When kicking our balance can be put in serious danger as one foot is off the ground. Is kicking in SD an important range to consider, or do the risks outwiegh the benefits?
Kicking for self defence and any real combat for that matter have to be kept to waist level or lower, kicks to the face/chest should only be used when you have set up the right situation for it(you have made it so that he cannot respond to the attack from that angle, have trapped his limbs, etc) So the rule of thumb, kick high in practice for power and speed and kick low in battle for victory.
No, I have to disagree there. As long as you have learned to kick with enough speed, I think a swift kick to the throat or head will do very well. I've become fairly proficient with side kicks and I'm confident I could kick well enough and with enough accuracy to land the side of my foot in the attackers throat. But, a kick to the nuts (as long as they're not drunk) would always be one of my initial movements. Just can't beat'em
You bet Kicks are worth it in SD. I'm 5'4", female, 140 lbs. If some 220 lb. guy came charging at me, I couldn't win in a head-to-head grappling situation. Or, if some big bruiser landed even one good punch, the fight would be over for me. If some bigger guy was looking for a fight with me, I'd have no choice but to kick three ways: low, hard, and fast.
Height difference would be a major factor. I'm 5' 8" and I wouldn't try kicking anyone 6' or over in the face. That's what I practise uppercuts for
The throat is further away than the groin, so lets say you are a really fast kicker and so am i, lets say our kicking speed is the same if you attempt to hit my throat with a high kick you expose your groin and since the path there is shorter I will get to your weak point before you get to mines. Of course this is a very simple hypothetical situation, and im not counting reaction times ect. In theory if the opponent is as quick as you he will reach you before you reach him due to the shorter path, not to mention the longer it takes you to reach him the more time hes got to react to your attack. In actuality he is likely not to even need to dodge because once he strikes your groin your kick will lose its power.[edit] Of course this doesnt mean you cant kick people in the throat/head/chest, however the only safe way to do so is to employ jumping kicks, having either the opposite leg bent close to the kicking leg or your hand to protect your groin area.[/edit] I will give you some personal experience here, there was someone i knew who i used to get into heavy disagrements with and more than once we ended up comming to blows, he used to do some sort of sportive martial art type of thing and the last time it got physical he tried to do one of those kicks that go up into your face and then down, i dont know, i havent seen it done much, well as it turned out I grabbed him in the groin area while having his leg on my shoulder---end of fight.
Everithing you learn to do right - meaning do it as good as you possibly can - works and will work. What you know so and so wil probably not work.
Heard the expression "without a leg to stand on.."? Well, that's what'll happen to you if you offer a leg above waist high to someone who knows what they're doing. Even if they don't trap your leg (worst case scenario) the time for you to reorientate your body weight and shape to do something useful will mean you'll be on liquid meals for the next week or two. There are plenty of good low targets along with sweeps etc that can afford an escape opportunity - you're welcome to go for the hollywood kicks, but... http://www.hardcoregaming.com/wcmovies/spinkick.mpg Sorry!
In Kyokushin we work Gedan Mawashi with power to the inside and outside of the thigh. For self defence a very slight variation would involve smashing the side of the knee with the shin (inside or out).
I would never use a high section kick as my opening move. A front kick to the groin or a side kick to the solar plexus would be. I was saying that kicks would work in street situations. In my TKD school, we're taught to immediately retract our leg after a strike and to get a good snap into our kicks, so it would be pretty hard for the attacker to catch my leg.
High kicks are usually fight enders, not fight starters (unless you are sure that you are fighting someone with very little experience agaisnt kickers and you can surprise him and end the fight there). I would say, first go for ankles and thighs and when you see he could be slightly unbalanced, try to K.O him right there with one of those hard kicks. Have in mind though, that you must be highly proefficient to time those high kicks at the right moment when the opponent has lost his guard. I would like to ask here too, against someone who is charging at you with such fury that their only intent is to knock you down kamikaze style, would the use of one of those front kicks with the external side of the foot to the chest be a good choice?
that depends on the kicker and on the time he decided to employ the kick. What I meant was that high kicks should be employed only once the opponent is forced to drop his guard (peter aerts style) edit: I should pobably edit that. Highkicks should be for the ending of the fight, not for the beginning of the fight
I'd keep it nice and simple... No high kicks unless im totally sure he wasnt going to stop the kick..... If he didnt know I was an MA then I might risk a nice high throat kick... but to keep it simple, and effective I'd stick to a front thrust kick straight to the chest or lower.... if he was running towards me, then defo a Hui chai ti (back thurst kick)... Remember its SD, and normally in those sort of situ's survival mode kicks in, and you want to make sure you drop the person quickly and cleanly. So i'd say the answer in general is to use the move (kick/punch) that your most confident with......
Personally, I'd go with either a side piercing kick or a reverse elbow thrust to the solar plexus. They should wind him and/or send him back a bit. When you hit him, it's not just your force that he's feeling, but his own aswell.
Great point, this is something that I don't think we get the chance to work with enough. What I've found through exerience and observation, is that type of kick isn't going stop a kamikaze attack and the person ends up running into you and knocking you to the ground. Ditto for any type of high roundhouse. - Matt
so the better option would be to wait until he is close enough and charge back with an elbow thrust to the solar plexus? or should you simply aim at the knee with that same kick?
If someone is charging at you the best and simplest solution is to get out of the way. No amout of kicks or elbows will stop them dead in their tracks. Especially if your small and light.
I disagree... When you hit someone whos charging at you the strength of the hit is a lot stronger. Same principle with two cars crushing when runnin into eatch other (dont know the exact word). So... 1)knee on the head/solar 2)Cross on the chin 3)Ti chagi (like a front side kick) on the solar . All these will stop them in their tracks and maybe ko'd em if done properly. That said Using the force of the attacker to sent him away on the concrete or a wall behind you is another very good strategy against people who run into you (Aikido , judo etc).
I would say kicks are absolutly part to self-defence. Generally though, only if they're low. The occasional suprise kick at face height may be acceptable as well. Luckily for me, being 6' 3" a face height kick for some opponents isn't much more than waist height for me
