Speed is not always a means of how quickly you can accelerate your Taekwondo technique into your opponent. In fact, speed is based on many things, other than just raw acceleration of techniques. Today, in our sparring class, I noticed a few students with extra movements in their steps just before they executed their back kick.
Students were doing bag drills and I was analyzing the speed at which they began their kick up to contact on the target. I noticed that some of our fast Taekwondo students were executing their back kicks slower simply because they pivoted or stepped just before they kicked. I call this a "prep." A "prep" basically means that you are positioning yourself better to execute a good fast kick.
What I teach my Taekwondo students is that they must learn to incorporate the "prep" into their regular stance. For example, if you tend to bend your legs just before you kick, you are kicking slower than you potentially could. Instead, slightly bend your legs to begin with. Make your stance with bent legs so that you basically skip a step in this process.
Another common "prep", in Taekwondo, is for a student to pivot their foot, then kick. It becomes a 2 step process. In Olympic style competition, this 2 step process is a dead give away to your opponent. I advise our Taekwondo students and competitors to combine the 2 steps into 1 fluid motion. Basically, everything is done at once and the kick is executed faster.
In summary-
1. Pivot supporting foot at the same time you're kicking, making a 1 step process instead of 2. This goes for all kicks, not just back kicks.
2. Find the body or leg position that you make just before you begin your kick. Then, incorporate that position into your fighting stance so you eliminate a step.
The amount of time you save by eliminating these extra steps, or "preps" are fractions of a second. On the other hand, points are scored in Taekwondo by opportunities that last only a fraction of a second.
Good luck with your training!
Respectfully,
Saibee
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