Soke Inoue Yoshimi - Weight distribution and muscle activation in kicks - Seminar Italy 2013

Soke Inoue Yoshimi (Rika Usami’s legendary master) demonstrates some advanced tips to improve kicking techniques (keri, 蹴り). The following areas of improvement are discussed: - Weight distribution. - Muscle activation. - Hip joint mobility. - How to apply his “whip“ concept to kicks, by quickly retracting the foot towards the gluteus after impact. At the start of the execution of a kick, the body weight should be shifted from a 50/50% split between the two legs to 100% on the supporting leg. Subsequently, the hip flexor muscles (iliopsoas) should be activated to raise the knee. To facilitate and increase the knee lift, the supporting knee should be slightly bent and the pelvis should be slightly tilted posteriorly. According to Soke Inoue, it is important to focus the attention on the hip joint rather than the knee when performing a kick. Excessive focus on the knee is typical of an intermediate level of experience and can make the kick trajectory more pre