Don’t Lock Out Your Kicks
by Bill Wallace

You can be injured while throwing any type of kick. That’s a fact of life in the martial arts. But if you hyperextend your leg—in other words, lock out your kick—you can actually throw your knee out of joint, and then you’ll be in a world of hurt.
In the dojo, you’re most at risk when you thrust your leg out and don’t pull it up short, especially when you fail to make contact with a heavy target. The injury is similar to tennis elbow, and it can sideline you for a long time.
Repeatedly extending your leg to kick stretches the ligament in the knee ever so slightly. Snapping your leg back compresses the cartilage in the knee and weakens the joint, allowing it to move around more. Once the cartilage can no longer absorb shock, you can throw your knee out of joint easily. Typical injuries include cartilage pulls and tears, as well as damage to the ligament.
Treatments vary. At the lower end of the spectrum you might be advised to stay off your leg and keep your knee slightly bent. Or you might be told to rest and apply a hot or cold pack. At the extreme end, you may be scheduled for arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn ligament. Surgery can cost $20,000 or more, depending on the severity of the damage, and it can take six weeks to eight weeks to recover. Even after your knee has physically healed, it might feel as though your leg is still weak. Therefore, the best course of action is to prevent problems from cropping up in the first place and, if that’s not possible, to treat injuries while they’re still minor.
The knee is not the only body part that can suffer when you kick improperly. Fractures of the ankles, feet and toes have also been diagnosed. People who do muay Thai risk breaking their fibula and tibia because they throw hard, strong kicks in an effort to strike “through” the target.
Now that you’re scared, it’s time for the good news. I’ve been kicking for 42 years, and I’ve never hyperextended my leg or broken any of the associated bones because I don’t really kick that hard. I just throw my foot out and snap it back, similar to how you throw a backfist. That protects the knee because the ligament snaps right back and the cartilage isn’t compressed.
Another good way to protect your joints when you kick is to make sure you’re sufficiently warmed up and your muscles are pliable. Every time you’re ready to kick, first devote five minutes to a light preparatory workout. Gradually work your muscles by separating your legs toward a split. Get your heart pumping to supply fresh blood to the relevant areas. Unlike stretching, where you try to elongate your muscles, warming up is a matter of getting your muscles flexible and ready to execute the movements without damage. I don’t believe in doing ballistic (bouncing) stretches because you risk tearing the muscle and the fascia (sheathing around the muscle).
If you want to incorporate kicks into your warm-up routine, don’t throw them any higher than your stomach or chest. I like to start with a roundhouse kick because it’s easy. Next, I do the side kick because it’s a relatively low technique. Last, I execute the hook kick, which is my high kick.
There’s no one best way for improving every martial artist’s kicks. You’ll have to find a method that works for you. Attack the problem gradually. After warming up, practice throwing your techniques at half-speed 15 or 20 times just to get used to the movement. Then start throwing them a little faster, harder and higher. If you experience pain, stop and return to the level of intensity you were at before. Remember that the form, strength and speed of your kicks are more important than how high you can get your foot.

About the author: Bill Wallace is a former kickboxing champion and Black Belt Hall of Fame member who now teaches seminars around the world. To contact him, visit http://www.superfoot.com.