Hey guys! Dr. Sara Ullenbruch PT., DPT. here to help you improve your ability to deliver a knee strike!
There is a lot of movement that goes into throwing a proper knee strike. Focusing on the standing/base leg, the motion needed is; ankle plantar flexion (going up on you toes), knee extension (knee is straight), hip extension and lastly “rotation” at the spine (the vertebra in your spine rotate and extend together to allow for increased motion). In your moving/striking leg, when loading to deliver the knee, your ankle dorsiflexes (heel lowers to ground) then violently push off the ground. The quad and hip flexor activate to help bring the knee up. The power of the knee comes from your standing/base leg.
To improve the power in your knee strikes, your base leg needs to have proper range of motion and strength. Your body responds better to an active stretch because during an active stretch the body constantly gets neuromuscular feedback (brain talks to your muscles). In order to have a good powerful knee strike you need to have good eccentric muscle strength of both you anterior thigh and core (rectus femoris, vastuslateralis, vastusmedialis, iliopsoas, sartoris, rectus abdominus, internal/external obliques). All of theses muscles lengthen while they are working to drive your knee into your attacker/opponent! Power comes from the ground up! The more hip extension you have the less stress that goes into your spine and more range you can achieve.
Video demonstrating stretches and exercises
Stretches and exercises
Dr. Sara Ullenbruch teaches and trains Krav Maga at EVKM Self Defense & Fitness and practices as a PT at Functional Performance Center in Tempe, Arizona.
This is the one place you want to go if you want to get a great workout, learn self defense techniques that may save your life, and have a community that wants help you learn and grow. EVKM teaches you how to defend yourself in real life situations from real life attackers. I have gotten more energy and endurance since day one and can tell the results from every class i go to. I am not saying that you can automatically see a weight loss difference, that comes with time, but i can tell that my endurance is a lot better than what it used to be and the techniques they show you suddenly become second nature. It is a wonderful class with an exceptional instructor team. i recommend it to everyone who wants to better challenge themselves and learn some things along the way.
Erin C.
So much fun. The thing that stands out about EVKM is just how supportive everyone here is...not just the instructors (who are fantastic), but everyone in class as well. It is a fantastic and really fun workout. I feel great, both physically and mentally. My job can be stressful, but I have found that as long as I get my training in, I can just leave it all on the mat. As a bonus, I am down four or five sizes in just four months!
Sara U.
EVKM is not only a great workout and a wonderful way to relieve some stress, it's also a really good place to build confidence and meet some awesome people! I started at EVKM when I moved to AZ from MI alone, I was concerned about living alone in a place where I knew no one. I started Krav Maga to learn how to defend my self and ended up falling in love with it! EVKM is also a great way to get out and meet people. Most of my very good friends I have met have started at EVKM! The instructors are also very knowledgeable and do not judge! Don't worry if you have never done anything like this, you will catch on and they will go a wonderful job helping you with anything you need!