How to Kick Higher - Flexibility for Martial Arts
by Cameron Walker-Shepherd
Get How to Kick Higher - Flexibility for Martial Arts by Cameron Walker-Shepherd Digital Download!
You can check proof of content here
Download immediately How to Kick Higher - Flexibility for Martial Arts by Cameron Walker-Shepherd
Overview
How to Kick Higher – Flexibility for Martial Arts by Cameron Walker-Shepherd: A Smart, Systematic Path to Elevated Kicks
In the realm of martial arts, a high kick is more than a flashy display—it’s a technical, powerful, and often decisive tool. In How to Kick Higher – Flexibility for Martial Arts, Cameron Walker-Shepherd delivers a comprehensive, no-nonsense blueprint for improving kicking height through the combined development of flexibility, strength, technique, and consistency. With a background grounded in applied performance, Walker-Shepherd presents a program that’s as accessible as it is effective, making this guide essential reading for martial artists of all levels.
Flexibility: The Often-Misunderstood Foundation
Many assume high kicks are all about leg strength. Walker-Shepherd corrects that notion by shifting the focus to overall mobility—especially in the hips, spine, and core. His guide emphasizes that leg flexibility alone isn’t enough; full-body mobility, particularly in the back and pelvis, plays a vital role in unlocking true kicking potential.
This holistic view of flexibility is a standout feature. Exercises like forward bends, spinal mobility drills, and active back stretches are integrated into routines, helping martial artists move with greater fluidity and control. By expanding beyond the usual hamstring and quad stretches, Walker-Shepherd enables practitioners to address the full kinetic chain involved in high-level kicking.
Dynamic and Static Stretching: The Right Tools at the Right Time
A key strength of this guide is its balanced focus on dynamic and static stretching, clearly differentiating when and how to use each:
Dynamic Stretching (e.g., leg swings, walking lunges): Ideal for warming up, these movements boost blood flow, enhance joint mobility, and prepare the body for explosive action.
Static Stretching (e.g., held hip flexor stretches): Best used post-training to deepen flexibility and prevent tightness.
Walker-Shepherd’s approach ensures that martial artists are not only mobile before they train, but also continuously improving their flexibility over time.
Strength Training: The Missing Link in High Kicks
Without strength to stabilize and power the movement, flexibility means little. This guide addresses that gap by incorporating targeted strength exercises:
Squats and Lunges for lower-body power and balance
Core work for improved control and hip rotation
Isometric holds for endurance and stability at range
Walker-Shepherd makes a clear case: optimal kicking height and effectiveness come from the synergy of strength and flexibility, not the dominance of one over the other. His strength protocols complement the stretching routines, building a body that can not only reach high—but strike with force.
Technical Refinement: The Final Piece of the Puzzle
While many flexibility guides stop at the physical, How to Kick Higher goes a step further by focusing on technical mastery. The book outlines crucial elements of good kicking mechanics:
Balance to maintain posture and prevent injury
Stance positioning for efficient transitions
Hip rotation to maximize height and torque
The emphasis on consistent practice of these fundamentals ensures that even as flexibility and strength improve, technical efficiency stays aligned—an often-overlooked factor in real-world results.
Consistency and Structure: Keys to Long-Term Progress
Walker-Shepherd is refreshingly honest about the reality of progress: there are no shortcuts. Improvement requires structure, discipline, and time. He offers a sample training breakdown that balances warm-ups, flexibility routines, strength work, and recovery—a format that allows athletes to stay consistent and avoid burnout.
The recommendation to stretch even on rest days, and to approach flexibility like any other skill (i.e., through daily input), reinforces a sustainable, long-term perspective.
Final Verdict: A Thoughtful, Practical Guide for Martial Artists at Any Level
Cameron Walker-Shepherd’s How to Kick Higher – Flexibility for Martial Arts is more than a book about kicking—it’s a guide to body mastery. Blending mobility science, functional strength, and technique with clear instructions and structured routines, this guide demystifies the process of improving high kicks.
Whether you're a beginner struggling to lift your leg above the waist or an advanced practitioner chasing elite precision, this resource offers the tools and knowledge to take your kicking game to the next level. Smart, structured, and rooted in real-world training principles, this book belongs on every martial artist’s shelf.
