How to Increase the Speed and Accuracy of Your Kicks in Tae Kwon Do

Co-authored by Julee Peck Jones

Last Updated: January 29, 2023 Approved

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Learn how to lower the time it takes to put your foot on your opponent's face, neck, knee, etc. If you use these steps, within few weeks you should have no trouble kicking someone before they can even get halfway to kicking you. Unless, of course, they've been practicing this same technique.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Warm up

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Make sure you are properly warmed up before you start practicing your kicks. Focus on stretching your legs. As a minimum, stretch your knees, then do half splits, splits, front splits, butterfly stretches. Also do kick warm ups. Don’t forget to go deeper every time in your stretch. This will increase your flexibility and you will be able to kick higher.^{[1]
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You can run, do burpees, do cardio kickboxing, swim, or do anything else that will work out your heart. Endurance is important in Taekwondo!

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Practice all types of kicks in general, kick targets, and do it often. Focus on your form and make sure your movements are accurate.^{[2]
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Similar to football or basketball, TKD also requires footwork! Make sure you know how to move forwards and backwards, side to side, how to slide, or cross your feet. This will speed up your movements for when you actually perform kicks in general.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Increasing Speed

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1
Get a target. You can use a kicking pad or a kicking target specifically for Taekwondo that you can buy. You can also use a stiff or folded piece of paper as your target or an X-ray paper.^{[3]
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- If you don’t have a partner to work with and want a target, you can make one yourself using a nail, string, tennis ball and a small plastic sandwich bag. Place the ball in the bag, then use the string to tie the bag closed being sure to leave a few extra feet of string. Drive the nail into a ceiling or, if you can't kick over 5 ¹⁄₂ feet (1.7 m), a door frame will work. Tie the string from the bag to the nail in the ceiling so that it hangs down about 6 inches (15.2 cm) lower than you can kick.
Do not try be fast or put too much power into the kick, just make sure your kick motion is perfect. Hit the target, but focus more on the motion and less on the power.
When you kick movements are once again perfect at the new speed, increase the speed a little more.^{[4]
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5
Add power to your kicks as you keep practicing. But make sure your movements remain exact.
- When training to increase your speed or power, don’t forget about the accuracy. Accuracy is as important as the speed.
Ask a friend to hold up a his or her fist or just hold a smaller target, such as a piece of paper at different heights for you to kick.^{[5]
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Since you need to bring up your knee for some kicks, speeding up this motion will improve your speed as well. Practice pulling your knee faster to increase speed.
Practice sliding and stepping into the kick. If the lead in to the kick is faster, it will give you momentum to kick faster as well. Incorporation of fast footwork and the kick will increase your overall speed.
Practice quickly stepping away from the target after you kick.
If you keep your weight on the front of your feet, you’ll be able to move faster versus if you keep your weight on your heels.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Ankle Weights

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Consult with someone who is an expert in Taekwondo to get the right weights for your height, weight, and experience.
Put on the ankle weights after you are dressed in the morning and wear them constantly throughout the day, even when driving, or working if you can. If they become uncomfortable to the point you can't bear it anymore, take them off for a few minutes then put them back on.
This will work out your leg muscles and make your legs stronger.
Make sure you focus on accuracy of your kick before proceeding to improving speed.
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Watch to see that after a few weeks you'll be so much faster at kicking when not wearing your weights that you'll be able to wait on someone to start to kick you, and you'll be able to kick them first.
- There is a higher level and number of aerial kicks in Taekwondo compared to other martial arts.
- Taekwondo is known for doing jump spin kicks, 360-degree kicks, and 540-degree kicks.
- The biggest difference between Taekwondo and karate is the aerial kicks and the amount of kicking as opposed to hand techniques.

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Question

What if I don't have a practicing area or space to practice, how will I practice?

Community Answer

Look for ways to build strength and balance. You can balance on one leg in the smallest areas. Practicing doesn't mean just the sport itself but also building strength, speed, balance, etc.

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Why does the woman in the video always do a little hop before she kicks? That's a sure signal telegraphing her intentions.

Community Answer

It delivers much more power by giving acceleration to your foot, but yes, that is sure a signal that says "I'm gonna kick!" But if you hop all the time, that wouldn't do much.

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In fighting, should I give a shout for every kick?

Community Answer

If you are planning to use it for a point or make intentional contact, then yes. If you aren't attempting to make contact or if you aren't putting much power into it, then no.

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Tips

Learning to trust your control will make you faster because you will not be hesitant out of fear of hurting your sparring partner.

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Moving your leg doesn't matter if it isn't moving accurately and with proper use of muscles, or you lose your balance. That's why the slow kicks are useful.

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When you first take off the weights, your feet will feel very light. This is a good time to kick the ball hanging from the ceiling.

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Warnings

Be very careful when wearing ankle weights for extended periods. If you're not careful, you risk serious injury to your ankles or knees. If you feel consistent pain in your joints, stop wearing the weights and talk to your doctor.

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Consult a doctor before starting any exercise program.

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Kicking and punching with an opponent can be dangerous and you risk serious injury whenever you practice.

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