Wushu Inside Circle Kick

The inside circle kick is one of the most basic wushu kicks. In Chinese this is called: "Li He". From an upright position with the arms extended sideways, kick outside-up, slap your foot into the opposite hand and then pull your leg back down. Only the kicking leg and one hand should move. This wushu kick should be practiced in every single training session. Find instructions for more wushu kicks and jumps at the wushu main page.

Execution

The straight wushu stretchkick, the outside circle kick and the inside circle kick start the same way. Stand straight with your legs closed and relax your arms.
Then step forward with your left leg and lift your extended arms sideway. Looking to the right for a moment. Lift your arms and let your hands follow (see illustration).
Follow with your right foot so that your legs are closed again, look straight forward again and whip your palms up. Now your arms should be horizontally aligned and your palms should be behind chest level (when viewed from the side). Both palms point away from your body. That´s how the 3 most basic wushu kicks begin.
Step forward with your left leg and and swing your right leg outside-up in front of your face. When your foot crosses from the one side to the other, turn the opposite hand and slap your foot and your palm together.
Then pull your kicking leg down as fast as possible and bring your hands back to the beginning position. Make sure you don't bend your back and DON'T elevate your hip with the kick.
Step forward and then kick the other leg.

Advice

Warm up and stretch before you practice any wushu kicks or jumps.
Stretch your flat stances and your splits before you do the inside circle kick.
Do a couple of inside circle kicks before you start working on your wushu whirlwind kick.

Suggestions

Videos/Images

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