Taekwondo · Kicking · Flexibility

Axe kick control

Raise naeryeo chagi (axe kick) through a loose, warmed-up range and bring the heel down with control onto a flat paddle or stopping short.

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Start / 5
Time
15 min
Players
2–30
Age
U10+
Area
Mat
Equipment
kicking paddles (one per pair)

Setup

  1. Do this after a full warm-up. Pairs: a kicker and a holder with a paddle.
  2. Holder holds the paddle flat, face up, at chest height with the arm out to the side and a firm wrist, so the target sits well away from the face and body.
  3. Kicker stands in fighting stance a long step from the paddle.

How it runs

  1. Ten controlled front leg raises (ap olligi) each leg, raising the leg only as high as it goes without bending or bouncing.
  2. Kicker checks the holder is ready, raises the leg in a straight line and brings the heel down onto the paddle. Five each leg.
  3. Control round: the same kick, but the heel stops a hand's width above the paddle and holds for a count.
  4. Swap roles. Finish with an easy hamstring stretch, held, never forced.

Coaching points

  • Lift the knee first, then straighten the leg on the way up.
  • The leg rises only as high as the student's warmed-up range allows; height comes over weeks, not today.
  • Bring the heel down in a straight line, ankle flexed and toes pulled back.
  • Stay tall on the support leg with the guard up, then pull the foot back to stance.
  • Holders keep the paddle out to the side and still; it should never be in front of their own face.

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the leg up with a bent support knee and falling back.
  • Slamming the heel down with no control.
  • Forcing the leg higher than the range allows and bouncing to get there.
  • Holder raising the paddle above shoulder height or drawing it in.

Say it: “Up straight, down with control.”

Make it harder

  • Front-leg axe kick off a short slide.
  • Inside-to-outside or outside-to-inside raise before the drop.
  • Two axe kicks in a row, alternating legs, each one controlled.

Make it easier

  • Kick to belt height onto a paddle held lower.
  • Leg raises only, holding a wall for balance.
  • Bent-knee axe kick until the range improves.

Reviewed by the Sportdify coaching team.