KerwinBenson.com Hidden Gems of Martial Arts

Do you ever try kicking in two directions, without replacing your foot down in between?

I imagine kicking multiple attackers in my mind. Thwap -- I lash out with a back kick. Whoosh -- It heads back on the same line and ends up in a front thrust kick to the stomach, groin, or knee.

Maybe my first kick is a side kick -- to the side (not to the front). It immediately retracts and heads foward into front thrust kick.

One of the secrets to making these kinds of kicks work is to eliminate the telegraph between kicks:

• Keep your head at the same level Don't bob your head in between kicks.

• Don't raise on your toes between kicks -- which accounts for a lot of head bobbing.

• Get set in a balanced position before the kick. Make sure you don't have to stop to shift your balance. Don't shift your weight.

• Practice for smoothness first, speed later. Pick up speed after your brain has the kicking path solidly imprinted in you noggin and muscle memory.

Yes, I practice more than double kicks.

A common combination (say that five times quickly) for me is to start with a back kick.

I immediately kick forward to a front thrust kick.

As my front thrust kick reaches full extension, the foot starts on its way to a low shin kick to the side.

As soon as I feel the snap of the shin kick, I end my kicking sequence by raising the foot into a waist-high side kick.

Back - forward - down - side

All four kicks equal a count of 'one.'

And I try to do all four very fast, with no telegraphing in between.