Company: Panda Productions
Tape Name: Dynamic Kicking
Tape Cost: $24.95
Length
of Tape/Time: 1 hr 45 min
Number of Moves/Techniques: Information and Concepts
Return
Policy: Money Back Guarantee!
Experiences in dealing with this company: Excellent
The
Instructor: Lauren Hofbauer
Company's Address: PO BOX 2426, Petoskey, MI., 49770
Company's
Phone Number: 1-616-348-7973
Web Page: http://www.cybersytes.com/panda
E-Mail:
panda@racc2000.com
Primary Grading Criteria:
1. Production/Tape
Quality: 9
2. Instructors demonstrated skill level: 10
3. Comprehension Score/Immediate
Understanding: 9
4. Degree to which this will make someone a better Martial Artist:
8
5. Score on delivery vs hype: 8
6. Degree to which we would recommend this
product: 8
7. Wasted Time ( The higher the number, the less " fluff"
/repetition ): 10
8. Playback Score/Watching if over-and-over again: 10
9.
Would I purchase more of this company's products: 9
10. Overall grade based on
cost vs. Value: 10
Grand Total: 91% (Good = 2.75 Stars )
Secondary Grading Criteria:
1. Beginners
benefit: Good
2. Intermediate benefit: Good
3. Advanced benefit: Good
4.
Time to benefit: Kicking can take awhile to master!
5. The need to buy additional
tapes to understand this one: None
Written Summary:
If you want to buy
a good beginner tape on kicking, this is the best one I've seen so far. However,
please remember the word BEGINNER, you'll understand that better later on.
Let's
first describe the author. Lauren Hofbauer is an incredibly talented martial artist.
His kicking ability is top notch. He has the flexibility and muscle control of a
Wallace or Van Damme. While watching the video I kept trying to guess what martial
arts style he came from. I suspected he had a Korean martial arts background, however
his striping both sides of his belt, kept me wondering. I wasn't sure until I heard
him slip up, and use the term Ap Chagee, which is a term used in many TKD schools
to describe a front kick. Anyway, having said that, his background shouldn't effect
anyone who wants to learn some of the things involved in doing various kicks.
Although
I liked the video, I felt it was a little more "show-offy" than instructional.
Meaning, Mr. Hofbauer spent A WHOLE LOT OF TIME with his own foot in the air. Although
it was nice to see he could "walk-the-walk", and this added to the credibility
of what he was saying, I personally think he could've provided alot more of the specific
mechanics of each kick, how to develop and improve each, had he allowed an assitant
to do the kicks, and it showed him working with them. I guess the best way to describe
that is by having you ask yourself a question. Have you ever watched a Bill Wallace
instructional video and said to yourself: "Gee, that's cool, but what if I don't
have the flexibility to do that? Show me either very specifically how to get there,
or show me what I can do instead while I work towards that." That's kind of
what I started thinking watching Mr. Hofbauer's ongoing displays of his flexibility.
Still, don't let that take away from this tape, it is a good tape. It's just when
I review a tape, I try to mention the things I like, along with the things I didn't.
Another thing to keep in mind is this tape is dated 1991. By todays standards, I
think it could be improved, back in "91, when there were alot fewer tapes on
the market, it would've probably scored higher on our grading scale.
So what
else did I not like? As mentioned before, I don't think Mr. Hofbauer broke down the
specifics of how to do each kick, well enough. For instance, let's look at the side
kick. I think a person could create a whole video on the intricacies of doing a side
kick. I know I could. I say that because my side kick became one of my favorite weapons
when I was in TKD, along with my backfist. As I've mentioned before, in other things
I've wrote, as a TKD blue belt, I had a 3 board side kick. At brown, my side kick
literally improved at least another 300%. I have no doubt I could've taken out 4
or 5 boards. Why do I mention all that again? My side kick, at white, yellow, orange
and green belt, was my worst kick. It was really pathetic. At blue belt, I got real
pissed off about that, and spent an ungodly amount of time, on my own, developing
it (hundreds of kicks per day, everyday, for months). I came up with my own routines,
balancing exercises, speed drills, flexibility exercises, along with other technique
specific drills. I basically broke down that kick microscopically, to each of it's
essentials. Doing so, instead of just doing side kicks over and over again, helped
me concentrate on an improve each componenet. I develped my own specific side kick
exercises/drills, that I did each day, such as:
1. Balance (I had 6 different
drills I did to develop this - to me the most important piece)
2. Chambering the
kick (as fast and high as you can)
3. Extending the kick (as fast and as high
as you can)
4. Recoiling the kick (as fast as you can)
5. Bringing the kick
for the "recoil", back to the ground, very fast
6. Pivoting (forward
and backward)
7. Speed of the kick (leg weights, doing side kicks laying down,
standing and supported)
8. Increasing it's power (used bands, pads, bags, and
a push drill against a person)
9. Stamina - being able to do numerous kicks at
a time, like a jab (sets of 10,20,30,50)
10. Height of the kick (lots of slow
isometric leg raises - trying to slow down at the top, pully & rope, bands, slow
isometric kicks supporting yourself with an emphasis on height)
11. Not telegraphing
the kick (keeping head level consistent and not bending over)
12. And my biggest
secret that few instructors emphasize, and makes a huge difference in quickly developing
the kick. Hey, you don't expect me to tell you everything for free do you? Especially
when I had to suffer and pay a HUGE price discovering it on my own!
As I
mentioned previously, I worked on my own, at home, for months developing my side
kick. After about 3 months of doing all this, and hundreds of kicks everyday, it
was a black belt quality kick, that frustrated many people I sparred with. It got
so fast that many 1st, 2nd, and some 3rd degrees, couldn't stop it. Doing those drills
gave me a secret weapon and took my side kick from my worst kick, to my best kick.
Well, after doing that with the side kick, I did concentrated drills for a month
or two on my front leg roundhouse kick, and then after that, my jab and backfist.
This gave me a well rounded arsenal that VERY FEW PEOPLE could stop. Why do I mention
all this? Because just doing the kicks over and over, or a dozen per class, for some
isn't enough. If you keep practicing poorly, struggling with many of the intricate
componenets, all at the same time, it will take some people forever to throw decent
kicks. Heck, just trying to concentrate and do 8 of the things well listed above,
all at once, is in my opinion too much to try and work on. Commit to improving the
little things and it will improve everything much faster! (hey I like that quote
- I'm claiming it as my creation) Otherwise you can end up a frustrated blue belt
like I was. Take 2-3 months, incorporating the right drills, and watch just one of
your kicks become so powerful, and so fast, that most people can't stop it. All it
takes is applying a certain amount of dedication, that others you sparr with don't
know about, and aren't willing too. Then look out, they'll have a VERY HARD time
stopping you. OK, so that's the kind of stuff I would include in a tape on kicking.
There were some other things Mr. Hofbauer mentioned that personally I disagreed
with. He emphasized that one should do a full coil/chamber for each of their kicks,
because they wouldn't be able to develop enough power otherwise. In theory I agree,
but in practicallity I disagree. I never had a full coil, meaning chambering ones
side kick all the way to their chest, or as close as they could to it. I had more
of a half coil, that snuck up from the ground, and practicing the right drills, I
was able to generate a ton of power with it. Plus, if you're sparring against someone,
attempting to fully coil/chamber risks telegraphing ones techniques.
I also
had a concern about one of Mr. Hofbauer's flexibility recommendations. Mr. Hofbauer
made mention that one could do hurdlers stretches for increased flexibility. On the
recently reviewed Shorinji Kempo tape, in the stretching section of that tape, Dr.
Estwanik provides some very specific reasons how that stretch can damage ones knees,
and why they should avoid it.
Please keep in mind though, even though I disagreed
with some minor things, and saw areas for improvement, this is still one of the best
kicking tapes I've seen. Maybe there's a market for better ones, incorporating some
of the secret drills I used. Hmmmm?
OK, so now that most of you think I've
"grilled" this tape, let's go into what I did like. Unlike the Shorinji
Kempo tape, Mr. Hofbauer does stress the importance of a warm up before stretching.
Warm muscles stretch better than cold ones, and that also reduces your risk of injury!
And other than Hofbauer's hurdler stretch remark, I personally felt his stretching
principles were very through and sound. Also, I liked, and found entertaining, the
numerous demonstrations Hofbauer showed on this tape, such as:
1. 5 board
side kick
2. 4 board, one handed, speed-heel kick break
3. and there were numerous
acrobatic, turning in the air, multiple board breaks
In closing, here's what
all was on the tape:
1. Stretching
2. Muscle Toning - leg strengthening
exercises
3. Front Kick
4. Inner Crescent
5. Outside Crescent
6. Axe
Kick
7. Twist Kick
8. Side Kick - had a problem with Hofbauer's recommendation
of a cross-step side kick. I personally feel this is a kick some advanced practitioners
could jam, or take one down from.
9. Roundhouse
10. Hook/Heel
11. Spinning
Kick - very good breakdown of how to do these!
12. Various board breaking demonstrations
So,
there you have it. Mr. Hofbauer's ads for his tapes periodically appear in various
martial arts magazines, as I'm sure many of you have seen. All in all it was a pretty
good tape. However, for intermediate students that are wanting someone to show them
how to pick apart various kicking intricacies, and take their kicks to the next level,
this tape leaves that out in my opinion. Still, a very good tape to get a beginner
started.
