5 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Doing A Roundhouse Kick

In sports, talent can only take you so far. Technique matters, especially for combat sports. To be efficient in boxing and kickboxing, you need to learn how to properly throw a punch, check a kick, slip a punch … the list goes on.

One of the tougher techniques that you can learn in kickboxing is the roundhouse kick. Here, FightCamp Trainers Jess Evans and Aaron Swenson will teach you how to avoid the five (5) common mistakes made when throwing a round kick so you can kick with confidence.

5 Mistakes When Throwing The Round Kick

Mistake 1 | Staying Flat-Footed

Work from the ground up. A lot of people don’t kick on the ball of the foot when performing the round kick.

• Staying flat-footed will prevent a full pivot in the knee and hips

The Fix: Lift The Heel

• Main objective of a round kick: At the end of the kick, the heel of your plant foot should be facing your target

  • This maximizes mobility needed for the kick and helps to minimize knee damage from the torque of the kick

• Make sure to stay on the ball of your plant foot

Mistake 2 | Improper Hip Turnover

• When kicking (and punching), we start from the ground up, and if the hips can't turn over, your kick won’t have any power

The Fix: Turn The Hips Over

• Make sure to completely open up, twist, and turn the hips to create the whipping motion, as well as produce momentum and produce a powerful, damaging kick

• Remember to kick through the bag or target, as if you are trying to launch the heavy bag when striking it

Mistake 3 | Poor Use of Arms While Kicking

• Not using your arms properly, or not using them at all, sets beginner kickboxers up for poor kicking mechanics

• Without using the arms, your kicks won’t have momentum

The Fix: Use Arms Properly

• Keep your arms up and swing through when you kick to maximize kicking torque

• Your arms will help balance you while kicking and create momentum

  • Pull your arm towards your hip to open up and create torque and power

  • Additionally, the arms and hands will help protect you

Advanced Strikers’ Technique

• When striking, your arms should stay up high, and instead of pulling your arms to your hip, you pull them over

  • This creates distance between you and your opponent and prevents your opponent from countering

• This advanced hand placement is great for short-range fighting

  • For long-range striking, you can pull your arm through to your hip to maximize power

Mistake 4 | Striking With The Foot

• Depending on which martial art form you study, you will make contact with a different part of the leg

• The foot is fragile with a lot of bones, so it is easily injured

The Fix: Striking With The Shin

• In kickboxing and Muay Thai, the goal is to strike with the shin

• The shin is a larger striking area and ranges from just below the knee to right above the ankle

• In order to effectively strike with the shin, you must strike from a short-range stance

Pro Tip: There is an audible difference when kicking and landing with the shin vs. the foot on a heavy bag

• Listen for a louder “thud”, as opposed to a higher-pitched “pop” (from kicking with the foot)

• Over time, the shin bone will begin to calcify, making it much stronger and more durable

Mistake 5 | Kicking and Standing

• One of the biggest mistakes beginners make when throwing a roundhouse kick is that they perform it, and then just stand there or take their time to pull back their leg to their original stance

• This leaves you wide open for counterstrikes

The Fix: Kick and Return To Stance

• Just as you do when throwing a punch, after you throw a kick, you have to return to your proper defensive stance

  • This is almost as important as the initial strike itself

• Gets you in the optimal position to slip, roll, check, or counter your opponent's strikes

• Helps you come back to balance properly

Practice Tip: After kicking and coming back to your stance, make sure you are properly balanced: your lead foot toe is in line with the heel of your rear foot. An imaginary line should run down the midline of your body.

Get Ready To Roundhouse

The roundhouse kick takes time and practice, and patience, to fully master. Over time, the kicks will become second nature. Get the most out of your kickboxing training using Jess’ and Aaron’s roundhouse kicking tips. Avoid these five (5) common mistakes, and you’ll be a kicking pro!

If you like this step-by-step instruction download the FREE FightCamp App and try the Level 1 Kickboxing Path, where Trainer Aaron Swenson walks you through technique, tutorial, and workouts to start your kickboxing journey with proper form and foundational skills.