The common mistake made by many martial arts students in executing the front snap kick technique correctly lies in the failure to engage the hip in the kicking technique which inhibits the elevation of the knee and the full chambering of the kicking action. Chambering of kicks is where the knee is bend at the most acute of angles and the upper and lower parts of the legs are held tightly against one another.
Students will often incorrectly (and unfairly to themselves) blame their flexibility as the key reason for being unable to elevate their knee much beyond the level of their own hips.
A quick way to assess whether your student is correctly engaging their hip in executing a correct front snap kick technique is by looking at the position of their base leg (the leg they are standing on).
If the foot of the front leg is facing directly forward in the direction of the kick (or target), then it is physiological impossible to alter the position of the hips (unless your physiology differs vastly from that of your other fellow students and human beings).
Encourage your student to turn the foot of their base leg slightly outwards which will permit their hip on the kicking side to pivot forward more freely, gaining greater knee height and tighter chambering of the kicking leg.
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