Kick

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For other uses of the words "kick" and "kicker" see Kick (disambiguation).

In violence, martial arts, and combat sports, a kick is an attack using the foot, leg, or knee (also known as a knee strike). This attack is often used in hand-to-hand combat, especially in stand-up fighting. Kicks are generally slower but more powerful than strikes made with the hands.

Kicks play a great part in many martial arts, such as kung fu, karate, kickboxing, Muay Thai, capoeira, and taekwondo. Some arts do not utilize kicks at all, such as judo and boxing. Other arts limit the use of kicks to attacks on the legs and lower body, while some sport martial arts tournaments only allow kicking above the waist.

The usefulness of kicks in self-defense and actual combat (as distinct from martial arts) has been debated. Some, like Bruce Lee, have commented that the leg, thanks to its size and weight, is a more powerful weapon than the arm. Because kicks are more exotic than punches, they may intimidate and catch a fighter off-guard, and because the leg is longer than the arm, kicks tend keep an opponent at a distance and to surprise him or her with their range. Many have reported successfully using kicks in real-life self-defense situations, and some modern combat systems such as Krav Maga, intended primarily for self-defense and combat, have incorporated kicks. Others, however, argue that compared to punches and hand strikes, a kick is overly slow, predictable, and unbalancing, and that high kicks are particularly impractical.

In Mixed Martial Arts and Vale Tudo competition, kicks have proven to be a very useful, if not necessary, part of a fighter's arsenal.

Kick variations

A great number of kicks exist, and often the same movement will have different names in different martial arts. This page gives the English terms commonly used by taekwondo practitioners.

In taekwondo and similar arts, kicks typically begin with what's called coiling or chambering, when the leg is drawn back and cocked in a "ready" position. Then the kick is fired with an explosive movement and snapped or thrust out at the target. The leg is then swiftly recoiled (rechambered). After that, the leg may be lowered or used for another kick. Some martial arts (such as Muay Thai and a number of Chinese martial arts) eschew this method for some or all kicking techniques.

The kicks listed below can be done using either the back foot or the lead foot ("lead leg"). Many kicks can be delivered using different parts of the leg as the attack "tool", the portion of the leg delivering the impact. These variations change from kick to kick and are given in the individual kick descriptions.

These kicks can be executed at many heights. Many flexible martial artists can deliver kicks above their own heads. They can also be executed "in the air" with a jumping motion (mid-air and jump kicks), with a spinning motion (spin kicks), or combining the two (jump spin kicks). Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, has a spinning block/kick called "au batido" that resembles half-cartwheels. As a general rule, however, the fancier and higher a kick is, the less effective it will prove in actual combat; flashy kicks are developed for show (such as in Tricking), for fun, for sport, or for art, and not for self-defense.

Basic kicks

Front kick

In Korean, "ahp cha ki"; in Japanese, "mae geri." From a standing position, the leg is swung upward into the target, or lifted and thrust forward into the target. Depending on the method used, the striking surface may be the instep, the point of the toe, the heel, or the ball of the foot. In Tae Kwon Do this is regarded a push kick, a very powerful kick that pushs the opponent away or onto the ground.

Side kick

In Korean, "yup cha ki"; in Japanese, "yoko geri."

The Side Kick refers to a kick that is delivered sideways in relation to the body of the person kicking. There are two general ways in which a side kick can be delivered. The first involves chambering the kick by bending it and cocking it back before you kick. The second involves shooting the leg forward as you would in a front kick and then pivoting and turning so that you actually deliver a side kick. The first way is more easily read by an opponent but has great power. The second has far less power but is much faster and more deceptive.

In addition, there are two areas that are commonly used as impact points in sidekicks. The first is the heel of the foot and the other is the outer edge of the foot (this is sometime called the side blade kick). The heel is more suited to hard targets such as the ribs, stomach and chest. The side blade is more suited to the softer targets such as the knee and neck.

Back kick

In Korean, "dwi cha ki"; in Japanese, "ushiro geri." Also called a donkey kick or mule kick. This kick is directed backward, using the heel as a striking surface.

More Advanced Kicks

Axe kick

An axe kick is characterized by the straightened leg coming down on an opponent. The starting phase involves the foot being moved in an arc up and forward, like a crescent kick. The arc motion is stopped, and the attacking foot is brought down to strike the target from above, in imitation of an axe. The arc can be performed in either an inward (clockwise) or outward (counter-clockwise) fashion. In some styles, this is known as a downward kick. It is known in Korean as "Chikyo Chagi" or "Nerio Chagi"thinkquest.org. Axe kick.

Butterfly kick

The butterfly kick is a signature martial arts kick and has its own separate article. It's commonly done by doing a large circular motion with both feet in succession, making the combatant airborne. There are many variations of this kick.

Calf kick

This kick strikes with the backside of the calf. A variation which is known as the jumping calf kick is when the user jumps before performing the kick.

Crescent kick

The crescent kick hits with either the instep or the blade of the foot, depending on whether it is an inward (or clockwise) or outward (or counter-clockwise) crescent, respectively. Much like the hook kick, in practice it is similar to an off-target front snap kick. The leg is bent like the front kick, but the knee is pointed at a target to the left or right of the true target. The energy from the snap is then redirected, whipping the leg into an arc and hitting the target from the side. This is useful for getting inside defenses and striking the side of the head or for knocking down hands to follow up with a close attack.

Hook kick

The hook kick strikes with the heel from the side. It is executed similar to a side kick. However, the kick is intentionally aimed slightly off target in the direction of the kicking foot's toes. At full extension, the knee is bent and the foot snapped to the side, impacting the target with the heel. In Korean, yup hu ryo cha ki. In Japanese, ura mawashi-geri. Practitioners of jeet kune do frequently use the term "heel hook kick" or "sweep kick."

Reverse roundhouse kick

In Korean, "bandae dollyo chagi"

Also called a reverse turning kick. This kick uses the heel as the striking tool. The kicking leg comes from around the kicker's back and remains straight, unlike a reverse hooking kick. See above for more on hook kicks.

Variations exist for low, middle and high height.

Roundhouse kick

In Japanese, "mawashi geri." In Korean, "Tollyo Cha ki"

Also called a round kick or turning kick. The attacker swings his/her leg up in a circular motion. Also performable is a 360 degree in which the attacker performs a full circle with his/her leg. The striking surface is generally either the instep, shin or ball of foot.

Scissor kick

Several kicks may be called a scissor kick, involving swinging out the legs to kick multiple targets or using the legs to take down an opponent.

Vertical kick

The vertical kick involves bringing the knee forward and across the chest, then swinging the hip while extending the kicking leg outward, striking with the outside ("sword") edge of the foot. It can deliver a considerable amount of power.

Footnotes

References

Introductory Karate. Cory Searcy's Shotokan Karate Pages. http://www.i-clps.com/karate/ik.html
How to perform the Karate Side-Kick (from gokarate.co.uk)
Martialedge, reviews, interviews and articles
http://www.ppark.freeserve.co.uk/kicks.htm
http://www.geocities.com/pak_taekwondo2/urdulinks/kicks.htm

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