Heel Turn Back Kick and Turning Kick (Patreon)

• If you’re new to LMA, start with our table of contents

Building from the "Heel Turns With Back Kick" by adding a kick after the front heel turn. The back heel turn gives you access to the back kick.

These movements may look complicated, but under the surface, they're pretty straightforward. If you've followed the curriculum, you've already built the action capacity needed for these movements.

It doesn't have to look identical or even crisp; just get in the ballpark of these movements. That's it. This isn't about learning these techniques; it's about creating the mobility and flexibility for these movements while connecting your movement to your gaze and heel turns.

A heel turn is a universal movement that appears for many other movements. Building the scaffolding now gives you automatic access to various other movements later. Universal movements and positions are the cake, and various other movements are the icing.

Straightforward means once you do the back heel turn, you automatically have access to the back kick. All you have to do is extend your leg behind you. Once you do the front heel turn with high hurdle step to return to your starting position, you'll automatically have access to the turning kick. Your shin will automatically turn horizontal to the ground. Just extend the bottom half of your leg for the turning kick.

The contact surface for the turning kick is the top of your foot and shin. Make sure to extend your ankle. The bottom half of your leg, including the top of your foot, should be a flat surface. This makes the kick safe for you and, eventually, anyone receiving this kick from you.

Heel turns give you access to seemingly complicated leg movements. Once you have access, all you have to do is look and extend. Universal positions and movements provide you with access. Gaining access turns complex movements into simple extensions. Without access, all movements are much more complicated, if not impossible.

Nearly all your kicks, punches, and even many blocks are various expressions of the heel turn. You turn your heel and make different shapes with your limbs and torso. That's essentially striking. This is why throwing away the idea of technique is so much more helpful. Instead, it's universal movements and positions—everything else is different icing. That's the invisible elegance of LMA movement.

– Sam