Learn huryeo chagi: swing the leg past the target and whip back with the heel. Build-up from yeop chagi, typical mistakes and safety for head-height targets.
The honest answer: the hook kick is a kick that passes the target and whips back with the heel, and it is easier than it looks once you can do the side kick cleanly. You swing the leg sideways past the target and pull it back with a bent knee, so heel or sole hits from the side. It needs less power than a roundhouse but good hip control.
What does research say? There is no study on the standing hook kick itself. A lab study with a dummy head and taekwondo headgear tested the spinning hook kick: the roundhouse (dollyo chagi) and spinning hook kick produced the highest head accelerations, higher than punches, though differences between techniques were unclear [1]. A review of 88 studies found kick impact forces large enough to break bones [2].
If you want to learn the hook kick, master yeop chagi (side kick) first. In a motion analysis, experienced taekwondo practitioners showed 28 % higher foot speed and a more efficient movement in the side kick than beginners with at most six months of experience [5]. Realistically you need a few weeks to months until the hook kick runs cleanly (experience, not a study). This guide does not replace supervised training.
The hook kick is a kick of surprise: your opponent expects the leg to pass the target and does not expect the pull-back. That deception makes it useful, but only if you throw it under control. If you throw it with swing instead of hip control, you rarely hit and you load the knee. Plan the session so the hook kick comes after the warm-up and before conditioning, while the legs are fresh (practice standard). Tired legs lose control, and control is exactly what you need here.
Throw ten side kicks per side onto a pad. Milestone: the hip turns along, the standing leg pivots, the kick lands with the blade of the foot.
Lift the knee to the side, extend the leg past the target without hitting. Milestone: five repetitions where the leg passes at the same height.
Bend the knee and pull the leg back heel first until it stops just in front of the pad. Milestone: five repetitions without swinging.
The coach holds the pad at hip or chest height. You hit with heel or sole from the side. Milestone: five hits in a row with standing-leg pivot.
Place the leg down under control and return to your stance. Milestone: you land without a lunge.
In the hook kick, too, the standing leg carries the load. A finite-element model of the roundhouse found the highest stress on cruciate ligaments and menisci in the support-leg knee of twelve elite athletes [3]. It is a model and a different kick, but the stand-and-turn mechanics are similar. Warm up hips and knees.
Never practise the hook kick on a partner's head. Only pads and bags held by the coach. Head hits can cause concussions; if you feel dizzy, sick or confused, stop immediately and get checked. This guide does not replace supervised training.
The hook kick loads the groin and hamstrings. Warm them up thoroughly and practise without a target first. If you feel a pull or a stab, stop immediately (practice standard). The hook kick looks harmless because it needs less power. At the head of a person it is still a head hit with all the risks of a head hit, so do not treat it as a "light" kick.
Film yourself from behind and check that the leg travels on one line past the target. Many hook kick errors arise because the leg is too low or too high on the way out and then misses on the way back. This is a practice rule; there is no study on it.
Huryeo chagi is the hook kick in taekwondo: the leg is led sideways past the target and pulled back with the heel or sole.
Yes, the side kick is the prerequisite. Experienced athletes show clearly more efficient movement in the side kick in studies [5].
For the target it can be, especially at the head [1]. For you, the load on the standing leg is relevant [3]. Practise with warm-up and a coach.
A few weeks to months, depending on flexibility and the side kick. That is experience.
As a rule of thumb two to three short sessions per week, 20 to 30 controlled kicks per side. More speed achieves nothing if the hip does not play along. There is no study on this.
Dwi Huryeo Chagi: The Spinning Hook Kick, Build-Up and Risks