Side kicks make my back hurt...

[Gayle]

Does anybody else have this problem with side kicks?

I took a martial arts class about a year ago, so I know what the proper side kick form is (hips stacked, no butt sticking out, kicking foot position, heel on floor turned out, etc), but whenever I do side kicks in any kick box video, they make my lower back hurt. I really think it's the speed in which your supposed to do them -- it's really difficult to get the form right. With any side kicks in Cathe's videos, I've found that I need to slow down to about a half kick behind in order to have proper form.

Front and back kicks, however, are not a problem.

 

[roe]

Hmm, I'll take a stab at this one. A side kick is dependent on the strength of your abductor muscles. If they are weak and don't have the strength to fully execute the kick, then your stronger low back muscles might be taking over. Weak abdominal stabilizers may also contribute as they really need to hold you in alignment during side kicks, especially during faster tempos.

This is just an educated guess. Try stretching your low back before doing the videos and see if that helps. Try 3 sets of stretches holding each stretch for 30 seconds.

-Roe

 

[Gayle]

Interesting theory about the abductor muscles, Roe. I think you may be onto something with that one. My back and abs are pretty strong, but abductors are my absolute least favorite body part to work. When I do them during PLB, I'm hangin' onto that stability ball for dear life!

Thanks for your insight.

 

[kathryn]

What about building up to these by keeping the kicks lower to begin with? You will still get most of the benefits to the legs without having to use the obliques as much at first.

Some things to ponder:
Since you seem to be sure that it's side kicks that are the culprit, and not front or back kicks, it sounds like you notice the pain while you are doing the kick. Is that right? And is it a "bad hurt" or more of a "weak muscle soreness"? Can you do roundhouse kicks without the pain? I'm also wondering if you might be exaggerating the "no butt sticking out" aspect of the kick by tucking your pelvis under too much? I actually don't think much about my butt "placement" during these kicks}( , except to make sure that the kick is driven by the glutes.

 

[Gayle]

Hi Kathryn,

Thanks for chiming in. I've been doing the kick's lower, which feels fine but the intensity isn't there.

The pain is only there when I do the kick and yes it is a "bad hurt". I also get them with the roundhouse. It's something about going into that sideways bending motion quickly that tweaks it. If I do the kicks slower, focusing on form, it doesn't hurt.

I never thought much about driving the kick with the glute, but more about where everything "is". Maybe doing the former will put things in the right place.

 

[roe]

Gayle,

It sounds to me that your deeper abdominal stabilizer muscles (transverse abdominins and internal obliques)could be weak which is forcing your back to take over when you bend sideways into the kick. Espeically when you mentioned you are holding on to the ball for dear life when doing the abductor work in PLB. It is these muscles that have to work very hard to keep us balanced while we lift the leg.

Your rectus abdominis and external obliques (the most superficial layer or abdominal muscle - closest to the surface of our bodies) are probably very strong from many years of traditional ab work,, but the deeper stabilizers do not get worked much with traditional crunches, reverse crunches and oblique work, unless one is really using the abdominals to perform the lift by pulling the navel into the spine.

It sounds like a balance issue - holding yourself in alignment at faster tempos is going to require more balance and work from your core than when the pace is slower.

I'd like to know what real martial arts people do to keep such control when performing kicks. They must train for balance and agility - no?

-Roe

 

[kathryn]

>Hi Kathryn,
>
>Thanks for chiming in. I've been doing the kick's lower, which
>feels fine but the intensity isn't there.
>
>The pain is only there when I do the kick and yes it is a "bad
>hurt". I also get them with the roundhouse. It's something
>about going into that sideways bending motion quickly that
>tweaks it. If I do the kicks slower, focusing on form, it
>doesn't hurt.
>
>I never thought much about driving the kick with the glute,
>but more about where everything "is". Maybe doing the former
>will put things in the right place.
>
>

Another thing, maybe thinking about stabilizing your core muscles by imagining that you are tightening up a corset (to "bring in" the muscles all the way around the waist) could help, also.

If it doesn't hurt on slower kicks, I'd just stick with the slower kicks! When I do Tae Bo, I never do the "machine gun" kicks that Billy does...much too fast.

 

[Gayle]

Thank you both for your input. You've definitely given me insight on this problem that I hadn't thought of.

<snip>I'd like to know what real martial arts people do to keep such control when performing kicks. They must train for balance and agility - no?<snip>

The class that I took was a six-week "Intro to the Martial Arts" class. The teacher has been practicing kung fu (I don't recall the specific discipline of kung fu) for more than 20 years and has his own dojo(sp). It was pretty amazing to watch him and his assistant fluidly demonstrate some of these moves, and pretty humbling to try and do them ourselves, even at a snails pace. I think many moves are practiced over and over until they become second nature.

Each class started with a workout that was pretty intense...a lot of stratching, core work, squat thrusts, jump squats, funky pushups on your knuckles (ouch!! ). I have a lot of respect for people who can do this stuff well.