Improve your kickboxing kicking technique

Being able to kick hard is not the same as being able to kick well. A powerful kick comes from more than your leg: it depends on your supporting leg, hips, torso and timing working together.

To improve your kicking technique, start by working on control and execution. More power comes afterwards.

Whether you are working on low kicks, body kicks or high kicks, the same technical fundamentals keep coming back.

Start with a stable fighting stance

A good kick starts before your leg even leaves the ground.

You need to be able to move from a stable stance without extensively repositioning your feet first. If your stance is too narrow, too wide or fully on your heels, it becomes harder to kick quickly and return with control.

Pay attention to:

keeping your weight distributed between both legs;
staying light on your feet;
keeping your knees slightly bent;
keeping your guard high;
not standing completely square-on;
being able to move immediately from your stance.

Read our guide to basic stances and punches in kickboxing.

Pivot properly on your supporting leg

One of the most important parts of a good roundhouse kick is pivoting your supporting foot.

When you kick with your rear leg, your supporting foot needs to turn with the movement. This gives your hips room to rotate further.

If your supporting foot keeps pointing straight forwards, you limit your hip movement. Your kick becomes stiffer and you generate less power from your body’s rotation.

Pivot on the ball of your foot as you initiate the kick.

How far you turn varies with the kick and situation. The key is that your supporting leg does not block hip rotation.

Kick from your hip, rather than your leg alone

A common beginner mistake is mainly trying to swing the lower leg hard into the target.

In a good kick, much of the movement comes from the hip.

You effectively rotate your whole body through the kick. Your supporting foot turns, your hip comes forwards and your upper body moves with control.

This lets you use much more of your body weight.

Do not think only:

“I kick with my leg.”

Instead, think:

“I rotate my body through the kick.”

Keep your balance during the kick

A hard kick has little value if you lose your balance afterwards.

After every kick, you should immediately be able to:

defend;
move;
perform another technique;
respond to a counter.

Train both hitting the target and returning to your fighting stance.

A simple drill is to kick slowly and briefly hold your knee still just before the target. This immediately shows whether you have enough control over your supporting leg and torso.

Only add speed when you can perform the movement steadily.

Use your arms for balance and power

Your arms do not stay completely still during a kick.

In a roundhouse kick, the arm on the same side as your kicking leg often moves backwards. This supports rotation and helps your balance.

At the same time, avoid leaving yourself completely exposed.

Your other hand therefore stays as close to your head as possible to protect you.

The exact arm movement varies by style and coach, but one rule remains important: do not let your arms fly around without control.

Bring your kick straight back

A kick does not stop when you hit the target.

After contact, bring your leg back with control and return to your stance.

If you let your leg drop after every kick, you stay out of position for longer and give your opponent more time to respond.

Deliberately practise three phases:

initiating;
making contact;
returning with control.

You can give this particular attention during gentle technical padwork.

Train slowly first

People who want to learn to kick harder often automatically try to move faster and more explosively.

But this actually makes mistakes harder to see.

Perform a new kick slowly first.

During every repetition, pay attention to:

your supporting foot position;
balance;
hip rotation;
guard;
the striking surface;
bringing your leg back.

Only increase the pace once the movement is technically correct.

Use the correct striking surface

In kickboxing, many roundhouse kicks make contact with the shin.

This differs from martial arts where kicks more often use the foot or instep.

Judge your distance so that the right part of your shin contacts the target.

If you stand too far away, you are more likely to hit with your foot. If you stand too close, you cannot rotate fully through the kick.

Distance is therefore an important part of kicking technique.

Practise kicks on Thai pads

Pads are ideal for improving kicking technique because you can focus on one technique without having to stop the movement yourself on every repetition.

For example, start with:

10 gentle right kicks;
10 gentle left kicks;
then the same drill at a higher pace;
then combinations with punches and kicks.

Sturdy Thai pads are important for practising powerful kicks. One example is the Hayabusa PTS3 Thai Pads.

The Fairtex KPLS2 Superior Curved Kick Pads are also specifically designed to receive kicks and combinations.

Browse all Thai pads for padwork.

Use the punching bag for repetitions

A punching bag lets you perform plenty of repetitions without depending on a training partner.

Do not use it only to kick as hard as possible.

For example, do three different rounds:

Round 1: gentle pace, focused entirely on technique
Round 2: combinations of punches and kicks
Round 3: explosive single kicks with full control

A longer punching bag is useful when you want to practise both low kicks and body kicks.

The Fairtex HB6 Muay Thai Banana Bag, for example, is long enough to train different kicking heights.

Want to know more about bagwork? Read our guide to punching bag training.

Train both sides

Many kickboxers clearly have a favourite side.

That is normal, but it does not mean you should ignore your weaker side.

Deliberately train both left and right.

You do not have to be equally strong on both sides straight away. The goal is to kick with good technique using both legs and avoid being entirely dependent on one side during combinations.

Your weaker side often mainly needs more repetitions.

Work on your hip mobility

Mobility plays a major role, especially in higher kicks.

If your hips do not have enough freedom of movement, you often compensate by leaning backwards or losing your stance.

Regularly work on mobility in your:

hips;
hamstrings;
inner thighs;
ankles.

Do this alongside your normal kickboxing training and mainly use dynamic movements before training.

Do not keep forcing your leg higher than you can technically control. A high kick is only good when you can perform it steadily.

Practise different kicking heights

A good kickboxer can perform the same basic movement at different heights.

Low kick

A low kick usually targets your opponent’s thigh. Timing, distance and rotating your hip fully are important here.

Body kick

For a body kick, you need to rotate higher and maintain more control over your balance. Make sure you are not too far from the target.

High kick

Alongside technique, a high kick requires more mobility and balance. Do not immediately try to kick as high as possible. Build up the height gradually while keeping the execution consistent.

Protect your shins during partner training

During technical practice and sparring, you regularly make contact with your training partner’s legs.

Use good shin guards.

Popular models in our range include:

Shin guards are designed to make contact training safer. They do not replace controlled kicking technique.

Ankle supports can be comfortable during training

Many kickboxers wear ankle supports while training.

They provide light compression around the ankle and extra grip when training on the mat.

Examples include:

Ankle supports do not correct your technique. Learning to pivot, balance and return properly remains more important.

Combine kicks with punches

In a real kickboxing session, you rarely throw only single kicks.

Once you have sufficient command of the technique, incorporate kicks into combinations.

For example:

jab – cross – low kick;
cross – left body kick;
jab – low kick;
jab – cross – hook – low kick;
right body kick – cross;
jab – cross – left high kick.

Training combinations teaches you to position yourself correctly for your next kick while moving and immediately after a punch.

See our simple kickboxing combinations for beginners.

Good kicking technique depends on repetition

Your kicking technique does not improve simply because you understand the movement once.

You need to perform the same movement correctly hundreds of times.

Start with control. Then work on speed, timing and power.

The main points remain:

a stable starting position;
pivoting on your supporting leg;
rotation from the hip;
the right distance;
balance during the kick;
returning straight to your stance.

The better these elements work together, the faster, more powerful and more controlled your kicks ultimately become.

How can you improve your kicking technique in kickboxing?