How do you learn the back kick, tornado and jumping kicks — and land safely? The path from basic kicks to taekwondo’s spectacular weapons, step by step.
In short: jumping and spinning kicks are not new kicks — they are your basic kicks plus rotation or plus flight. The dwit chagi becomes the spinning dwit chagi, the dollyo becomes the tornado kick, the front kick becomes the jumping twimyo ap chagi. Whoever cleanly masters the four basic kicks has already done 80% of the work.
Physically two things happen. First you add angular momentum: your body becomes a swinging mass, and the kinetic chain — hip first, foot last — still applies, only with more run-up. Second, everything shifts onto a brief moment at the standing leg: how cleanly you spin and hit depends measurably on how stably your standing leg carries the rotation.
Straight talk: the most spectacular kick fails not at the leg but at the gaze and the landing. The biggest risk isn't the kick itself but the touchdown — most serious taekwondo injuries are non-contact ankle injuries on landing. So you learn every jumping kick starting from the safe touchdown, not from the height. Whoever lands cleanly first and only then jumps higher collects tricks instead of injuries.
The back kick (dwit chagi) is the basis of almost all spinning kicks. Look over the shoulder to the target, turn, heel straight back. Once the standing dwit chagi is powerful and balanced, you have the foundation for the spinning and jumping versions. No spinning kick without a clean dwit chagi — patience pays double here.
The key to every rotation: turn the head first and find the target with your eyes before the body follows. That keeps you oriented and balanced. Without spotting you spin blind and land wobbly.
The tornado (jumping, spinning dollyo) arises from a pre-turn, a small takeoff and the whipped-out dollyo leg. Practice it disassembled: first the turn on the ground, then with a small hop, finally complete. The chain stays the same — hip turns, foot whips last.
Jumping kicks live off explosiveness. The height comes from a strong takeoff and a firm core that keeps the rotation stable. It's exactly this lower-body explosive power that combat sport builds specifically — more in the strength guide.
Before you increase speed and height, practice the controlled touchdown: soft, knee slightly bent, ankle stable. Because non-contact landing is the most common serious injury cause, the landing decides whether the kick becomes a highlight or a break.
With jumping and spinning kicks the risk shifts from the strike to the landing. The most important sentence: most serious taekwondo injuries are non-contact ankle injuries — and many happen on touchdown. So practice new jumping kicks on a soft mat, with full concentration on a soft, controlled landing and a stable ankle. Increase height and speed only once the landing stands securely, and warm the ankles thoroughly. Tired? Then no more new jumps — fatigue is the landing killer.
Break every new jumping or spinning kick into three separate building blocks and practice them individually before assembling: the turn (on the ground, no jump), the takeoff (no kick) and the kick itself (from standing). Only once each block is set do you put them together. That's exactly how demo teams learn their most spectacular tricks — not as one big gamble but as a clean sum of small, safe parts. The trick to the trick is that it's no trick.
Almost always the spinning dwit chagi (back kick), because it's the basis of almost all spinning kicks. The prerequisite is a clean, powerful dwit chagi from standing. Only once that's set and you spin in balance do you build the tornado kick and jumping variants on top.
Soft and controlled: knee slightly bent, ankle stable, never stiff onto the heel. This is decisive because most serious taekwondo injuries are non-contact ankle injuries on landing. Practice new jumps on the mat and increase height only once the landing is set.
Usually spotting or a stable standing leg is missing. Turn the head first and fix the target with your eyes before the body follows; the cleanness of the rotation also depends measurably on a stable standing leg. Practice the turn slowly on the ground first, without a jump.
Yes, if they're controlled. In WT competition spinning kicks score markedly more points, and the kinetic chain delivers great force with clean execution. But they are high-risk techniques: a missed spinning kick opens you to the counter. Use them deliberately and with timing, not randomly.
Taekwondo: Strength, Explosiveness and Reactivity