A Vertical Kick

 

"If size mattered, the elephant would be the king of the jungle."

-Anderson Silva

 

 

 

 

This photo was taken about a week ago.

I am writing about it for a couple of reasons. The first is I really like this photo; one of my step-mothers took this photo. She is amazing at photography.

The second is I really enjoy this kick. I am fairly flexible, but am still working toward a full split. So the fact I can kick above my heard with kicks angled forward is something I take pride in.

But the most important reason I am writing about this is that no matter how well you do a kick, or how cool it looks, there is always room for improvement.

In the above photo you can see that my grounded leg has the heel lifted. This is incorrect. The heel should be planted, obviously I have more stretching. Additionally, though it is minor my head is dropped slightly. I cannot recall if I did that deliberately, such as to look at the camera better, or if it is honestly a bad habit. I say that because in the other photos we took I am not doing that;

 

 

 

So that point is debatable. I am happy to say that I have eliminated a bad habit; dropping my arms when I kick. The first photo I am attempting to do a vertical punch while kicking, but unfortunately did not completely pull it off.

 

But what I believe drives this home for me is that ten years ago I could not do this kick. I was fortunate if I got the foot up to head level.

 

We age, and it is a concern of mine that even with diligence practice abilities will get lost. I am happy to admit this has not been the case whatsoever. The more I push myself the more I find myself to become more capable.

 

 

This was me last year;

 

 

This is what I can do now;

 

 

 

 

And that is how martial arts works; kind of like if early you're on time, if on time you're late, and if late you're forgotten. If you push yourself you will improve. If you stay still your ability will degrade over time, and if you stop you will lose your ability completely.

 

 

 

"Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles."

-Thomas Browne