Squat Kicks: The Deceptively Simple Exercise to Strengthen Your Legs and Improve Your Kicks
The next exercise I’m going to walk you through is deceptively simple to perform, but the benefits you can achieve in a relatively short period of time, if you stick with your workouts, are incredible. NO, this is not some dumb miracle technique or a secret training technique known only to a few who learned it from a Tibetan monk. It’s just a solid basic exercise combined with whatever kick or kicks you want to combine with it. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
BASIC SQUAT:
The starting position for your basic squat is executed facing directly forward (forward-facing squat position) while standing with your feet about a little more than shoulder-width apart and your upper body and back straight. In this particular case, I want you to keep your hands in a fighting position, exactly like a boxer would.
From this position, slowly bend your knees keeping your upper body and back straight and your hands up, as you lower yourself until your upper thighs are parallel to the floor. Make sure your head is up with your eyes focused in front of you, not on the ground. Once you get to this position, slowly rise back up to your original starting position. Once you become familiar with this exercise and your body’s reaction, you can adjust the speed to alternate between doing slower and faster repetitions.
BASIC SQUAT VARIATION:
The only difference in this particular variation is that instead of standing facing straight ahead, I want you to stand more on your side (side facing squat) like you would if you were in a real fighting stance. However, one thing to remember is to keep your feet parallel to each other. Don’t actually have your feet in the position that you would normally have them in during a real combat stance.
From this position, slowly bend your knees keeping your upper body and back straight and your hands up, as you lower yourself until your upper thighs are parallel to the floor. Make sure your head is up and turned over your front shoulder with your eyes focused in that direction, not on the ground. Once you get to this position, slowly rise back up to your original starting position. After doing a predetermined set of reps, switch feet so you’re facing the opposite direction with the opposite side of your body now facing forward.
Once you become familiar with this exercise and your body’s reaction, you can adjust the speed to alternate between doing slower and faster repetitions.
KICKS:
Which kicks or kicks you decide to do is entirely up to you. My only recommendation is to not do any jump kicks for several weeks until your legs have gotten used to the new training routine. You can execute your kicks at the height you prefer. The only thing to make sure and do is alternate legs after each squat, but we’ll talk about that later.
SQUAT KICKS (The Exercise):
Begin by standing in either a forward squat position or a side squat position. The position that is most comfortable for you. Eventually, you’ll want to do this set of exercises from both positions.
Keeping your hands up and your upper body and back straight, slowly lower yourself until your upper thighs are parallel to the ground. At this point, slowly rise back up to your original starting position. However, as you start to get back to your starting position, execute whatever kick you prefer with your right leg. Immediately after returning your kicking leg to the ground, slowly lower yourself back down into a squat position. Repeat this again and then execute your preferred kick with the left leg. This constitutes one (1) repetition.
Do this 10 times by executing the same kick ten times with each leg before moving on to your next kick.
Now I know what you’re thinking. This is really simple! Well, you’re right, it’s simple, but extremely effective at building strength and endurance in your legs. Not to mention improving the speed and power of your kicks.
RECOMMENDED ROUTINE:
I highly recommend doing the following routine 3-4 times a week. You will need to adjust the number of repetitions to suit your own fitness level.
Day one:
Knee raises: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions (2 squats and 1 kick with each leg is one repetition)
Rising kicks: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions
Front kicks: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions
Side kicks: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions
Back kicks: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 reps
Day two:
Knee raises: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions (2 squats and 1 kick with each leg is one repetition)
Rising kicks: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions
Crescent Kicks: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 reps
Reverse Half Moon Kicks – 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 reps
Roundhouse kicks: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions
Day Three:
Knee raises: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 reps (2 squats and 1 kick with each leg is one rep)
Rising kicks: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions
Ax kicks: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 reps
Wheel Kicks – 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 reps
Hook Kicks – 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 reps
Be sure to stretch properly before attempting these exercises. They are simple in nature, but they are a very brutal exercise for the legs. This can even be done while watching your favorite TV show. However, if you decide to do it at that time, I recommend that you do the exercise during the program and take a break during the commercials. Try to work as far as you can do this for the entire time your favorite show is playing.
Final note:
Please feel free to leave me a comment on this routine and let me know how it works for you.