Taekwondo is one of the most popular martial arts that is practiced and loved by millions of people all over the world.
Not only is it great for learning how to fight, but it also improves your mental health and teaches you important life lessons such as discipline, respect, and patience.
There are a vast number of moves you learn the longer you practice Taekwondo. One of them is called the Butterfly Kick. But what is the Butterfly Kick and how do you do it?
In this article, we’ll be going over exactly what it is and how you can learn how to do it yourself.
What Is A Butterfly Kick In Taekwondo?
The Butterfly Kick is a flying kick that is used in Taekwondo. It is also used in the martial arts wushu (the modern variant) and capoeira.
You will see the Butterfly Kick used in a lot of action films, so once you know how to do it, you can point it out in films and boast to your friends that you are able to do that move!
It is called a Butterfly Kick because of the apex of your legs when you’re performing the kick: all of your limbs are extended out from your body and it’s quite similar to the way a butterfly looks.
Mastering the Butterfly kick helps you when it comes to learning more advanced moves such as log roll splits. In order to master the more advanced moves, you have to have the technique and fundamentals of the Butterfly Kick perfected first.
How To Do A Butterfly Kick?
To perform the Butterly Kick effectively and correctly, you will need to practice it quite a lot and follow the steps provided here to the letter. It might seem complicated at first, but once you understand what you’re doing and it clicks, it will all make a bit more sense.
Getting Into The Right Position
The first thing you’ll want to do is get yourself in the right position to perform the kick. Face the direction in which you want to land when performing the kick.
You will also want to decide if you want the kick to go to the left or right.
It is important to remember that when you are performing the Butterfly Kick, your head will be facing the opposite direction to your legs at all times.
Put yourself in a bow stance and extend your arms out. Extend the arm that corresponds with your straight leg in front of you, keeping your shoulder in line with your ear. With the other arm, make sure it is pointed behind you and your shoulder is in line with the side of your torso.
Performing The Kick
Now that you’re in the correct position, you’re going to want to perform the kick. Follow these steps to do so:
You will want to make sure that your feet are pivoted. Your footwork is incredibly important when it comes to executing the Butterfly Kick correctly.
Pivot your feet 90 degrees and stay on the balls of your feet.
Shift your weight onto the leg that was straight in the bow position.
Bend the left leg and transfer most of your weight to this leg.
Use your arms to swing for momentum.
Bend your body forward.
On your standing leg, pivot 180 degrees.
Now, lift your right leg up and extend it behind you.
Jump off your standing leg and extend it behind you.
Finally, land on your right leg.
You have now performed a Butterfly Kick!
Perfecting The Kick
The first time you successfully perform a Butterfly Kick won’t be as graceful as you might hope, but that’s not a problem!
As long as you practice, practice, practice, and get advice from your teacher, you will eventually perform the Butterfly Kick with finesse.
Some things you can do to help make your Butterfly Kick better are:
Point your toes. It is important to point your toes as much as possible when you’re performing the Butterfly Kick. It will make your kick look much better.
Keep Your Head Up. When performing the kick, keep your head up the whole time. Find something ahead of you and keep your gaze on it to help you get used to keeping your head as static as possible.
Practice. Above everything else, your Butterfly Kick will only be as good as the amount of practice you actually put into it. If you perform it once and then leave it for months, it won’t be as good as would be if you practice it at least once a day. You will need patience and determination to make your Butterfly Kick good and aesthetically pleasing.
How To Improve The Strength Of Your Kick?
In order to improve the strength of your Butterfly Kick, you’re going to need to do more training and cardio.
Lunges and squats are really helpful, but your best bet is to do more short-distance sprints. You need to work on building up and strengthening the muscles in your legs and doing exercise that specifically works on the legs will help you improve your Butterfly Kick.
It also helps if you practice the Butterfly Kick frequently. Once you get the technique down, it will start to become second nature to you and by default, your legs will get stronger.
Conclusion
The Butterfly Kick is not an easy move to learn and it will take you lots of practice to actually master.
If you follow the instructions provided here and you’re still a bit confused, you can look at YouTube videos to help you get a better visual understanding of the kick.
If you know of someone who can already do the Butterfly Kick, don’t be afraid to ask them to help you learn. If they think you are ready for the Butterfly Kick, they will help you!
Remember that learning the Butterfly Kick takes determination, practice, and a lot of repetition. Once you have the move drilled into your head and the muscle memory in place, you’ll be able to perform it with no problems!
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