Tornado Kick..

Hey Eryn i've seen you NAIL this kick 100's of times..any tips on getting it down? Anyone?

Don't be fat like me, have very strong legs, and find a gymnastics instructor?

It's pretty and it's certainly an athletic accomplishment, but I don't think it's very useful for fighting. It would be great for movie-fu, though, so when you're raking in the money, remember us!

Lol, I would say training jumping/plyometrics will get you there. Practice those jump drills I taught you--do them 3 times a week. Progressively add weight per 2 weeks/month, or at your own pace. I used to add 2.5 lbs every 2 weeks, and I got up to 40 lbs of resistance by 8 months of diligent practice. I gained about 1.5 feet to my vertical by doing that. Also, at the peak of the kick, throw the kicking leg down forcefully; that will help you stick the landing while you still have some hang time.

Actually, I've seen overweight people do this kick and nail it. The extra weight might actually help in the momentum for gaining height, you just have to have a really good sense of timing and bodyweight mechanics, plus very strong legs. Master Lu was 30 lbs overweight and he could do this kick better than 99 percent of people I've seen. He was also a national wushu champion, so maybe we shouldn't count him lol.

Wow. Not until the slow motion did I catch the extra spin!

Here ya go--some basic plyometric drills. You don't have to stick to just these few though; try using your creative mind to develop drills of your own. Also, eventually start progressively adding weight to the exercises, either by holding weights in your hands or by purchasing a weight belt/vest. Weighted plyometrics will give you a huge boost in your vertical--you'll be slam-dunking in no time.

Link to weight belts: http://www.jumpusa.com/hypergravity.htm

weightvests: http://www.weightvest.com/

Yeah, not very martial, but great acrobatic athleticism. You will need lift and torque to pull these off. Weights aren't necessary for this, but will help you build the explosion off the ground needed quicker. Just practicing jumping drills and this kick with good mechanics is typically sufficient. I actually got to where I could do these while I was coaching the kids at UVA. Several of the one's who came from Omei Wushu were able to do these so I experimented with it a bit. The trick mechanically after having just a strong tornado kick is to quickly close the body (ie. bring your limbs in) after the kick and let the momentum and torque carry you into a tight, fast spiral. Practice lots of jumps and tornado kicks with strong mechanics. Practice spinning jumps where you start in mabu, jump straight up and spin 360, then land again in mabu (no kick) and then add more rotation as you get better. Practice spin with inside crescent on the ground where you quickly tuck your limbs after the kick to spin while still contacting the ground. Practice taking a couple steps into just a spinning jump with your limbs tucked in and see how much spin you can get. As these drills become comfortable, this extra spin after the kick will be approachable. My overall recommendation though is don't bother. The return on investment is low. For some people this sort of thing just comes easier and there is less impact on the body for them to get there. There is little use for this skill unless you are competing in wushu performance though. And unless you reach the levels of the likes of Jet Li or master Lu, there really isn't much reward to doing this except a fleeting ego boost and perhaps a shiny medal. Most of us won't reach the performance levels of professional wushu athletes so I think it's worth taking a look at what you're training and why. If that is your passion and you really want to follow it, then great. Expect injury though (as with any physical practice). If you don't care for the showy stuff, there are much better ways to spend your limited practicing time.

Good stuff Eryn! working those particular exercises into my routine will more then benefit my jumping ability..not that i havent been training it regularly since, getting the mechanics of the kick has been a bit of a challenge. I have a pretty sweet tornado kick, so i've been told. So i figure this would be the next step to an even better one..for sure not for any of its little martial worth, but more so for its obvious need of coordination and athleticism to execute. Im not one for being too showy..i just think it's a sweet kick and i really wanna learn how to do right, kicks and giggles ii suppose..

Hehe, it is a cool kick to get down; definitely one for showing off to friends and getting lots of "wows." You're young enough still that doing regular, moderate longfist training won't damage your body all that much--if you train properly. I actually think intensive longfist training should be requisite for anyone under 30 intending to train in internal. Longfist adds alot of heft and potency to internal training--they pretty much go hand-in-hand. A big problem I have with many internal practitioners (especially in the U.S.) is that they haven't developed the necessary "hardness" required for good internal ability; they're still too soft--too yin. Conversely, another big problem is that too many go too hard, without the yin/internal element. That just leads to burnout. Striking a balance in training is what it's all about, IMO. Also, after 30, I'd say it's time to cut down the hard longfist training significantly to save your joints from impact damage. From 35 to 40, probably take it out completely.

Take advantage of your youth while you still have it. Train longfist intensively and smartly--your internal practice will thank you.

Agreed Eryn. I do think it fine though to maintain your longfist into old age. You just have to be smart about it. My point aside from potential injury though, is that the extra spin is not martial and just amounts to tricking. If I were training for tricking, I would more likely be doing Parkour/Free Running. If one is young and this kind of display comes easily, then let your athleticism shine, but how much time is it worth investing in this when you could be working on actual longfist skills. These extra spins and such are very modern additions and bring performance wushu farther away from its roots IMO. I am all for the synthesis of traditional and modern, but wushu does mean "martial arts". It is definitely very cool to do though. And in theory, if you have a good tornado kick you should be able to just bring your limbs in towards you center quickly after the kick to get this tight spin. Then you need to bend and separate your legs to land in mabu. This is much easier said than done for most people. If it took someone months to get there, how much better would it be to use that time in developing a tornado kick without extra rotation that lands with extreme power and accuracy. Focus mitt training with these kicks is fun and productive IMO. In application you release all the torque and momentum into the target through your foot.

Well said Blake!