Butterfly Kicks used in Taekwondo

Discussion in 'Tae Kwon Do' started by GojuShotokan, Nov 26, 2016.

  1. GojuShotokan

    GojuShotokan Valued Member

    Coming from a Karate background we aren't taught these kicks but I managed to recently teach myself the Butterfly kick.

    However what is it's usage?

    Does this technique have any real world application at all besides looking flashy?
     
  2. Tom bayley

    Tom bayley Valued Member

    Is butterfly kick a formally agreed name for a kick throughout taekwando? If yes could you post a video?

    I know of several different kicks referred to as butterfly kicks by different martial arts.
     
  3. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    This is it in CLF. I don't see much practical application for the full kick myself. It is a finishing move in a lot of our forms though.

    This is a great tutorial on it BTW.


    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T184VYrZ5E"]Choy Li Fut Butterfly Kick Tutorial - YouTube[/ame]
     
  4. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    I know that one as a simple jumping crescent kick.

    This is the one I know as a butterfly kick.

    The one kick I could never do.

    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbefem-b8p8"]WUSHU TUTORIAL: Butterfly Kick - YouTube[/ame]
     
  5. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cyYoxvUADc"]Michael Page Great KO! Attack By Drawing! - YouTube[/ame]

    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJKzZAqU8fs"]Tornado Kick Knockout (MMA) - YouTube[/ame]
     
  6. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    Which surprises me as in your youth you appear to have been a better kicker than me.
     
  7. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    One can always find someone who can pull off any kick effectively. And I enjoy watching that.

    However, for most people, I daresay that isn't the kick one is going to do in a self defense situation. And even in cage fights, one rarely sees it.

    In my school, we call it a rear double crescent. But acknowledge others call it a butterfly kick. And that tutorial is from the same Federation my school is in, so it isn't even consistent in the same lineage.

    I always find what different styles/ lineages/ etc. call a particular kick a subject of interest. Like this thread, when others refer to a kick, I wonder if it is the same kick as what I know as ...........?
     
  8. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    I've seen Ben leap off a wall and do a jumping side kick during a self defence seminar.

    He has a skewed perspective. :D
     
  9. GojuShotokan

    GojuShotokan Valued Member

    That's the one, I was wondering if there was any actual real life usage for it other than looking rather graceful?
     
  10. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    You should have been at the last one I went to :D
     
  11. ned

    ned Valued Member


    It helps to understand the footwork first ( I was taught it in CMA as "stepping over rainbow".)
    It is evasive , to avoid or step over an attack - train it by having your partner sweep your front leg with.a staff .
    The kick comes as you use the momentum from the jumping step over, with extra torque generated by winding the waist with your arms in the opposite direction, to whip the other leg round .
     
  12. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    Which actually brings up a really important point when these types of questions come up.

    There really is no one pat answer. It depends on what a practitioner is capable of.

    I remember when this lesson hit home to me. My school in general teaches you practice kicks as high as possible to develop flexibility, but that you don't kick above solar plexus level in practical application. It is even a question in one of the lower level oral sash tests.

    One day, Sifu was talking about some kick and how devastating it could be at head level. Me, being very literal, was like "but Sifu- you said to never kick that high in a real situation." His response was something along the lines of "that is true at beginner levels, but if you can pull it off once developing the skill, it can be effective. You have to know what you are capable of."

    In general, I still say this shouldn't be a go to move for most martial artists in a self defense situation.
     
  13. SCA

    SCA Former Instructor

    Same here. I know them as a jumping crescent kick, 360° jumping crescent kick (thunder kick) and then the butterfly kick that you linked. The double crescent kick could also be considered half-timing two crescent kicks.

    I was a bit worried at first when the butterfly kick was going to be in one of my promotion tests. Slowly but surely I learned it one step at a time, starting low from riding horse stance and working up to fighting stance.

    They are defensive moves that, as aaradia touched upon, require a high level of development to use effectively.
     
  14. El Medico

    El Medico Valued Member

    The front sweeps,either in/out or the opposite are a different animal than the Modern Wu Shu Butterfly. Every clip in the ring shows such forward crescents,not Mod WS Butterflys.

    Outside of stupid KF movies,the Butterfly doesn't have real world application-of course we can stretch into the "it's possible to do in THIS situation" explanatory theory-but I've yet to see it ever used in the real world to any satisfaction. It's probably happened once or twice I suppose.Don't forget,these are sweeps that make contact when your back is turned and the toes point down,the sweep,being a sweep behind your -*ahem*- derrière and back,has a limited range of motion-not the optimal mechanic for power generation,other than your weight being behind it.
     
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2016
  15. Earl Weiss

    Earl Weiss Valued Member

  16. El Medico

    El Medico Valued Member

    So that's the official TKD butterfly?(And some other systems).Forward double sweeps.

    It's obvious there is no across the MA world universal definition of butterfly kick from the various clips posted here.

    Due to it's not very functional nature,I'm inclined to think the CMA butterfly was added in the 20th century strictly as a flash performance gimmick. The idea that it's a defensive move to escape an attack is,well... I'm sorry,but just plain silly. That's a pretty elaborate skill development just to jump away from a halberd or something.Who would bother? There are easier/more efficient methods for those concerned w/actual combat. Certainly a much,much more outlandish idea than jumping kicks aimed at a cavalryman!
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2016
  17. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    I don't think I've ever seen it in any of the forms of the major longfist systems.
     

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