Taekwondo stylists are known for their quick, powerful, and accurate kicks; not for their "trick" kicks, but for practical, useful kicks. If you cannot kick quick, powerfully, and often, you will never be a proficient Taekwondo black belt.

• The legs and hips are used for kicks; the rest of the body is pretty much not used at all. When kicking, the guard is maintained; the arms are not used for balance, they are using for blocks and follow-up attacks. The only indication an opponent should get that a kick is coming is seeing the foot approaching; the rest of the body moves very little.
• The kicking foot stays flat on the floor. Do not raise up on the ball of the foot in an effort to get more height in a kick. This causes instability and loss of power.
• Try to keep the torso and head as upright as possible. If you lean backward in an effort to get more height, you decrease your stability and you take your arms out of the action. While leaning backward, you cannot use the arms for follow-up attacks or to block a counter kick that is faster than your kick. The only time leaning backward is useful when avoiding a kick to your head while firing your counter kick.
• Do not kick from the floor; kick from a chamber. Kicking from the floor may be a microsecond quicker, but it does not have the power of a chambered kick. A proper kick moves through the chambered position so quickly that the time it takes to chamber is negligible. However, chambered kicks are difficult to learn and take lots of practice. Many times students opt for the weak from the floor kick since it easier to perform.
• Most students try to kick as high as possible when practicing kicks. While practicing, all students, especially beginners, should only kick as high as they may kick while still performing the kick as technically perfect as possible. The goal is to perform correct kicks, not high or quick kicks. As a kick gradually gets more technically perfect, height and speed will gradually increase without trying. Try to kick at least waist high, however, many times beginners have difficulty kicking even this high. They should only kick as high as they may properly kick, even if it is only knee high.
• Crescent Kick. The crescent kick is typically the first kick taught to students because it is relatively easy to perform, it is versatile, it has many variations, it gets students used to using their hips and body to kick instead of relying on just leg muscles, and because it helps warm-up the legs for other kicks that may be used during a class.

  • Two methods may be used while performing crescent kicks: one uses a swinging leg; the other uses a snapping leg. Beginners are taught the swinging leg method.

    • Swinging Leg Method. Leg swings in a large motion with knee kept straight throughout the movement.
    • Snapping Leg Method. Leg swings in a small motion with knee bent, then leg snaps the foot out in the direction of the swing.

  • Perform right leg kick (left leg kick uses identical but opposite motions).

  • Partner holds a hand target outward with its surfaces perpendicular to the floor.
  • Stand in a ready stance, facing and centered on the target, with arms held in the basic guard.
  • Twist hips and upper body toward left. Lift right straight leg high across body toward left, with toes pointed upward.
  • Twist hips and upper body back toward right while using right hip muscles to pull right leg straight into and through the left side of the target.
  • Impact area is the outer edge of the sole of the foot, and the outer ankle.
  • Right leg completes its motion by swinging back down into its original position.
  • Think: twist, lift leg, twist and pull leg across, drop leg.
  • Ideal movement of leg is a half a large circle: up one side of circle, flat across middle of circle, and back down other side of circle to the starting point. However, most students tend to make the movement an oval, where the leg makes an almost circular movement without pulling though the target. This prevents using the power that is generated by pulling leg through the target

• Front Snap Kick. The front snap kick is easy to use but its use is limited since its travel is upward and easy to block. Also, the kick must strike a target with a horizontal orientation, which is pretty much limited to under the chin or up into the groin.

  • Partner holds a hand target outward with a target surface parallel to floor.
  • Stand in a front stance with arms held in basic guard, facing and centered on the target.
  • Chamber trailing leg by lifting knee high in front of body and close against the body. Shin is held vertical and ball of foot is extended downward with toes pulled back toward the knee.
  • Aim the knee at the target, since the foot will travel to where knee is pointing.
  • Snap ball of foot upward into bottom of the target, keeping the toes pulled back so they do not jam into the target. Quickly re-chamber the foot and step it back to its original position. The kicking motion is an upward, snapping motion.
  • Perform the entire kicking motion from the floor, to the target, and back to the floor in one smooth, continuous motion.

• Front Thrust Kick. The front thrust kick is versatile and easy to use but it is the least "flashy" of the kicks so it is seldom used. It is versatile since it may be thrust into any opening in opponent's guard similar to the way a punch is used.

  • Partner holds a hand target downward with a target surface perpendicular to floor.
  • Stand in a front stance with arms held in basic guard, facing and centered on the target.
  • Chamber trailing leg by lifting knee high in front of body and close against the body. Shin is vertical, ball of foot is extended downward with toes pulled back toward the knee.
  • Aim the knee at the target, since the foot will travel to where knee is pointing.
  • Snap ball of foot forward into front of the target, keeping toes pulled back so they do not jam into the target. Quickly re-chamber the foot and step it back to its original position. The kicking motion is a forward, thrusting motion. The motion is similar to trying to kick a hole into a dry wall. In a front snap kick, the foot would merely slide up the wall, whereas the front thrust kick would penetrate the wall.
  • The thrusting motion comes from thrusting the hips forward into the kick. Just the hips move forward, the shoulders remain back so stability is maintained.
  • Perform the entire kicking motion from the floor, to the chamber, to the target, back to the chamber, and back to the floor again in one smooth, continuous motion.