Exercises for your Mawashi Geri / Roundhouse Kick - Shotokan Karate

Today Sensei Abian takes us through a how to practice your mawashi geri (round house kick).

First we shall go through a quick warm up and stretch. This was more of a dynamic stretch where we focus on mobility and testing our full range of motion with our body. Do not push your body too hard or seek pain during this part. We we to ease our body into activation.

We will then practice turning on our standing foot and getting our body into the right alignment for the kick. Grabbing your ankle, leg or even a chair can help you achieve this position.

Finally we will practice hitting a target with both legs. First we practice the correct technique of the kick by going through each step slowly. After we can blend the movements together to produce a fluid kick.

There is more than one way to perform a Mawashi Geri. The type of kick here can be usually seen more in Sport Kumite. It is characterised by having a longer range than a traditional Mawashi Geri, and does not telegraph your intention to strike compared to other ways to kick. This is because the kick is executed through the middle of your posture, before kicking in the round motion.

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