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Learn this side kick because it is the basic side kick performed in Taekwondo. Hold on to a wall for balance. Stand sideways to the target and lift the knee of your front leg. Drive your knee out towards your target and extend fully. Bend your knee again and then place it on the ground. Work on your standing foot. Start with your standing foot pointed forward at your target. Begin rotating your standing foot as you start lifting your kicking knee. Rotate your foot to open up your hips and generate power. Keep your knee up at all times. Stretch out your foot and make contact with the blade of your foot. Finish your kick and bring your foot back down. Practice your side kick often.
The side kick is one of the most powerful strikes in martial arts and will also impress grading panels in competitions. It is also relatively safe from counterattacks because your body is turned sideways. This side kick is the most commonly used version in Taekwondo and should be learned before advancing to other side kicks. You should practice your side kick step by step to ensure you are using the correct technique. Hold on to a chair or wall to help you balance while learning the motion of your kicking foot. Your ankle should be flexed and the blade of your foot should be ready to strike. The blade of your foot is the outside edge, which you will use to strike your target. When you lift your knee you should be pointing your heel at the target.  Although you would normally turn your body sideways during the side kick, for now you should start sideways to practice the motion of the kicking foot only. This is a straight kick so you must have your heel pointing at the target before straightening your leg. Straighten your leg and bring your foot to the body height of the opponent. You should try to get as much of your sole facing the ground as possible so think of your big toe lifting up and your little toes pointing down.  You will always strike with the blade of your foot for this strike so make sure you remember this. Aim to the body of your opponent. Make sure that your heel is higher than your toes when striking. Bend the knee back to its original position before bringing your leg down to the ground. Now that you have practiced the motion of the kicking foot, you will add the motion of the standing foot. The standing foot is key to your side kick and is extremely important for generating power and maintaining balance. Pay very close attention to the movement of this foot. Start from your normal fighting stance. A common fighting stance is to stand with your left foot in front and right foot in back facing mostly sideways. Your right hand would be by your chin with your left 12-16 inches (30-40 cm) in front of your left shoulder. Your foot should rotate through 180 degrees during the entire side kick. This means that by the time you strike your target your standing foot will be pointing backwards. Rotating your foot all the way around will open up your hips so that your foot can strike the target at the correct position. This rotation also provides the power of the side kick.  You can push off your foot as it turns so that you can use your strong hip, bum and core muscles to drive your kicking foot out at your target. This rotation means you turn power from the ground into the power going forward in the kick, making the kick stronger and harder. As a beginner you can rotate your foot before straightening your knee to strike your target. As you progress make sure you are rotating your foot at the very end of your strike (when your knee is almost straightened) so that you rotate your hip into the kick. This generates more power and strength. Your knee should be in the same position from when you first bring it up, through making contact with your foot and while bringing your foot back to your body.  For example, if you bring your knee to waist height at first it should stay at waist height when you make contact with the target and while you bring your foot back to your body. Dropping your knee will cause a loss of power and will prevent your kick from going horizontally through the target. Straighten your knee, bringing the blade of your foot into contact with the target. Be sure you use the same technique as earlier, where you flexed your foot to keep your sole facing the ground as much as possible. Bend your knee again and then bring your foot down to the ground. You should be turned sideways when you land back on the ground. Your non-kicking foot will rotate back about 90 degrees to point in the direction you are facing. Keep practicing to make sure you retain balance and generate maximum power by rotating and using proper technique. You should also work on your hip mobility and hip strength in order to improve your side kick.