Kick Height System
Mat Manual companion guide to "Stretching Is Not Why Your Kicks Stay Low." Print it. The article explains the four limiters. This book tests them, assigns your track, and trains it for eight weeks with retests that tell…
| Art | Shotokan Karate |
|---|---|
| Family | Karate |
| Level | beginner |
| Format | plan |
| Topics | kicks, training-plans, safety, fundamentals |
Mat Manual companion guide to "Stretching Is Not Why Your Kicks Stay Low." Print it. The article explains the four limiters. This book tests them, assigns your track, and trains it for eight weeks with retests that tell you the truth.
Name: ______________________________ Dojo: ______________________________ Start date: ______________ Track assigned (Part 3): ______________
BEFORE ANYTHING: SCOPE AND SAFETY ☐ This book trains kick height in healthy students. Sharp joint pain, a pinch in the front of the hip that stops the leg, clicking with pain, numbness, or pain that lingers past 48 hours after a session is not a flexibility problem. Stop that drill and get assessed by a physiotherapist or sports medicine clinician. ☐ Never force a partner's leg in assisted stretching. The partner on the floor owns the word "stop," and it ends the rep instantly, no discussion. ☐ Stretching is done warm, after class or after the mobility work in Part 4. Cold aggressive stretching is how hamstrings tear. ☐ Children and early teens train the strength and mechanics tracks only, at bodyweight, under an instructor. Growth plates and deep partner stretching do not mix.
Part 1: The System at a Glance
| Week | Focus | Sessions | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assessment battery (Part 2), track assigned | 1 assessment + 2 track sessions | Baseline sheet completed |
| 2 | Track work begins, low dose | 3 track sessions, 15 to 20 minutes | Session log started |
| 3 | Track work, dose +1 step | 3 track sessions | Video chamber check |
| 4 | Track work + retest 1 | 2 track sessions + retest | Retest sheet, track confirmed or changed |
| 5 | Track work, progression step 2 | 3 track sessions | Target heights raised per rules |
| 6 | Track work + partner standards | 3 track sessions | Partner check signed off |
| 7 | Track work, hardest week | 3 track sessions | Video chamber check |
| 8 | Consolidation + retest 2 | 2 light sessions + retest | Final sheet, next cycle planned |
Session length is 15 to 25 minutes, fitted after class or on off days. This system is an addition to normal training, never a replacement for it.
Kick Height System
Mat Manual companion guide to "Stretching Is Not Why Your Kicks Stay Low." Print it. The article explains the four limiters. This book tests them, assigns your track, and trains it for eight weeks with retests that tell you the truth.
What's Inside
- Part 1: The System at a Glance
- Part 2: The Assessment Battery
- Part 3: Assign Your Track
- Part 4: The Warm-Up and Mobility Base (Every Session)
- Part 5: Track 1 — Tissue Length Sessions
- Part 6: Track 2 — Active Strength Sessions
- …and 22 more sections
The full guide is a paid Mat Manual product. Checkout is not connected yet — no payment is taken on this page.
Free companion article: Stretching Is Not Why Your Kicks Stay Low — the full article, free in full.
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