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Don't neglect the Low Kicks

In thelast post, we talked about how high kicks could be effectively deployed in certain situations. Today we will discuss the efficacy of Low Kicks. We will also cover the types of low kicks and how they can be deployed in different circumstances.
There once was a Chinese Nanquan master who looked at high kicks and remarked that‘northern styles train high kicks so when they throw low kicks, it is devastating’.At first we had no idea what he meant, but later we will explain the dynamics of such kicking.
Often, out of the numerous low kicks one can use, there are only a few that martial artists commonly favor –the low round house kicks, the knee kicks and the Straight Kick. Today we will cover the usage of these kicks and in what situations they will be most effectively utilized in.
The straight kick– Widely known in Karate as the mae geri, the straight kick is a simple yet deadly weapon in the arsenal of a karateka. Often confused with the Muay Thai teep, the mechanics are actually different.
Note how legendary Nak Muay Saenchai executes the teep -
The teep is thrown more as apushthan a strike – the reason for this is to either create distance, psychologically irritate your opponent or to set up a roundhouse kick. Now the straight kick, on the other hand, is a strike, and can be used as a self defence tool and a competition move.
Normally, a teep is aimed at the abdominal area or solar plexus. A straight kick can target those areas, as well as slightly above thepelvic region, and even the jaw. For a sharper and cleaner hit, use theball of the footto contact the target. Karateka who are fast enough can use the straight kick to knock out their opponent by hitting the jaw. Example -Lyoto Machida.
However, to make the kick fast and deadly, keep it below solar plexus level.
*Note –Do not confuse the Mae geri with the kinteki geri, or groin kick. In order to get elevation and power for the Mae Geri, the supporting foot needs to pivot about 45 degrees, the kicking foot needs to be chambered with the knee pointing to the target and released in a fast snap. There is no need to turn your pivoting foot for a kinteki geri because you do not need the elevation.
The knee kick/stomp– The most famous executioner of this technique in modern times is of course MMA fighter Jon Jones. The knee kick is famously used in karate, wing chun, and it’s modern variant Jeet Kune Do. When Jon Jones utilized it in his fights, there were many people who complained that it was a ‘dangerous’ and ‘dirty’ move.
To them we would like to pop the question: It may be a dangerous technique for a competition, but is it as aneffectiveself defense move? Do you see yourself utilizing it in the streets? When you are fighting for your life, if it breaks your attacker down and allows you to escape, it is an excellent technique.
It may be a dangerous technique to execute in an MMA match because after all, Kickboxing/MMA fights are sports and the athletes depend on being injury-free to fight another few matches. However, in the context of a street effective move,it is not ‘dirty’ at all.Nobody fights fairin the streets – if your attacker pulls out a gun, sorry pal,your black belt isn’t going to win a bullet. In fact, any martial artist, when faced with a firearm at point blank, should just surrender for safety’s sake.
A safer variant of the knee kick would be the shin stop. In southpaw or reverse stance, raise your rear leg slightly off the ground, and swiftly bring it forward, like passing a ball in soccer. After which retract foot to original position. If you can read your opponent’s kick coming and jam his leg this way, it would be a faster method which would allow you to follow up with a kick to the groin or under competition rules, a roundhouse kick.
The roundhouse low kick– Often, you will see knockdown karate styles, nak muay and kickboxers execute this. If you have trained in a style where high kicks are part of the syllabus, your low kick will actually be quite deadly.
This is because should you execute a low kick, you need to tilt your body slightly, and channel 70% of your weight into the shin when you strike the target. 30% of your weight is to be channeled into the supporting foot, and the supporting foot has to pivot at least 45 degrees and be kept flat on the floor.
Because you are throwing so much of your weight into your opponent’s thigh,use the shininstead of the instep or foot, as the impact could cause you injury. Also, do not over follow through with the strike. Aim to have your knee pass by the targeted leg, then pull back.
This is a devastatingly effective kick, despite its simplicity. Utilise it after a punching combo, example, jab-cross-hook, so your attacker/opponent is distracted by your hands and won’t notice your leg striking his thigh.
And this is why if your high kick is strong, your low kick may cripple– because of the slight downward acceleration and mass of your leg, upon contact the impact can destabilize your opponent and bring him to his knees (Force = Mass x Acceleration)
Most importantly,find a good instructor.
Train with them and practice mindfully. Don’t complain and groan when he/she tells you to do a technique 50 or 100 times, becausea person who practices a good technique 1,000 times is deadlier than a person who knows 1,000 techniques but hasn’t practiced them much.
OSU.


This post first appeared on Shinbudo International, please read the originial post: here

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Don't neglect the Low Kicks

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