Why is it usually called roundhouse in karate? The only Japanese I've heard was mawashi geri, which translates to "turning kick." Anyone know the reason for the discrepancy?
Mawashi Geri is similar to what other western styles would call a 'roundhouse' and it was most likely translated for ease of meaning
It's still an odd term. "Roundhouse"...what does it mean even? I can't think of any other English usage except to actually describe a house that is round. Why add the word house? Why not just "round kick"? To use it to describe a kick is really odd. Also considering the other common kicks (Front, back, side, crescent) the name just doesn't fit. "Turning kick" (which is what it's called in TKD) fits into the pattern far better and also better describes the action and direction involved.
And here's a question: if a hook kick is an ushiro mawashi geri and a spinning back kick is an ushiro geri, what is a spinning hook kick called? ushiro ushiro mawashi?
I think it sounds very English - a lot like something from old English slang. a "round-the-house" attack is a nice graphic depiction of what the kick involves, it doesn't go in through the front door like maegeri, it goes round the house! I suspect if you look back through the English boxing literature you'll find "roundhouse punches" referred to.
Forward hook kick is ura mawashi geri (back round kick) Backwards kick is ushiro geri (reverse kick) Backwards roundhouse kick is ushiro mawashi geri (reverse round kick)
Some boxers call a haymaker a roundhouse, it's generally associated with wild flailing, boxers look down on the roundhouse punch (IME).
Ushiro is more accurately "back" than Ura, much of the time. Ura can mean "back," but also "reverse side." Ura mawashi geri would be reverse/back turning kick. Ushiro geri is "back kick." Ushiro mawashi geri is "back turning kick". "Gyaku mawashi geri" also translates as reverse/opposite turning kick, but it usually refers to what we call a "twisting kick."
ushiro mawashi geri as demonstrated very impressively by Mr Matsui here: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHgcnMgrwQ0"]YouTube[/ame]