I have had an injury for the past 6 months that hasnt let me train seriously. Yesterday I finally felt alive again. I am out of shape as you can see in the pics below. My question for now is, how can I improve height on a jumping spinning back kick?
Work on jumping for height - get that first, and the rest is a lot easier. It will be easier because your muscles will probably remember what they used to do rather than having to learn a completely new skill What was the nature of your injury?
You don't seem to be using your arms - they're kind of flailing around. You need to bring them up first to give you more upwards momentum for the jump, then bring them in close to the body to make you spin a lot faster. If your arms are closer in, you WILL spin much faster. It would be easier to help you with a video. Otherwise, just make sure you're jumping from the balls of your feet, and that your technique is correct.
^thanks, I never knew what my arms did until I saw that photo. I will try to keep them tucked like you suggested and see what happens. When I land back in proper stance though my arms fall in place like clockwork, dunno if that has anything to do with it.
I agree with Hannibal, work for height first. Too many people start the kick from the ground, as if the foot is already on it's way from the get go. Before the final part of the kick you need to get up and around. if it was me I would be practicing getting up, round and tucked into a chamber position before I even started to let the leg/foot go. Plyometrics are your friend here. Box jumps for heigh and explosive power. Jump, turn, tuck and land is also a good exercise. Get this down before trying to land the kick.
