Why Use Kicking?

Many people are baffled at the idea of a full contact martial artist using kicks as a primary weapon. This is because since the day we are born, we instinctively use our hands for the vast majority of tasks we perform. No normal child is going to reach for a bottle or toy with their foot. Likewise, when we learn to fight, it's natural for us to use our hands because we can coordinate them and keep our balance when using them. However, some of us like to use our legs as our primary fighting tools. Although this may appear impractical to many, there are some good reasons to kick.

First, there's your distancing. Your leg is much longer than your arm and can increase your reach when you need it. Kicking is the primary tactic of a martial artist who prefers to maintain the out side distance zone. The length of your kicks allow you to keep your opponents on the end of your techniques and prevent him from smothering or jamming you techniques from an inside position. An illusive fighter, the "Cat and Mouse" type, can keep an opponent from effectively closing the gap through the use of counter kicking. One of my personal favorite counters to a hand technique is to intercept my opponent with a side kick. As my opponent begins to execute a linear punch or try to grab me, I lean back using a shoulder roll and execute a side kick at their unguarded ribs. Even a relatively tall opponent's arm is usually shorter than my leg. Kicking can also help you close the gap. You can use your kicks as stabilizing techniques. This allows you to neutralize your opponent's position. You can follow up by punching or using a take down as you close the distance between you and your opponent. Once again, the side kick is a good example technique for this purpose.

Second, there's power. All things being equal, a kick will land with more force than a punch because of the superior muscle size and weight of the leg. The most powerful technique known to man is either the side kick or the spin back kick (two variations of the same movement). Another excellent power technique is the rear leg round kick, called a "Thai kick" or "cut kick". It's much easier to break someone's ribs with a kick than with a punch. Likewise, people get punched in the head quite often and keep fighting but when that rear leg round kick lands on someone's face, they nearly always go down, if not down and out. Consider that thirteen of Bill Wallace's full contact career knock outs were by way of side kick to the ribs. If you want a real scare, watch Joe Lewis fight David Moon in the 1968 world championships in Karate. Lewis breaks Moon's ribs and sends him across the mat and into the crowd with one kick. Click here to watch the video

Third, there's surprise. Because most people are not accustomed to using their feet as weapons, there are circumstances where they wont expect you to use them either. A basic application would be kicking taller opponents. Although inside fighting with circular and lateral movements is ultimately the best strategy for such opponents, you can catch them with surprise kicks. They won't see it coming because they aren't expecting you to try it. In close range exchanges, kicking can be employed to a surprisingly effective degree. This takes an incredible level of flexibility but there are those of us who can do it, especially martial artists from Tae Kwon Do or Hapkido type backgrounds. One of my favorite close range kicks is the hook kick. When I am on the inside, working my opponent with hooks and clinches, I often disengage and "close the back door" (the term for ensuring an opponent doesn't step with you or attack as you attempt to clear his reach) with a hook kick at almost point blank range. Because I am nearly doing the splits for this kick at point blank range, no one ever sees it coming. I don't recommend this for anyone but very experienced and highly flexible kickers, but it can be done and it does work. Bill Wallace used this particular method to high effectiveness during his point fighting and full contact career. Click here to watch the video

There are disadvantages to kicking, of course. Once your opponent is inside the range of your knee, it's impossible to continue to fight using only kicking. Also, your balance is partially compromised when you are standing on one leg for a kick. Does this mean you shouldn't kick? Of course not. You simply need to know what kick to use and the appropriate time to use it. The leg can be just as fast and accurate as anyone's hand. Also, consider the fact that kicking is the only means of attack that can reach any target area on your opponent without changing your positioning. You should definitely learn to box and grapple, there's no question about that. But kicking is just as effective in it's own right. People have been successful with kicks for many years and will continue to do so.