impact, and no coach has reviewed this loop. It shows where the joints go, not whether they should go there for you.

Where it sits

Stage: Conditioning. Before it: Straight knees in a row. Sessions that use it: Low kick round. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.