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Roundhouse Kick (Achieving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 9) | 
| Author: Shawn Kovacich
Publisher: Chikara Kan, Inc.
Category: Book
Buy New: $19.95
New (4) Used (3) Collectible (2) from $19.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 393497
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0970749686
EAN: 9780970749680
ASIN: 0970749686
Publication Date: February 14, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
This book is the ninth volume in the extremely well written and fully illustrated, Achieving Kicking Excellence series of books.
This book, like all the other books in the series, goes into intricate detail over all aspects of executing the primary kick, which in this case is the Back Leg Roundhouse Kick, and several of its main variations.
Starting with a basic anatomical analysis of this kick, you quickly progress to the basic principles associated with the Roundhouse Kick, and then you dive right into learning the proper execution of the primary kick, Back Leg Roundhouse Kick.
Once you have finished with this section, you are taken to the variations chapter which builds upon the primary kick, Back Leg Roundhouse Kick, by teaching you 10 of its main variations. From here you are taken to the Training and Practice Methods chapter for a look at some very simple, yet effective methods for adding speed and power to your kicks.
Your next chapter takes a question and answer approach to some of the most common problems people have executing these kicks and the solutions to correct them.
The next chapter in this book deals with a brief application section for each of the kicks previously detailed in this book. Please be advised that a second ten volume series of books is currently being written which deals strictly with the combat applications of each kick, and how to defend against it.
The book then gives you a sneak preview of the next volume in the series, which in this case is the Side Kick.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
Great Instruction on the Roundhouse Kick October 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The ninth book of Shawn Kovacich's Achieving Kicking Excellence series is "Roundhouse Kick." It follows the same format found in each of the books of this series, right down to the meticulous detail he puts into explaining the execution of this popular kick. There are hundreds of photographs and many illustrations explaining the execution of the roundhouse kick and eleven of its main variations. Like the companion volumes, this is the most in-depth look at this single kick with variations ever put in print.
The entire Achieving Kicking Excellence series impresses me. As an author, I know how much work it take, and the work put into this series was incredible. Most books on kicking have a few pages with a dozen or so pictures per kick. (If that many) This book has 252 pages on just the roundhouse kick. Okay, the entire 252 pages are not just on the kick, Kovacich also includes chapters on warm ups, stretching, basic principles of kicking movement, skill training, strength training, speed training, and power training.
The bulk of the book focuses on the roundhouse kick and variations. More than 150 pages worth with tons and tons of photographs and illustrations. Kovacich crams this book full of information to help you execute the roundhouse kick to your very best. There are many notes and tips to improve your kicking. Want to have a "penetrating impact" kick rather than one that strikes with a "surface strike?" Kovacich points out how to accomplish this along with many other pointers.
The primary kick of this book is the Back Leg Roundhouse Kick. Then Kovacich moves on to the following variations: Step-Back Roundhouse Kick, Cross-Over Roundhouse Kick, Back Spin Roundhouse Kick, Spin Back Roundhouse Kick, Hop/Slide Forward Roundhouse Kick, Hop/Slide Backward Roundhouse Kick, Switch Roundhouse Kick, Off-Setting Roundhouse Kick, Front Leg Roundhouse Kick, Thai Roundhouse Kick, Butterfly Roundhouse Kick, and the Back Spin Roundhouse Kick with the left leg.
This book is meant to be a guide and not a book you just pick up and read cover to cover for enjoyment. In fact, when you read it cover to cover it can become redundant as parts of each variation are often similar. I recommend you read through the book quickly so you know what it contains, and then use the book for the area you are currently working on. After you have read the chapter on basics that apply to all variations, you can then pick up the book and just focus on the section that pertains to the kick you are working on. It is great that each of these portions of the text are complete. While maybe redundant when reading through cover to cover, it is nice to pick up the book and review what you want without being told to skip around in the book.
This book was written to help you with your roundhouse kick. That's what it was written for and that is exactly what it will do. If, that is, you read it and USE it. By that I mean, actually have this book in your training area and do what Kovacich teaches. USE the book to improve your kicking.
If you are a martial artist that incorporates kicks into your training, the Achieving Kicking Excellence series belongs in your library. The series belongs in your training area to use. The series belongs among your training and teaching resources to help you become the best martial artist you can become. I highly recommend Roundhouse Kick and all the others in the series. These books are the most comprehensive texts on kicking available and a must for all serious martial artists of kicking styles.
Reviewed by Alain Burrese, author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks and the dvds: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer. Alain Also wrote a series of articles called Lessons From The Apprentice.
Master the most powerful kick--the round house August 23, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
My real-world introduction to the wrong end of a round-house kick was during the spring of 1975 at Apple Valley Senior High School during flag football at PE class. I had just done the impossible--I snagged a flag off the opposing team's ball carrier. He was not happy with me--he snap-kicked me in the groin and went into a classic roundhouse. I had enough time before the snap-kick caused my crotch to explode in pain to commit to a course of action and while he was executing his round house kick I tackled him. We rolled on the ground. We weighed about the same--160 pounds--but I was 6'3" and he was about 5'8". I managed to pin him face-down and was crawling up his body to do permanent harm to him when the rest of the class intervened. The other kid (we were both 18) had boasted of being a Tae Kwan Do brown belt--perhaps he was. To my untrained eye, his kicks were competent and he used a combination. I just didn't cooperate. If I had, he would have hurt me worse. As it was, afer seperation, I had to sit on the sidelines for the rest of the period. I was bruised and hurting for over a week.
Shawn defines a roundhouse kick, then explains in detail how to execute the perfect kick. Shawn's "Roundhouse Kick: Achiving Kicking Excellence, Vol. 9" isolates the technique from the application. The kid in the school scuffle used good application (distract me with a kick to the groin) and may have used good form--the roundhouse kick is very much a finisher and shouldn't e round one. I was in pain and I'm not real tough, yet I managed to avoid being kicked in the head. Shawn shows how to practice (I recommend three or four people train together using this book, mirrors and a video camera) so that the roundhouse kick is flawlessly and reflexively executed each time. The roundhouse kick is a difficult technique that demands precison timing and accurate delivery. When properly executed, it will put the biggest man on the ground in a dazed conditon. The problem that tripped up my advasary wasn't technique--it was application. Shawn is working on the application in another book series. First, however the person who wants to use the roundhouse kick in competition or as a street technique needs to drill, drill, drill in flawless execution until a correct technique is delivered every time, naturally and effortlessly. There is a word for a martial arts competitor who thinks through each step in every technique--loser. What's the street term for someone who hasn't mastered their techniques?
Shawn's book is a comprehensive training program for mastering one technique. If you want to use the roundhouse in competition or for self defense, this is the book to buy. Do the drills and you will master the roundhouse kick.
Roundhouse Kick: Penetrating Impact! August 7, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Author Shawn Kovacich has exploited an important niche in his "Achieving Kicking Excellence" series of martial arts instructional texts.
Shawn is quoted as saying "In an unarmed self-defense encounter, your kicking skills or lack thereof, can be the deciding factor between victory and defeat. In today's society, kicking is not only used more frequently, but it also ranks as perhaps the most versatile and underrated weapon that you have in your arsenal." I agree with him.
I found "Roundhouse Kick" (volume 9 of 10 in the series) to be so highly detail oriented that it overcame any presupposition of dryness and boredom to which I initially attributed to it. In short, I was "hooked." Laid out in terms that the novice can easily follow and the practicing martial artist can incorporate into his or her regimen, Shawn starts out with the historical background of the Roundhouse Kick and then introduces the reader to the physical and physiological body movements and mechanics associated with the kick.
Providing tips on conditioning and training, Shawn demonstrates foot movement by foot movement the Roundhouse Kick's basic principles and then introduces the primary Back Leg Roundhouse Kick to his audience and follows with twelve variations; (some of which I have never even heard of!).
Shawn demonstrates the principles of each kick with clear photographs that leave nothing to the imagination. Fortifying the text with chapters on "Warm Up and Stretching," "Training and Practice Methods," "Trouble Shooting Guide," and "Kicking Applications," to name a few, Shawn provides the reader with more than a full understanding of what could and mistakenly be known as a "simple kick."
Totally complete at 231 pages, and chocked with all sorts of valuable information from the "nuts and bolts" of technique description and demonstration to body dynamics, this is without a doubt the "gold standard" by which any examplar of martial arts kicking should be judged by.
This book can stand alone or be incorporated within the series. I rate it at five stars without hesitation or reservation. Well done!
I Wish I had Read This 20 Years Aog!! August 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have just finished reading Roundhouse Kick, the ninth book in the "Achieving Kicking Excellence" series. The book follows the same format as the other books in the series and continues with the same quality instruction that is the trademark of Kovacich's work. Roundhouse Kick contains great pictures, technical prowess, and is yet another excellent book. Shawn Kovacich has a knack for making the technical aspects of martial arts kicks very understandable.
I wish that I would have had the opportunity to read this book when I first started in the martial arts. My roundhouse kick as always been a sticking point for me, but this book made it clear where my technique was going wrong. This is a must have for beginning and advanced martial artists.
This book leaves nothing out. It covers everything including the anatomy of the leg, stretching, vital targets, foot positioning, timing, distancing, and the importance of correct recoil. Shawn Kovacich covers variations on the roundhouse kick which I haven't considered before, and I have been studying martial arts for 25 years. He also delves into training drills, weight training, speed training, and covers several ways to develop your kicking power. If it has to doing with martial arts kicking, it is included in this book and the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.
Roundhouse Kick is very well written and easy to follow. So many of the technical martial arts books are so dry and boring that is is a struggle to get through them, but Roundhouse Kick uses a lot of analogies and great photographs which make it interesting and easy to follow the author's points. I especially found the "did you notice anything wrong photographs" and the trouble shooting section to be very helpful. The pictures really helped to drive home specific points and demonstrated specific mistakes, as well as how a good wheel kick should look.
Shawn Kovacich obviously knows his stuff! I am totally impressed with this book, as I was with the other books in this series, and plan on reading more of the series. I highly recommend this book to every martial artist who wants to improve his or her kicking skills. This series is the best that I have seen.
Dr. Bohdi Sanders, author of Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior
Roundhouse Kick Excellence July 3, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Like all the titles in Shawn Kovacich's Achieving Kicking Excellence series, book 9 Roundhouse Kick is a comprehensive study of one of the important kicks used in modern martial arts today. The book is incredibly thorough with numerous photos demonstrating the every aspect of the kick in minute detail. Mr. Kovacich knows his stuff and it is obvious that he has spent many hours honing his technique. The book provides an in-depth study of the bones, muscles and mechanics involved in the kicking technique.
In addition, the book contains a wealth of supplemental information on strength, speed and power generating exercises to enhance the technique. There is also a section on stretching as well as the application of the technique.
This book is ideal for any martial artist who wishes to perfect their roundhouse kicking ability. The beginner will find a wealth of information to assist in developing proper mechanics while the advanced practitioner will glean some vital knowledge from an accomplished teacher.
Be sure to check out the other books in this series. You are sure to find one that addresses the specific kick that you need work on.
Aaron Hoopes
author of Zen Yoga: A Path to Enlightenment through Breathing, Movement and Meditation
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