Conditioning / Kicks / Shadow

Teep ladder

Lead teep, rear teep, lead, rear, every foot replaced before the next leaves.

Lead teep, rear teep, lead, rear, for repetition once the shape is familiar. Ladders are for once the shape is familiar: lead teep, rear teep, lead, rear, for a counted round. The point is not power. It is that the shape survives repetition, that every foot is replaced fully before the other one leaves, and that the guard is still up at the end of the round.

The actions, phase by phase

Lead teep / push kick

1. Stance. Balance over the supporting leg with hands ready.
2. Chamber. Lift the lead knee before extending the lower leg.
3. Extend. Push the hips forward through the extension; the ball of the foot leads.
4. Re-chamber. Draw the knee back, then replace the foot.

Watch for. Avoid dropping the kicking foot straight down from extension. How far the hips should travel depends on range and balance, which a coach has to set for you.

Rear teep / push kick

1. Stance. Weight goes onto the lead leg first; the hands stay at the head.
2. Chamber. The rear knee lifts and folds before anything extends.
3. Push. The hips travel forward and the ball of the foot arrives with the toes pulled back.
4. Replace. Draw the knee back, then put the foot down behind you where it came from.

Watch for. The rear teep is the longer, slower cousin of the lead one. How far the hips should commit depends on range and on what comes back at you, and that is a coaching call this loop cannot make.

Replace, then the other side

1. Replace every foot fully before the other one leaves.
2. Height stays honest; the count does not buy you range.
3. Stop the round if the guard starts to drop.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Feet not replaced between kicks. every foot is placed back in the stance before the next one lifts.
2. Height creeping down with fatigue. the height stays honest to the end; stop the round rather than fake it.
3. Guard drifting. stop when the hands drop; a tired ladder teaches a low guard.

A starting prescription

3 rounds of 90 seconds with 45 seconds between them. Alternate lead and rear for the whole round. Count replaced feet, not kicks. 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: Hands and checks round. After it: Straight knees in a row. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.