3 Ways to Improve Your Roundhouse Kicks

12-year old Even executing front leg roundhouse kick

You can learn a kick in 1 minute, but to perfect the kick takes much longer. Here are some ways you can improve your roundhouse kicks.

1. Stretch and Improve Flexibility
Our range of motion can be hindered by our limited flexibility. Most kicks, with the exception of low kicks (targeted at the thighs) require a minimum level of flexibility. You can increase your flexibility by stretching these key muscles:
• Hamstrings (muscles at the back of the thigh)
• Quadriceps (muscles at the front of the thigh, above the kneecap)
• Hip Flexors (front area near your hip bone)
• Glutes (butt muscles)

We recommend stretching at least 20 minutes per session, 3 times a week. For maximum progress, you can stretch daily.​

Kids stretching during kids kickboxing program

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2. Focus on Knee-Lift Chambers
A knee lift chamber is essentially lifting your knee to a 90-degree angle, and holding it before throwing the kick. For roundhouse kicks, you want to lift the knee (ensuring it faces the direction of your kick) with your heels as close to your glutes. Once the knee-lift chamber is done, the final step is to complete the technique and extend the kick.

It is recommended to include the knee-lift chambers into all of your training sessions, at least 50 repetitions per leg. Watch your leg control increase with more practice!

Kids practicing leg chambers and training single leg balance

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3. Train Single-Leg Balance
Balancing on one leg is easy. Balancing on one leg while executing a leg technique makes it more challenging. You will need single leg stability when throwing kicks. Hence, it is paramount to work on single leg balance. In addition, such training will improve leg proprioception which will enhance your kicks.

To train single leg balance, simply lift one leg to a 90-degree angle and hold it for at least 10 seconds. You may increase the difficulty of the exercise by holding a weight, standing on an unsteady surface (such as a bosu balance trainer) or even switching up your foot position (toes pointing forward, sideways and backwards).

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​​​Where Can My Child Learn Kickboxing?
Want to try Kickboxing, but don’t know where to go? Come and join us at Active Zone. We run a credible kids kickboxing program with a grading system accredited by WAKO. So what are you waiting for? Sign up today for some action and lots of fun! Follow us on our social media pages for more information on the classes we have