There are three principles that a beginning student should focus on in learning their kicks:

Chambering of the Leg:

Leg Chambering is a key tenant to a student’s learning to kick properly. This really means focusing on where the student’s knee is prior to the position of the kick. In many (if not most) Taekwondo kicks, the student’s first move is to lift their knee straight up in front of them with the bottom half of their leg cocked and ready to kick. Pulling the knees straight up to chamber allows the student’s leg to move in a straight line, thus a shorter distance to hit the target and a faster kick. The mot important thing for a student to remember is that the height of their kick is not a function of how much they lean back wards to lift their leg, but instead it is a function of how high they raise their knee in relation to the target.

Foot Position:

One of the most common mistakes students make is to not take into account the position of their feet before and during the execution of their kicks. Before the execution of a kick the student should make sure that their feet are properly aligned for the stance that they are in. During the execution of a kick, the student should make sure that they are not planting their feet in one static position, but are instead pivoting on their foot in accordance with the kick that is being executed. Most often beginning students forget to pivot and find themselves loosing power and balance as they try and execute their kicks.

Hip Rotation For Power:

In kicking power comes from the strongest part of the body, the legs and hips. Much like golf or baseball, if the student does not engage their hips and rotate them into the kick that they are executing, they will loose much of the power that is available to them. The hip should lead the kick itself so that at the moment of contact the hip is Just Past the target.