hey yea i just had a quick question about how you kickboxers defend against low kicks. im gunna guess its the same as Thai but i just wanna make sure. so do u raise your leg and and defend with your shin, or is it somthing else?
I may be wrong but I kinda think this is a non-issue since as far as I am aware one of the differences between kickboxing and thaiboxing is that in thaiboxing you are allowed to kick to the leg while in kickboxing you are not.
well i hear that most kickboxing gyms teach leg kicks anyway so i figured they would teach to defend against them aswell.. ok my bad sry guys
Since none of them seem to be around right now, American Kickboxing is where you aren't allowed to kick with the shin or to the legs, and international kickboxing is where you are.
I was taught shins and if the kick is the right height, bring the elbow cracking down. That woks ok against someone who isn't a power kicker, not sure I'd subject my elbow to say, CroCop. That would be a major league "OW". Of course it might hurt less than a shot to the ribs from that guy...
Many gyms teach low-kicks, regardless of what their base-style is, because their fighters can choose to compete under different rules. That depends, of course, on their preference and also on their personal confidence. Fighters just adapt & fight according to the rules governing a particular match. I'm pretty sure that the basic MT-type of leg block is widely practiced. There's not much to it, anyway. For example, a MT fighter may one day choose to fight under Full-Contact (a.k.a. American KB) rules. Generally speaking, that's kicking and punching above the waist. Likewise, a non-MT fighter may choose to fight under Muay Thai rules (e.g. punches, kicks, elbows & knees). You can rough-up your opponent by pushing him around, tripping him, grabbing a leg and kicking the other out from under him, etc. Just no ground control, submissions or anything grappling related. There are also modified rules in which shinpads, headgear and elbow pads may or may not be used. International or KB or Euro KB rules are like the Full-Contact rules, but with some divisions that allow lower kicks to the legs, without the use of elbows or knees. Then, there's San Shou (i.e. Chinese KB). KB plus GR-/Judo-/WWE-type throws. I've seen Cung Le apply suplexes and scissors take-downs in the ring. Fighters keep moving because they'll be penalized for inactivity otherwise. I don't know about Savate (i.e. Boxe Francaise). Maybe someone else here knows the rules for that.
WAKO rules kickboxing have a specific type of bout called "Low Kick" where Kicks to the legs are allowed.
Our school teachs many ways to defend against a kick. My favorite is the Whipping of the hip just before the other guys leg hits your rib,thigh,leg, or shin. It devestates them and you usualy don't feel a thing. To do this right, have one guy kick you with his shin or instep at your thigh. First stand there let him hit you once so you feel the sting, or pressure point hit from the shin if done correctly. Now next time he kicks at you, bumb your hip into his leg just before he hits you and watch him fall over rubbing his leg in pain and you will be laughing. Basicaly if you take a wooden ball bat and swing it at a tree you can knock of bark and damage the tree...which is like you standing there taking the kick. But if you swing the bat and the tree moves 2 feet into your bat, it will break and shatter. Try it out man, its not fancy, and its a last minute thing you can do so even if the other guy kicks at 80 m.p.h. you just barely have enough time to shove into it. I do this to the ribs too, but you have to move in fast and deeper if its the chest or ribs. If the other guy does the kick in mid-air he will bounce back alot usualy landing on his butt or head. But most kickers are solid on the ground and kick fast instead of with power. Another great defense is to rush in on the guy totaly chest to chest as he is kicking. You won't be where he was aiming and when you are up close if you know the Thighs p.p.'s I usualy double hit them and then do a few soften up hits to the head, chest area and throw the guy before his kicking leg hits the ground. Or you could just kick at the leg he/she is standing on, which usualy makes them fall back. Be sure that when they fall back you rush in and step on thier ankle or any wrist, this keeps them from moving and getting up and have the other leg ready to kick fast and stomp down on the elbow, knees, and kidneys of the person. If you want to permently keep them out stomp on thier knee very hard this keeps them from getting up. But do that only when your life is at stake, and during sparring, lightly hit them so they know they just got thier knee shattered without having to feel the pain.
Manabi I really have got to question this method of defending yourself; using your hip to take shots sounds a bit dodgy to me. So here's some questions that you could clear up and maybe I'll understand a bit better: 1. First off how in the heck do you get your hip low enough to stop low leg kicks without bringing your head into a very low and very vunerable position and how can you be that fast given that low leg kicks don't take much time to throw? 2. If your moving in towards the person to prevent the kick gaining momentum then wouldn't trying to bump it with your hip really be the last thing on your mind why not just clinch or punch? 3. Imagine someone throws jab,cross then goes to low leg kick you go to 'bump' them with your hip but they only faked so now you've got a long knee coming at you surely having moved to intercept their kick with your hip is going to leave you rather open to a straight knee? Unlike a crush which will leave you in a relatively good position to defend against a knee. I get that this is supposed to be a 'last minute' thing but moving into a kick is something we are really encouraged not to do at my MT gym, we even have a drill where your taking roundkicks without crushing but trying to move of to the side (i.e. away from the kick) to minimise the impact. Moving intowards the person to attack their balance and prevent their kick gaining momentum is fine but you seem to be also advocating actually pushing the bit of your body being hit into the kick. This sounds pretty dangerous to me especially when you mention doing it with your ribs(!). Bouncing your ribs into someone might work if they are throwing a weak, off balance kick but I guarantee that if I tried to 'bump' my chest or ribs into kicks from some people in my gym Id be lying on the ground for about a week. Not meaning to be harsh but to me what your suggesting sounds a bit like use your face to bump a punch away.
we use shins, parrys and knifehands sometimes but generally just take it or move out of the way, low kicks are great against unconditioned fighters and i really like them but they are not quite so good against conditioned fighters, muy thai fighters can take alot of leg kicks so can kickboxers who use them imo you would be better of tryign to hit them somewhere else where they may be less conditioned but still have a good effect like the top of the rib cage (or maybe between the legs ) .
Manabi, What you're describing sounds great. Kinda like "Way of the Intercepting Butt". Perhaps next time I see a fist or elbow swinging at me, I should pre empt the strike by sticking my jaw out?
Thats right kickboxers do practise leg kicks and shin defense too in fact, the WKA call it "kickboxing rules" where you are allowed to leg kick. if its above waist its called "full contact" (used to be called full contact karate)
I have heard of moving into a low kick as well, in a Goju Ryu karate dojo that i attended briefly (3 months, unfortunately). I can tell you that these guys kicked pretty hard, and they did spar, though i don't know under what rules. Now ,this defense seemed counter-intuitive to me, so i asked the sensei. He told me that is is not the best defense to a low, but it is better than just taking the hit, and can be used if you need to close the distance - if i recall correctly. The actual technique was not like MMM describes; it was more like a tiny step forward and outside, so you got to the kick before it reached full speed, and also got hit with higher up the shin. It still hurt, but not like a well executed thai kick to the thigh.
yeah i really dont see how you manage to drop your body and turn your hip into the kick before it arrives, unless you are fighting a sloth. plus, it seems more of a "hope" thing. chances of them hitting your hipbone instead of just above it or below it arent that great. haha i cant believe im debating actual martial arts techniques with manabi. what a waste of time.
Turn your hip into the kick? If he kicks 80 mph and hits you the force is generated at 80 mph. If he kicks 80 mph and you turn your body into it at 20 mph the combined force at impact is 100 mph? I dont see the effectiveness... Given if you close the distance before the kick begins to gain momentum in theory it would not hurt as bad the closer in you get, but the theory doesnt equate the fact that as you step in your going to run into an elbow... I take Karate so i guess i have no business posting on this, but it seems for low line kicks knee and lower you should lift your leg or drop the leg back? For kicks higher than that raise your knee and block with a knee or knee swing? The problem i see with people constantly being hit with low line kicks is this. Either you are out of their critical zone or your in it. If you are in the critical zone you need to be hitting THEM! If you are out of it you cant be reached by a low line kick. Easier said then done, but timing, rhythm, and proper distancing would probably be the combined best defense??? Any input?
