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How to Increase the Speed and Accuracy of Your Kicks in Tae Kwon Do
Co-authored by Julee Peck Jones
Last Updated: January 29, 2023 Approved

Learn how to lower the time it takes to put your foot on your opponent's face,
neck, knee, etc. If you use these steps, within few weeks you should have no
trouble kicking someone before they can even get halfway to kicking you. Unless, of
course, they've been practicing this same technique.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:
Warm up

1
Stretch, stretch, stretch! Make sure you are properly warmed up before you start
practicing your kicks. Focus on stretching your legs. As a minimum, stretch your
knees, then do half splits, splits, front splits, butterfly stretches. Also do kick
warm ups. Don’t forget to go deeper every time in your stretch. This will increase
your flexibility and you will be able to kick higher.[1]

2
Don’t forget to do cardio to build your endurance. You can run, do burpees, do
cardio kickboxing, swim, or do anything else that will work out your heart.
Endurance is important in Taekwondo!
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3
Exercise your legs. Practice all types of kicks in general, kick targets, and do it
often. Focus on your form and make sure your movements are accurate.[2]
4
Do foot drills to work on speeding up your foot movement! Similar to football or
basketball, TKD also requires footwork! Make sure you know how to move forwards and
backwards, side to side, how to slide, or cross your feet. This will speed up your
movements for when you actually perform kicks in general.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:
Increasing Speed
1
Get a target. You can use a kicking pad or a kicking target specifically for
Taekwondo that you can buy. You can also use a stiff or folded piece of paper as
your target or an X-ray paper.[3]
If you don’t have a partner to work with and want a target, you can make one
yourself using a nail, string, tennis ball and a small plastic sandwich bag. Place
the ball in the bag, then use the string to tie the bag closed being sure to leave
a few extra feet of string. Drive the nail into a ceiling or, if you can't kick
over 5 1⁄2 feet (1.7 m), a door frame will work. Tie the string from the bag to the
nail in the ceiling so that it hangs down about 6 inches (15.2 cm) lower than you
can kick.
2
First, practice just the motion of the kick. Do not try be fast or put too much
power into the kick, just make sure your kick motion is perfect. Hit the target,
but focus more on the motion and less on the power.
3
Keep practicing your kicks slowly, making sure your movements are absolutely exact
and accurate.
4
Once your kicks are perfect, slightly increase the speed with which you hit your
target. When you kick movements are once again perfect at the new speed, increase
the speed a little more.[4]
5
Add power to your kicks as you keep practicing. But make sure your movements remain
exact.
When training to increase your speed or power, don’t forget about the accuracy.
Accuracy is as important as the speed.
6
To practice accuracy, speed, and control at the same time, use a smaller target.
Ask a friend to hold up a his or her fist or just hold a smaller target, such as a
piece of paper at different heights for you to kick.[5]
7
Practice the motion of bringing up your knee quickly. Since you need to bring up
your knee for some kicks, speeding up this motion will improve your speed as well.
Practice pulling your knee faster to increase speed.
8
Lead in to the kick is important. Practice sliding and stepping into the kick. If
the lead in to the kick is faster, it will give you momentum to kick faster as
well. Incorporation of fast footwork and the kick will increase your overall speed.
9
Lead out of the kick is also important, so you can get ready for your next step.
Practice quickly stepping away from the target after you kick.
10
Staying light on your feet will help you increase the speed as well. If you keep
your weight on the front of your feet, you’ll be able to move faster versus if you
keep your weight on your heels.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:
Using Ankle Weights

1
Buy ankle weights from a sporting goods store or department store. Consult with
someone who is an expert in Taekwondo to get the right weights for your height,
weight, and experience.

2
Put on a thick pair of socks. Put on the ankle weights after you are dressed in the
morning and wear them constantly throughout the day, even when driving, or working
if you can. If they become uncomfortable to the point you can't bear it anymore,
take them off for a few minutes then put them back on.

3
Don't practice kicking with weights on; you'll risk serious knee injury if you do!

4
While wearing the weights, practice different leg exercises, such as lateral leg
raises, lunges, squats. This will work out your leg muscles and make your legs
stronger.

5
Practice your kicks as per usual, but without weights! Make sure you focus on
accuracy of your kick before proceeding to improving speed.

6
Watch to see that after a few weeks you'll be so much faster at kicking when not
wearing your weights that you'll be able to wait on someone to start to kick you,
and you'll be able to kick them first.
There is a higher level and number of aerial kicks in Taekwondo compared to other
martial arts.
Taekwondo is known for doing jump spin kicks, 360-degree kicks, and 540-degree
kicks.
The biggest difference between Taekwondo and karate is the aerial kicks and the
amount of kicking as opposed to hand techniques.
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Community Q&A
Question
What if I don't have a practicing area or space to practice, how will I practice?

Community Answer
Look for ways to build strength and balance. You can balance on one leg in the
smallest areas. Practicing doesn't mean just the sport itself but also building
strength, speed, balance, etc.
Not Helpful 2Helpful 22
Question
Why does the woman in the video always do a little hop before she kicks? That's a
sure signal telegraphing her intentions.

Community Answer
It delivers much more power by giving acceleration to your foot, but yes, that is
sure a signal that says "I'm gonna kick!" But if you hop all the time, that
wouldn't do much.
Not Helpful 5Helpful 14
Question
In fighting, should I give a shout for every kick?

Community Answer
If you are planning to use it for a point or make intentional contact, then yes. If
you aren't attempting to make contact or if you aren't putting much power into it,
then no.
Not Helpful 5Helpful 12
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Tips
Learning to trust your control will make you faster because you will not be
hesitant out of fear of hurting your sparring partner.
Helpful 37 Not Helpful 3
Moving your leg doesn't matter if it isn't moving accurately and with proper use of
muscles, or you lose your balance. That's why the slow kicks are useful.
Helpful 23 Not Helpful 6
When you first take off the weights, your feet will feel very light. This is a good
time to kick the ball hanging from the ceiling.
Helpful 22 Not Helpful 7
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Warnings
Be very careful when wearing ankle weights for extended periods. If you're not
careful, you risk serious injury to your ankles or knees. If you feel consistent
pain in your joints, stop wearing the weights and talk to your doctor.
Helpful 48 Not Helpful 8
Consult a doctor before starting any exercise program.
Helpful 38 Not Helpful 7
Kicking and punching with an opponent can be dangerous and you risk serious injury
whenever you practice.
Helpful 35 Not Helpful 11
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References
↑https://www.worldtaekwondo.com/trainingtips.htm
↑https://www.worldtaekwondo.com/trainingtips.htm
↑https://www.myactivesg.com/Sports/Taekwondo/Training-Method/Develop-Your-Game/
Improve-your-foot-technique-in-Taekwondo
↑https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55YOyLXEc1Q&feature=emb_logo
↑https://www.myactivesg.com/Sports/Taekwondo/Training-Method/Develop-Your-Game/
Improve-your-foot-technique-in-Taekwondo
About This Article
Co-authored by:
Julee Peck Jones
Taekwondo Expert
This article was co-authored by Julee Peck Jones. Julee Peck Jones is a Taekwondo
Expert and the Owner of Pecks TaeKwonDo America in Raleigh, North Carolina. Julee
has over 35 years of experience and teaches self-defense, the benefits of exercise,
and leadership development. The objective of her work is to help improve physical
health and build confidence for students of all ages through martial arts training.
She was Taekwondo America's President & CEO from 2013 to 2017 and is a licensed
Master Instructor. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Theater Arts from the
University of St. Thomas, Texas. This article has been viewed 347,036 times.
1 votes - 80%
Co-authors: 27
Updated: January 29, 2023
Views: 347,036
Categories: Featured Articles | Martial Arts
In other languages
Español:aumentar la velocidad y precisión de las patadas en tae kwon do
Português:Aumentar a Velocidade e a Precisão dos Chutes no Tae Kwon Do
Italiano:Aumentare Velocità e Accuratezza dei tuoi Calci nel Tae Kwon Do
Français:améliorer la vitesse et la précision de vos coups de pied en Tae Kwon Do
Русский:повысить скорость и точность ударов ногой в Тхэквондо
Bahasa Indonesia:Meningkatkan Kecepatan dan Akurasi Tendangan dalam Taekwondo
Nederlands:Sneller en trefzekerder schoppen bij taekwondo
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 347,036 times.
Reader Success Stories

Anonymous

Jul 4, 2017

"The article was well done and touched on the basics. Weight training was helpful."
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