How to Build Explosive Kicking Power (It’s Not as Hard as You Think!)

Alright, let’s talk about one of the most exciting aspects of training—explosive kicking power. Seriously, if you’ve ever tried to land a solid kick in any combat sport, whether it’s Muay Thai, kickboxing, or even soccer, you KNOW how satisfying it feels when it just clicks. That feeling when your foot hits the target and you see the reaction… pure magic.

But here’s the thing: building explosive kicking power isn’t just about kicking harder. It’s about training smarter, working on the right muscles, and—let’s be real—sometimes making some serious sacrifices. I’m gonna break down how you can get there and share a bit of my personal journey, because trust me, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. But I’ve learned a lot, and hopefully, I can save you some of the headaches I went through.

1. Work on Your Leg Strength (You Can’t Skip This)

If you want to kick with power, you’ve gotta build strength in your legs, especially your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Honestly, I can’t tell you how many people skip leg day (don’t be one of them!). Early on in my training, I was all about those flashy skills and fancy footwork, but I wasn’t seeing the kick power I wanted.

Then, my coach (shoutout to Andy, he’s the man) pulled me aside and said, “You need to get strong in your legs first. You can’t kick explosively if you don’t have the strength to drive that force.” He was right. So, I started focusing on squats, deadlifts, and lunges. It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked.

• Squats: Full range of motion. Heavy.
• Deadlifts: Focus on the hamstrings and glutes.
• Lunges: If you’re not doing lunges, well, you’re missing out on everything.

I noticed a HUGE difference after a few months. My kicks were faster, my power was up, and I wasn’t fatiguing as easily during rounds.

2. Explosive Power Drills (Train Fast, Train Furious)

Okay, strength is crucial, but power? That’s a whole different beast. This is where you need to train for speed and explosiveness. One of the best drills I’ve done for this is plyometrics.

Honestly, the first time I tried a set of jump squats, I thought I was gonna die. I felt like a total amateur, jumping and landing, and barely making it through three sets. But guess what? Plyometric exercises are designed to train your muscles to fire rapidly, and that’s exactly what you need for a powerful kick.

• Box jumps: Great for building explosive strength.
• Jump squats: These will make your legs feel like jelly, but it’s worth it.
• Bounding: Essentially skipping for distance. Sounds simple, but it’ll get your legs flying.

I started mixing these into my routine, and after a few weeks, I could feel my kicks getting faster and more explosive. That’s the thing with explosive power—it’s all about that burst of energy.

3. Core Strength—The Unsung Hero

Don’t overlook your core. I made this mistake for so long, just focusing on the legs. But you need a strong core to transfer the power from your legs into the kick. Without it, your kicks will be weaker, no matter how strong your legs are.

Russian twists, planks, and leg raises became my go-to core exercises. And I’ll be honest: there were times when I really didn’t feel like doing them. They’re not fun. But then I noticed how much better my kicks felt when I focused on tightening my core, especially in the follow-through. It makes a massive difference in terms of both power and control.

4. Kick Specific Drills (It’s All About Technique)

Now, I know I’ve talked a lot about strength and explosive power, but here’s the catch—technique is still king. You can be strong as an ox, but if your technique is off, your kick will be weak. Period. You’ve gotta work on hitting the bag clean, getting your hip rotation right, and keeping that follow-through sharp.

When I first started, I had a bad habit of just “slapping” the bag instead of driving through it. It was all wrist, no power. I was pretty frustrated with myself, honestly. But over time, I learned to focus on hip engagement and proper rotation to maximize the power coming from the ground up.

Also, kick drills like alternating kicks, speed drills, and kicking the heavy bag with different angles and techniques help fine-tune your explosive power. Just don’t forget to practice, practice, and then practice some more.

5. Speed and Timing (Don’t Forget to Train the Mind)

Okay, real talk here—one of the most frustrating things I’ve experienced is this: you can have the strength, you can have the technique, but if your timing’s off? You won’t get the full power. That’s why I started incorporating reaction training. I don’t care how strong you are—if you can’t throw that kick at the right moment, it’s just not gonna hit hard.

For this, I’ve been working a lot with a speed bag and also training with a partner who holds pads. If you can’t hit the target fast, no amount of strength training is gonna help. It’s the timing and reaction that often make the biggest difference in generating real explosive power.

My Final Thoughts: Be Consistent and Be Patient

Honestly, all of this takes time. I remember, there were moments when I felt like nothing was happening. I kept pushing through, though, because I knew I had to stick with it. You’ve gotta be consistent with your strength training, explosive drills, and technique work. And yeah, there will be days where you just want to throw in the towel. But trust me, if you keep going, you’ll see results.

So, do you have what it takes to build that explosive kicking power? If you follow the steps, stay disciplined, and really focus on the fundamentals, you can absolutely get there. It’s not just about raw strength or fancy tricks—it's about working hard, focusing on the right drills, and being patient.

Alright, enough talk. Go hit the gym, grab that bag, and get kicking. You’ve got this!

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The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

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How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

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Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

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Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.