Axe Kick Playbook: The Heel That Falls on a Line
Mat Manual companion guide to "How to Throw an Axe Kick." Print it. the straight-leg raise, both crescent entries taught as separate named progressions, the fold-and-drop mechanic at gated heights, a full flexibility pr…
| Art | Taekwondo |
|---|---|
| Family | Korean Arts |
| Level | intermediate |
| Format | playbook |
| Topics | kicks |
Mat Manual companion guide to "How to Throw an Axe Kick." Print it. the straight-leg raise, both crescent entries taught as separate named progressions, the fold-and-drop mechanic at gated heights, a full flexibility progression with doses and gates, a fault-correction library, WT scoring-entry tables, and trackers that log strike quality by height
Name: ______________________________ School: ______________________________ Kicking leg: L / R Cold raise L: ______ in R: ______ in Block start: ______________
SAFETY, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE ☐ Head-height kicks are thrown only at held paddles, shields, and bags in this book's drills, at the height the gates have set, and live sparring use follows your school's and your event's rules, including any division where head contact is restricted or prohibited. ☐ Holders present the paddle tilted to meet the falling heel (Part 5's angle standard), brace for a heel driven through it, and stand off the drop's line. A holder under the drop is standing where the heel goes. ☐ Stretching in this book is never bounced and never partner-forced. Hamstring work stops at a stretch sensation; sharp pain, joint pain, or pain behind the knee ends the session's flexibility work and is reported to the instructor. ☐ Height is gated by the cold straight-leg raise test (Part 7). No student throws at a paddle above the height that test has set, whatever they reached warmed up or assisted. ☐ A hamstring strain, a pop, or pain that changes how a student walks ends kicking work for the day and follows the school's assessment route. Height chased through an injury costs a season.
Part 1: The Specification
Every drill in this book is measured against this page. Your instructor's standard governs where it differs; the structure does not change.
| Element | The specification |
|---|---|
| Raise | Straight leg lifts close to the center line, knee near straight from early in the lift |
| Height | Tall support side, pelvis tilts, no backward trunk lean |
| Top position | Leg reaches its honest height with the heel above the target line before the drop begins |
| Drop | Hip folds, heel pulled down through the target, aimed below the target's surface |
| Striking surface | Heel, with the sole as the secondary surface on lower targets |
| Support foot | Small outward pivot as the leg rises, opening the hip |
| Recovery | Leg retracts on its path or sets down under control, guard restored |
| Entries | Straight raise (standard); inside crescent entry; outside crescent entry — named before every rep |
Terminology note. Korean: naeryo chagi — naeryo means to strike down, chagi means kick. The rising crescent actions used as entries relate to an chagi (inside kick) and bakat chagi (outside kick). Schools differ on the standard entry; this book trains all three as separate, named progressions with one identical drop.
Axe Kick Playbook: The Heel That Falls on a Line
Mat Manual companion guide to "How to Throw an Axe Kick." Print it. the straight-leg raise, both crescent entries taught as separate named progressions, the fold-and-drop mechanic at gated heights, a full flexibility progression with doses and gates, a fault-correction library, WT scoring-entry tables, and trackers that log strike quality by height
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Specification
- Part 2: The Diagnostic Set (Run First)
- Part 3: The Straight Raise School
- Part 4: The Fold and the Drop
- Part 5: The Two Crescent Entries, Taught Separately
- Part 6: Recovery and Guard Work
- …and 27 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: How to Throw an Axe Kick — the full article, free in full.
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