the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

Do you train your front kick in one of those 3 different ways? Which way is better in your opinion?

1. Upward front kick (kick with instep).



2. Straight front kick (kick with toes).



3. Downward front kick (kick with the ball of the foot).

Don't have an answer to your question
But, here's an effective front kick from a UFC fight this weekend


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkHm8Qwp480

This cuts straight to the Kick
https://youtu.be/QkHm8Qwp480?t=12

I guess for different uses/targets?
- Instep: mainly for nut-cracking?
- Ball of foot: any front targets
- Heel: also any front targets
- Toes: for weak spots (also good if you have hard shoes)

edededed wrote:I guess for different uses/targets?
1. Instep: mainly for nut-cracking?
2. Ball of foot: any front targets
3. Heel: also any front targets
4. Toes: for weak spots (also good if you have hard shoes)

How do you train 1 and 4 on heavy bag?

Same as usual?

Kicking the bottom of the back with instep might be like kicking a rock, though...
Luckily, nut-kicking usually does not require that much power.

edededed wrote:Same as usual?

Kicking the bottom of the back with instep might be like kicking a rock, though...
Luckily, nut-kicking usually does not require that much power.

The concern is if one's front kick training is only upward, since the human target is an vertical object, train how to kick a horizontal target as the general purpose doesn't make much sense.

Perhaps it is a bit like uppercuts - both generally aim for hitting underneath something (e.g. balls or chin).

Both also are a bit hard to practice on vertical bags.

johnwang wrote:Do you train your front kick in one of those 3 different ways? Which way is better in your opinion?

2. Straight front kick (kick with toes).



3. Downward front kick (kick with the ball of the foot).

I mean, "better for what" is the question.

I use #2 all the time to move stuff around, couches, pick up a kettlebell with my foot or whatever, would be okay in a fight but I would prefer to make contact with the ball of my foot instead of my toes. They break easy.

#3 is what I train the most but not with that throwing the torso back stuff, I don't know what that's all about. I do golden roosters and push the foot out and knee down. Can make contact with the ball of the foot or heel.

I don't like using anything else because it's fragile and can break. Especially when you're kicking the heavy bag or target bulb.

origami_itto wrote:#3 is what I train the most but not with that throwing the torso back stuff, I don't know what that's all about.

I believe the upper body lean back is to train the body method and dodge a face punch. When you lean back your upper body and kick at your opponent's chest like that, there is no way that your opponent's punch can reach you.

the first one i guess. throw that on the underside of heavy bag for example, but don't really train it that much nowadays - here and there, just stick to the basic two variations mostly in tai chi form for the front kick heel and ball of foot. but sure instep for between the legs is ideal really

for low ones, I tend to go with the inside of the foot or outside and usually try to make them into sweeps as well. I've become quite a fan of the (inside and outside) crescent kick, but would tend to aim it low more like a sweep; practice high, use low..

last picture's pretty cool, not sure i'd be too comfortable with it though - just a personal thing really. high kicking never been my thing.
the lean back makes (perfect) sense though.

Love snap kicks, they can be incredible fast and powerful if you have practiced them right. So my favorite front kick is a straight forward version of the "Shadowless kick":

It's a straight forward snap kick to the body or the lower body with the front tip of the shoe. IME, this is a traditional Hung Gar technique and IMO the most effective version of the "Shadowless kick". It should be done from a natural position, perfectly straight forward aimed towards just below the knee, groin or diaphragm. The hands should either be kept still, unmovable, or the left hand (or both hands at the same time) can strike towards or, move in front of the opponent's face, as you kick with the right foot. If you move towards pr strike, it should be done exactly the same time as you strike, or just a fraction of a second before the kick, to get the opponent's attention to your hands. It's virtually impossible to stop it or even notice if done right.

Cute Kung fu girl teaches the straight forward snap kick:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zxZjLlFMVY

Shadowless kick in sparring here, at 0.05 to 0.06:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgQA-jxBAug

Here a short explanation of the oblique "shadowless kick", same as the kick commonly seen in Xingyi and sometimes seen in MMA:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpYnQvKBsME

Higher front snap kick (if the arms are kept still in a guard, it is a high shadowless kick):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m596C9up6E

Bao wrote:Cute Kung fu girl teaches the straight forward snap kick:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zxZjLlFMVY

The snape kick with instep is the kick that bother me the most for the following reasons:

- When one does this kick, his body momentum is not involved most of the tme. He pretty much just use the leg and not using the body.
- There are not that many horizontal targets on a human body.
- It can not be trainned on a vertical heavy bag, or a tree trunk.
- The function is similar to roundhouse kick.

In the following clip, his kick involves with body momentum.

johnwang wrote:

Bao wrote:Cute Kung fu girl teaches the straight forward snap kick:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zxZjLlFMVY

The snape kick with instep is the kick that bother me the most for the following reasons:
- When one does this kick, his body momentum is not involved most of the tme. He pretty much just use the leg and not using the body.

Yeah that is true. The girl doesn't do it perfectly, it''s just a kid. But it's still one of the cleanest versions I've found out there. There's not many good examples. And yes, the snap kick mostly involves the leg only. But it can be very powerful. You ("general you" obviously) need to know how to practice and learn how to snap it. If you have learn it good, it will take people to the ground, no probs. And also, the oblique version to the legs or knees doesn't need a lot of power at all to be effective.

- There are not that many horizontal targets on a human body.
- It can not be trainned on a vertical heavy bag, or a tree trunk.

Don't know why that should be a problem. I have mostly practice it holding a sturdy kicking protection against the body, not boxing mitts as in the clips.

- The function is similar to roundhouse kick.

Don't know what you mean really.

In the following clip, his kick involves with body momentum.

Yeah, you can move forward with your body. It can be done at quite a close range and you can use it to close in.

I once had an argument with some acquaintances sbout use of CMA front kick and it persists until today.
The "kick" is real but it is more of a traning tool for execution of various "inner hooking" and "outer hooking" strategies with combinations depending on the skill of the player.

I was never great at TKD kicking but I realized that the kicking training allowed me better use of inner or outer hooking (kicks) and development of skill.

yeniseri wrote:I once had an argument with some acquaintances sbout use of CMA front kick and it persists until today.
The "kick" is real but it is more of a traning tool for execution of various "inner hooking" and "outer hooking" strategies with combinations depending on the skill of the player.

I was never great at TKD kicking but I realized that the kicking training allowed me better use of inner or outer hooking (kicks) and development of skill.

What do you mean "inner hooking" and "outer hooking"? Could you provide more information?