Situational / Kicks / Pads + coach

Kick pads round

Two body kicks and a teep into a shield held by the coach figure.

Two body kicks and a teep into a held shield, for supervised pad practice. Kick pads with a holder is where the round kick is actually learned, and the coach figure in the viewer holds the shield where each kick lands so the turn and the height can be read together. Two body kicks and a teep is a common pad round: the shield takes the kicks square and turns for the teep.

The actions, phase by phase

Rear round kick

1. Stance. Use a range and contact method already taught in class.
2. Turn support. The support heel turns first and the hip follows it around.
3. Swing through. The shin is the surface that travels through, not the foot; the knee keeps a little bend.
4. Recoil / reset. Recover your stance under control.

Watch for. The study shows the support heel turning and the shin leading. It cannot show the depth of the turn, the timing or the contact force, and it has not been checked by a coach. Review a coach demonstration before contact practice.

Lead teep / push kick

1. Stance. Balance over the supporting leg with hands ready.
2. Chamber. Lift the lead knee before extending the lower leg.
3. Extend. Push the hips forward through the extension; the ball of the foot leads.
4. Re-chamber. Draw the knee back, then replace the foot.

Watch for. Avoid dropping the kicking foot straight down from extension. How far the hips should travel depends on range and balance, which a coach has to set for you.

Muay Thai guard

1. Base. Keep a stance from which either leg can lift.
2. Hands ready. Bring the hands into your coach-taught guard.
3. Balance. Keep the torso upright enough to manage kicks and checks.
4. Reset. Re-establish the base after every action.

Watch for. This illustration does not show clinch posture or an opponent.

Shared timing

1. Agree the sequence with the pad holder before the round.
2. Kick the shield where it is held, not where you would like it.
3. Stop the timer whenever communication is needed.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Kicking where you want the pad, not where it is. kick the shield where it is held.
2. Foot arriving before the shin. the shin crosses the shield face; the foot passes beyond it.
3. No reset between kicks. the guard is rebuilt between kicks.

A starting prescription

3 rounds of 90 seconds with 45 seconds between them. Agree the sequence with the holder. Ten sets per round; stop whenever communication is needed. Load the study into the session builder with these numbers and change them to suit the round you are preparing for.

What this loop is, and is not

Solo rehearsal of a shape you have already been taught. No partner, no contact, no pad impact, and no coach has reviewed this loop. It shows where the joints go, not whether they should go there for you. This study draws a second figure, a pad holder where the pad is held. It is an illustration of position, not a partner technique to copy without a coach.

Where it sits

Stage: Situational. Before it: Clinch posture / hold. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.