Kicks in hand-to-hand combat. The hardest punch in boxing? Types of punches in boxing Most powerful punch in kg

Kicking has several benefits. First of all, the leg is much stronger than the arm. Indeed, the kick, if executed correctly, is the strongest and most dangerous blow a person can throw. Further, the leg is longer than the arm and therefore has a greater reach. And finally, blocking a kick is very difficult, especially if it is aimed low: at the groin, knee or shin.

Unfortunately, most wrestlers don't take advantage of these advantages. They often strike without sufficient force. Strikes that lack power and speed are still used by wrestlers (look at photos 122, 123).

With a weak blow (photo 122), the center of gravity of the body does not help the force of the blow, and with a blow that is not fast (photo 123), the wrestler’s balance is disturbed, and therefore the blow is useless.

Bruce Lee's most powerful kick is the side kick, shown in photo 124, which is different from the classic side kick.

The classic side kick has power but lacks speed. A side kick performed with a jerk has speed, but does not have sufficient power. A DKD style side kick hits the target without losing any speed or power. Lee could throw a board 5 cm thick and break it in the air. If his kick to the side had only force, the board would have flown ten meters, but not broken. If the blow had only speed, the board would not have cracked, because the 5 cm thick board is very strong and difficult to break, even when striking it from an elevated position.

When performing a side kick, place your feet shoulder-width apart and feet parallel. Raise your right leg 30 cm from the ground, the center of gravity of the body is on the left leg. With your right foot, hit the ground hard so that your foot pushes off from it 2-3 cm. As with a punch performed using the flow of energy, here too you must monitor the development of heaviness in the leg.

In other words, the water flows through your foot as if through a rubber tube, and when you hit the ground with it, it bounces up again. Be careful not to hit the ground too hard until you've warmed up your leg muscles with light strokes.

Now you are ready to start practicing the side kick.

Shift the entire weight of your body to your left leg while you lift your right leg and strike it to the side - instead of striking downwards, as you previously practiced. The left knee should be slightly bent so that you can lean back instead of forward as most beginners do. Pivot on the ball of your left foot as you kick with your right foot. You will give additional force to the blow if, a second before you completely extend your leg, you turn your body. It is the screw, the essential element of this stroke. Then perform a leg kick.

If you want to practice kicking against hard objects, you can kick against a wooden or concrete wall.

Measure the distance from the wall and strike. Since the kick must be made with the foot, you won't damage anything. A very strong blow will only throw your body back.

Once you have mastered the side kick, you will be ready to do the exercise, which is performed using a heavy bag.

From guard, do the jump we described in the footwork chapter. Aim for the middle of the bag as shown in photos 125,126 and 127.

Your foot should touch the bag horizontally, not obliquely. The sound of the blow should be a loud, cracking sound, like a whip, if you hit "through" the bag and kick at the end of the blow. If the impact is more like a push, the sound will be weak or dull. In both cases, force is used, but the first blow will be very dangerous, while the second will only knock over the enemy.

If you make a quick leap towards the bag and maintain your balance, you will be able to put more force into the punch than you thought possible.

The blow is always thrown so that your body flies through the air low above the ground, and after the blow you can maintain your balance.

The impact will be stronger the longer you are in the air as you approach the target. In other words, in this case you can use the strength of both legs. Such a blow in strength will correspond to your capabilities.

One warning: if you miss or don't hit it hard enough, you could injure the knee of the kicking leg. The reason for this is that your leg moves much faster than your body, and when you miss, the leg continues to move forward as if someone had jerked it sharply, and your knee will immediately feel it.

The first time you are involved in a combat fight or sparring, it is not recommended to use this kick because you may lose your balance if you miss. Additionally, the higher you jump, the more time the enemy will have to avoid your attack.

A heavy bag is one of the most useful items not only for JKD style exercises, but also for other styles of Chinese boxing or karate, since you can train on it yourself.

A good workout might consist of continuous side kicks for ten minutes.

When teaching a beginner how to kick to the side, hold the bag with your hands and use your knee to support the bottom edge of the bag. Watch your fingers. If you are holding a bag with your back, pay attention to the strength of the person hitting the bag. In Photo 128, Lee hit the bag so hard that the partner holding the bag was thrown against the wall, hit, and was forced to stop training for several days.

Lee always believed that a person should practice their shots using different objects to get a different feel from each one. He used a heavy bag most of all, but often practiced striking against wall bags, sand or bean bags, using striking gloves, a wooden dummy, as shown in photo 129, or a heavy portable shield, shown in photo 130.

Besides the heavy bag, Lee's favorite items for kicking practice were a heavy backboard and a kicking ball, as he could use all his force to hit the intended target without fear of hurting his partner. Practicing a strike against a heavy shield is shown in photographs 131 and 132.

Although the forward kick is not as powerful as the side kick, Lee increased the explosiveness of his forward kick by thrusting his body forward a second before impact, as in photographs 133 and 134.

Choosing the right moment for this shot is very important and difficult to learn. Only daily training will help you master this art.

Step by step, we have tried to describe to you the side kick technique in detail. But once you have mastered this kick, you should perform it, like other techniques, in one single movement, and not in parts, as we described, in order to make it easier for you to learn how to perform a side kick.

People have always wanted to be famous, popular and recognized. Some achieve this through acting, others through their talent for making money.

But there are also those who have the physical ability to do incredible things that are impossible or very difficult to replicate. They set all kinds of records that glorify their skills throughout the world.

The Guinness Book of Records collects and records such achievements throughout planet Earth, bringing considerable pleasure to its readers. But many people don’t like the fact that there are such records that cannot be classified as competitive or sports - they are simply crazy or so meaningless that no one even has the desire to repeat them.

Also, the Guinness Book of Records does not record the force of impact in a particular sport. This is often due to the impossibility of instantly determining the force of the blow, as this forces a bunch of sensors to be connected, which can pose a danger to the athlete’s life during a fight.

But don’t worry, in this article you can find answers to such questions and understand who has the strongest blow in history.

It's hard to judge

As already mentioned, it is very difficult to determine the force of the blow. For example, in football you cannot run with a football player all the time and measure the speed of the ball, or in boxing it is impossible to stand in the ring with athletes and record the power of each blow thrown.

But sports fans, as well as experts and observers, often make their own ratings in which they note the achievements in strength of certain athletes.

When answering the question of who has the strongest blow, it is impossible to give a definite answer, since strength depends on many factors. An important point is which limb struck and under what circumstances.

In addition, an important point is the ratio of the athlete’s weight to the force of his blow. Of course, the force released is affected by the ejected mass and the speed of the impact. But it very often happens when an athlete weighs 50 kg less, and his impact force approaches that of heavyweights over 120 kg.

Who owns the strongest punch?

There are many types of martial arts in the world where they teach you to hit hard. But, in order to measure the force of a blow during a fight, you need to have special equipment. Only boxing and kickboxing progress in this matter.

Boxers have always been considered athletes who can deliver powerful punches. The most famous representative of the boxing world is Mike Tyson, whom absolutely everyone knows, despite the fact that he long ago completed his professional career.

Power Mike

It was believed that he had the most powerful hand blow. On many rides where you need to hit a special bag to test the force of the blow, there is a photo of Mike. It is written on them that the force of his hand strike is 800 kg.

This figure is truly outstanding, and we can say that he has the strongest punch in boxing. Considering the fact that to knock out another person it is enough to have a blow with a force of about 15 kilograms, but you need to hit the jaw clearly with a sharp throw of the hand in a circular path - this is truly amazing power.

David Tua

When asked who has the hardest punch in boxing, many name David Tua, a Samoan boxer. Experts believe that with his left hand he struck with a power of 1024 kilograms.

You won't envy his rivals. If today he was in the same shape as in his best years, then perhaps he would be a good opponent for Vladimir Klitschko, otherwise he too often comes across weak opponents.

Who owns the strongest kick?

No less concerned is the issue of incredibly strong kicks. Initially, it was believed that only karatekas and taekwondoists became the owners of such blows with the lower limbs.

But recently, thanks to mixed tournaments, Muay Thai and Ultimate Fighting have been added to the martial arts in which the most powerful kicks are performed.

From time to time, various television shows are shown with popular fighters, in which the strength of their punches is compared. But the results of such experiments are often subjective. After all, each of them has their own execution technique, and this significantly affects the output power.

So, for example, a kick performed by a mixed style heavy league fighter Mirko Cro Cop reaches a power of 2703 kg! Let's compare the strength of this blow with the capabilities of Mike Zambidis, who, weighing 70 kilograms, manages to hit with a force of 1870 kg with his right foot.

Of course, it is not clear how and where the strength of fighters’ blows is measured, but it is difficult to deny that it is better not to pester them in a dark alley.

Elbow and knee strikes

Muay Thai fighters are rightfully considered true masters of striking with knees and elbows. In competitions, very often they literally cut the opponent’s skin with such blows.

Because of this, very often you can see a bloody spectacle, rather than a duel. Some people like it, some don't. Of course, due to less leverage the blow is more powerful.

But can everything be measured in kilograms per square centimeter? Impact force is a relative indicator that must be correlated with efficiency. The Thais prove that with a weight of 40-50 kilograms, you can deliver blows that can knock out your opponent the first time.

What were the players able to celebrate?

Football is called the game of millions. Indeed, millions of television viewers gather to watch football matches, not to mention tens of thousands of fans on football fields.

Football is the most popular game. Football players must be able to kick the ball strongly and accurately to score a goal.

And in this field, football experts and journalists very often point out players who deliver blows that are simply incredible in strength.

Today, the holder of the title “The most powerful strike of a football player” is midfielder of the Brazilian national team Givanildo Vieira de Souza. He is known to everyone as the Hulk.

Incredibly, while playing against the Shakhtar Donetsk team, he was able to score a goal with a ball that flew into the net at a speed of 214 km/h. The goalkeeper, of course, could not do anything.

For example, the legendary football player Roberto Carlos, who was also a member of the Brazilian national team at one time, was able to hit the ball at a speed of 198 kilometers per hour. Since then, he has long been considered the player with the most powerful strike in the history of football.

Of course, such records of football players are not included in the Guinness Book of Records, but it is simply impossible not to talk about them.

Conclusion

Every day new records are set around the world. Thanks to Guinness for coming up with a great way to inform people about someone's interesting achievements.

Not all people's records can be included in one book. A nomination such as the strongest blow cannot be found there. But for this there are sports experts who somehow manage to record more and more champions’ records. And although such figures can be criticized and their correctness doubted, they make you think about the physical capabilities of a person.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the people who have set and continue to set such records. It doesn't matter if you have the hardest punch or can jump the highest, you will always inspire people to overcome impossible obstacles and become better.

So what is the “secret” behind the double leg kick? Well, the idea is to hit while standing on two feet. Some of you are already thinking: “ What? This is all?! Is this your whole big secret? I'm already hitting while standing on 2 legs!»

I would even estimate that at least 90% of those who are reading this right now hit while standing on one leg. You may THINK you're hitting on two legs, but you're not. Most fighters reading this right now don't even know how to use their leg that doesn't rotate!

If you are shifting your weight when throwing punches, this guide is for you!

PROBLEM: Single Leg Punching

Most beginners learn to throw punches by shifting their weight from one leg to the other. See how my body weight shifts completely to my front foot when throwing a right cross? And then moves back onto his back foot while throwing a left hook? Trust me, this is bad technique.

So what is the problem with single leg kicks?

• WEAK BALANCE- the center of the body moves from one leg to the other, instead of remaining in the middle
• SLOW SPEED- the body has to move back and forth with each blow, forcing you to hit either hard OR fast, but it’s impossible to do both at the same time
• REDUCED POWER- your punches have less power because you are simply trying to transfer power while standing on one leg

When you move your weight back and forth, bad things happen. You may THINK you're on two legs, but you're not. One leg probably supports 75% of your weight, while the other only 25%. The main problem is that neither leg can apply 100% of the force, because otherwise you will lose your balance. Moreover, one side of your body is unable to generate force because it is not completely on the ground.

Striking while unbalanced
As a result, it produces LESS THAN 50% of your maximum power.

Think about this for a second. You can't discharge with a pushing leg because your body will fall in the opposite direction. Which means the only way to unload your legs AND stay balanced is to unload both legs at the same time, but this is only possible if your weight is evenly distributed between both legs. Based on these considerations, a one-legged strike carries LESS than 50% of the force of a two-legged strike!

Why are newbies taught this “mistake”?

Many coaches teach beginners to hit this way because it forces them to move their entire body when hitting. And no matter how you look at it, the power of a punch increases as you put more body weight into the punch. Most beginners lack the coordination to consciously engage every part of their body. This makes it easier to teach the concept of punching while shifting your weight back and forth to beginners.

What beginners don't realize is that moving weight back and forth is actually FALLING back and forth . Think about it, if you only push with one leg and not the other, then you are simply pushing yourself off balance (to one side). Beginners are taught to “fall” back and forth because this is the easiest way for them to put all their weight into the punch. This technique is useful at first, but is inherently flawed on many levels.

Once you have proper coordination, you need to move on to double leg kicks ASAP.

Power Hit Secret #1 - Hit While Standing on 2 Legs

The number one (predominant/dominant) force in our surrounding space is attraction. The force of gravity will be greater to you than any other force in nature. If you look at the way the human body is built, the legs are made to provide movement based on gravity. Not just movement due to gravity, but the ability of muscles to move force in relation to gravity.

To become a more powerful athlete against gravity,
stand on your own two feet!

With that said, standing on two legs will make you a more functional athlete. Standing on two legs will give you better balance, more power and more speed. Anything you do on two legs will almost always be better than on one leg.

So, Johnny, are you saying that we should NEVER move the weight?

• COMPLETELY TRUE 😉

Well, I can't say "NEVER" because there are strategic reasons for being on one leg at certain times. The rule of keeping your head and torso centered applies whenever you need maximum rotational power using both legs.

Being on two legs will mean less work for you and more balance and power for your kick! Stay centered, support your body with both legs, and rotate hard! It's not just a 50/50 weight split. The main goal is to apply maximum force with both legs, and again, this is only possible if your weight is perfectly balanced. There are 2 pressing reasons to kick with a two-legged stance.

Reason #1 – Hitting on 2 legs maximizes rotational power.

The real force of impact is the force of rotation,
not longitudinal force.

With every punch other than the jab, the real power comes from rotation. What primarily generates all the force of an impact is the rotation of the spine. Your core muscles, which are connected to the base of your spine, are what rotate your spine (with BOTH of your legs twisting your torso across the area of ​​the ground). When the spine rotates powerfully, you just need to reach with your limbs to transfer that force.

With this common (one-legged) method of striking, fighters generate force by pushing their spine back and forth between the two legs. It’s as if one leg pushes the body towards the other leg, like a tennis ball, throwing it back and forth. Pushing with one leg is uneven and usually tilts the spine back and forth. Unfortunately, this small fall effect only incorporates the weight of the upper torso into the impact (leaving the heavier part uninvolved). Involve the lower body in the blow by “falling”; this can only be done by rotating.

Of course, there is SOME rotation of the body when you push, but most of the work that is done with each leg is transferring the body to the other leg. Again..."pushing" works and is quite powerful, but it is not as fast and nowhere near as powerful as a proper spin.

Try this right now. Stand on one leg and try to twist your upper body while keeping your lower body motionless.

Now try to do it on two legs.

Which option felt more powerful?

The answer is obvious. It is much easier to generate rotational force on two legs than on one. Stand on two feet to generate maximum rotational force. This rule actually applies to everything. Place your phone on a table and see if you can rotate it (without moving it off center) using just one finger. Very difficult, isn't it? You need 2 points of force to rotate the object without moving it off center.

Reason #2 – Punching on 2 legs maximizes power delivery

After you've generated all that wonderful spinning power, I'm sure you don't want it to be wasted by it being reflected back at you. But this is exactly what happens if you kick while standing on one leg.

Standing on two legs allows you to push your opponent,
and not push away from your opponent.

Try pushing a wall while standing on one leg, and then on both legs.

*** Don’t do like me, don’t push a chair with a laundry basket. Try it on the wall. 😉

Noticed the difference when I stood on one leg? All my strength was wasted because I could not launch it at my opponent. I can have all the energy in the world, but without the right grip on the ground, I'll just bounce off my opponent instead of them flying away from me. When I pushed with both legs, my body remained motionless while the object was pushed away from me.

1-legged kicks vs. 2-legged kicks

Strikes with Focus on 1 Leg

• poor balance because the body is off-center
• punch combinations are slower because the body has to move more when throwing punches
• reduced power because the body is not firmly on the ground; one leg is "raised" and unable to support the kick

It's obvious you're on one leg if one foot leaves the ground during impact. Even if both feet are down, you should feel that the foot on the kicking side is able to push down into the ground. This is one of the most important secrets to striking: rotate your foot INTO the ground, not away from the ground.

Single-leg kicks are flawed on so many levels. For now, forget about what happens if you get hit. Try to imagine what happens when you miss. If you miss, you will REALLY fall, losing your balance! I would say the number one reason beginners hit with one leg is because there is too much work on the bag. The bag prevents them from falling when they have poor balance. Most boxers should do more shadow boxing. Learn to stand on your TWO legs!

Strikes with Focus on 2 Legs

• maximum balance and control because the body has perfect support
• maximum speed and less energy consumption because the body does not have to move much
• maximum impact force because the body uses 2 legs to generate force

Your body is made with two legs, so the only way to be most balanced and powerful is to use both legs. Double leg kicking is not a “secret” way, but the NATURAL way. If you feel like you're hitting more powerfully with single-leg kicks, it's because you're still "push and fall" rather than "push and spin." Double leg kicks don't make you fall, they just make you spin, which is harder to do at first because it requires more coordination.

*** Watch my video demonstration on 2-leg kicks.

The Secret of Two-Legged Punching

2 position rotation equals BALANCED rotation.

The real problem is not one-legged kicks, but one-legged kicks.

2-legged punching is more than just standing on 2 legs while throwing a punch. Many fighters only think about the right side of their body when they throw a right hand, and then only think about the left side of their body when they throw a left hand. They seem to have an “active side” and a “dead side.” They usually have one leg stationary while the other leg rotates for power.

Activate BOTH sides of your body

And here’s a tricky question: WHAT IS THE MOST important muscle that remains unused in a strike? ?

• ANSWER: This is the hamstring of the supporting leg!

The swing leg hamstring is a HUGE muscle that can contribute to your rotational strength, yet almost no one thinks about it because everyone is too busy PUSHING with the quads on the rotating leg. And again, back to the rotation rule: you need 2 POINTS OF FORCE APPLICATION for a well-balanced rotation with maximum force.

THE MOST IMPORTANT secret of striking: one leg “push” and the other “pulls”.

Now that you've learned to lean on both feet, make sure you use both feet to assist in the rotation. Don't leave one leg motionless. Generate striking power from BOTH sides of your body by keeping your body between both legs. Instead of your legs pushing you back and forth, have your legs apply direct rotational force.

One leg will push and the other leg will pull. Use your kicking side leg (quadriceps) to “PUSH” your hips towards you. And then use your non-hitting side leg (hamstring) to “PULL” your hips towards you. If you don't understand what this means, don't worry. It will make sense maybe a year from now. If you can explain this idea more eloquently than I can, feel free to post it below in the comments! (Thank you in advance.)

Brief summary of 2-leg kicks:

• real power comes from rotation, not pushing
• standing on two legs allows for better balance, more rotational power and faster POWER combinations
• use your legs to rotate your body rather than pushing your body from one leg to the other
• one leg pushes and the other leg pulls

*** Here's a video of Ike Quartey throwing fast, powerful punches to the pads. Are these strikes with emphasis on one leg or two? Does it bear weight? Tell me.

If you liked these power punching secrets. Let me know and I'll write more. If you don't like it, don't say anything and I'll move on to other boxing tips.

Read the rest of the series:

• Secrets of Power Kicks, PART 3 (not written yet...)

Martial arts have become very popular in the West as an active and competitive sport. One of the most common and useful techniques in any martial art is the kick. There are many types of kicks, and each has its own uses.

Steps

Front kick

The front kick ("Mae Geri" in Japanese, "Ap Chagi" in Korean) is mainly used to strike the legs, groin, solar plexus, throat and face. Because a punch to the face does not cause as much damage as a kick to the shin. Additionally, due to its simplicity, the front kick can be used with great speed and without sacrificing power. This is often one of the first techniques martial arts students learn.

Take a fighting stance. The preferred fighting stance differs depending on the fighting discipline, but the general rule is that the strong leg should be behind - its big toe should be pointed to the side. The weak leg should be in front, with its big toe pointing straight ahead. The body, as a rule, is directed towards the strong leg (the body of a right-hander will be directed to the right, a left-hander will be directed to the left). Your hands should be in a protective position or relaxed. For kicking, your hands are less important (obviously).

If you want to perform a faster kick, you must use your forward (weak) leg. If you want to perform a stronger front kick, use your back (strong) leg.

Raise the knee of your kicking leg so that your thigh is parallel to the ground at wrist height. This is called charging. Take a breath while doing this.

Kick your foot forward quickly. When performing a front kick, you can use the ball of your foot or the inside of your foot as the striking surface. As you strike, quickly release the air from your lungs. This will ensure that as you practice your kicks, you don't forget to breathe (which is easier to do than it sounds!). Remember: inhale as the muscles contract, exhale as they open. This will also help you relax your body and allow you to use proper technique, since holding your breath will mean that your muscles are very tense. In this case, you will try to control your kick too much, which will weaken and slow it down, and you will get tired faster.

Bring your leg out of the kicking position with your thigh parallel to the ground again.

Place your foot back on the ground. If you used your weak leg to kick, it will return to its original position. If you used your back foot to kick, place it on the ground as you would the other (switching stance).

The execution can vary in height, strength, speed and whether you return your foot to the ground or not. In many disciplines, there are techniques for throwing multiple kicks with one leg that is not placed on the ground.

Side kick

The side kick ("Yoko Geri" in Japanese, "Yup Chagi" in Korean) is a much stronger push kick. It is not intended for quick attacks, as it serves to inflict significant damage on the enemy. It's also a little more difficult to execute. There is one mental image trick that works well even with children. It involves the use of both "loading and explosion" imagery. The student must imagine the bullet being loaded into the bore at the same time as the striking leg is raised to the highest possible height. The bullet is then fired from the bore as a result of the "explosion". This trick appears to work well helps to lift the leg as high as possible and then push through the heel, producing maximum power. Just a tip for using the image.

1. Take a fighting stance.

   Raise your back leg so that your knee is level with your chest and your foot is somewhere in line with your hips (don't try to lift it too high initially. The goal is to have the bottom of your foot pointing down and the outside her side was facing the target). This is sometimes called the "cocked position" because you are ready to fire.

   Kick so that the kicking leg forms a straight line from the cocked position to the target. Strike with your heel or, if you are a more advanced student, with the outside of your foot. As you kick, rotate the ball of your foot to point your heel toward the target.

   Return to the cocked position. At the same time, rotate onto the balls of your feet to the starting position.

   Place your foot on the ground directly in front of you. The leg that was behind before the impact should now be in front, and vice versa. The side snap kick is a faster version of the side kick, often used in sparring to score points for hitting an opponent's groin.

   Take a fighting stance.

   Move your kicking foot along the supporting leg towards its knee.

   Arch your kicking leg towards the target (preferably under the kick). Use the same foot position as for the side kick.

   Without pausing, arch your foot back toward your knee.

   Swing your foot down and place it on the ground. Finish in a fighting stance.

Roundhouse kick

The roundhouse kick (Mavashi Geri in Japanese, Dolyo Chagi in Korean) is perhaps the most common kick in combat. It is as strong as a side kick, and at the same time fast as a front kick.

Take a fighting stance

Place one foot forward as if you were doing a front kick. Using the front leg will be more sudden, but the back leg is much stronger and will strike more aggressively because you are taking a step forward. Instead of keeping your shin in a vertical position with your knee pointing up, lower your knee as if you were doing a front kick to the side. To do this correctly, it is very important to use your hips to strike, as this is where the power of the strike lies! This is a cocked position.

Strike with a quick snapping motion. You should use the ball of your foot, shin, or the inside of your foot to strike (again, depending on where you want to strike). Remember that you must always hit through the target.

Return to the cocked position.

Place your foot on the ground so that it is now in a forward position (if it was not in that position before). Alternatively, you can return your leg to the starting position, but this must be done very quickly, immediately after you hit the target with all your might.

If everything is done correctly, then you will be able to throw your entire body with an impact without shifting its center of gravity or losing balance. In addition, his execution will be smooth, and not as mechanical as the steps seem.

Jeet Kune Do Back Leg Spinning Kick

This strike is more effective as a finisher. It is performed with a very strong swing. Its disadvantages include poor entertainment value, so you should not use this blow to impress others.

Place your back and front feet forward. Lift your leg and take advantage shin for a direct attack. If you use the inside or ball of your foot to attack, the next element can cause significant damage if performed correctly. While your foot is in the air, do not snap, but follow through with the kick. Karate experts will object because they can do this without losing their balance. Indeed, the effect of height is added to the impact, and not much weight is transferred forward.

• Maintain eye contact.
• Once you find your balance point, you can develop more speed and power by rotating through your heel strike.
• In combat, be sure to alternate blows so that they cannot be neutralized.
• For a powerful kick, you must exhale as you straighten your leg.
• Always be alert! You don't need a punch in the face or anywhere else!
• Do not deviate from the direction of the kick. Keep your body upright for as long as possible.
• For a front impact, strike with the ball of your foot. In case of a side impact, hit it with the side surface
• To effectively transfer energy to the target, your center of mass must move forward upon impact, and be in front of, rather than above, your supporting foot.
• Before hitting or kicking someone, ask permission.
• It's a good idea to wear sparring gear. Good brands are MMA Zone and Cobra Brand.

Warnings

• Don't forget to move your kicking leg away, as your opponent might grab it.
• Don't hit with your fingers, as you may damage them. Use the lower part of the shin, but above the ankle
• When performing kicks, be careful with your knees. If you can, don't hit the air, but use a large punching bag. Never straighten your knee when kicking. Always keep it slightly bent, no matter what type of shot you are playing.
• Kicks take practice to be effective and safe for you, so don't try them in a fight unless you've trained in them before.
• When sparring, use kicks as finishing moves after long punching combinations so that you can inflict as much damage as possible and push your opponent away from you.

In principle, kicks, due to their length and power, are more effective than punches. However, they are much more complex in terms of technical execution.

To better use your legs, you need to train them: develop muscles and give them elasticity.

The main mistake of the kicker is loss of stability, as a result of which he becomes more vulnerable.

Therefore, you must follow the following very important tips: Always make sure to keep your entire foot on the ground. If during the strike you rise even a few centimeters on the toes of the striking foot, you will lose stability.

The supporting leg should be slightly bent. If the knee is tense, the leg will not be able to absorb the push-off force and stability will be lost.

Don't bend over too much. We are talking about a well-known physical law: if the center of gravity is displaced from the center of balance, a fall is inevitable.

On the other hand, due to the deeper tilt and rotation of the hips, the striking range of the strike increases. In order to avoid loss of balance in this case, you should use the kicking leg as a counterweight. However, beginners are not advised to abuse this.

Kicks both close and far are possible. The nearest leg hits faster and more inconspicuously, but the blow is weaker. The long-range one, on the contrary, delivers a very strong blow, but is easy to notice and block.

Direct hit

This strike is considered the simplest due to the fact that it is carried out in a straight path forward. But it is still not so easy to carry out.

Technique: the knee of the leg set back is brought to the chest, brought to the chest so that the foot is at the level of the knee of the leg put forward, which becomes the supporting leg. Now the leg is straightened at the knee, the toes are pulled back to strike with the heel (it is also possible to strike with the toe of the foot with the toes pulled back - the range of the strike increases. But this type of strike is dangerous, especially for beginners).

This movement should be accompanied by a slight rotation of the hips; this rotation causes a rotation of the supporting leg, which makes this strike much more effective.

One of the varieties of direct strike. Upward kick

At the initial stage, the leg is bent at the knee and brought in this position to the impact position. Now the leg straightens very quickly (it is important that the blow is applied relaxed and only at the end is the leg tensed - due to this, a high speed of the blow is achieved). Immediately after the impact, the leg is bent again and returned to its original position. Affected areas: groin, chest, jaw.

A very strong and effective blow.

Technique: side stand, knee raised to the chest, the thigh of this leg is almost vertical. When lifting, transfer the center of gravity to the supporting leg. Then strike, straightening your leg in a straight path. This movement is balanced by a slight tilt of the body in the direction opposite to the blow, but the tilt should not be abused so as not to upset the balance and weaken the force of the blow. The striking area in a side kick is the highest part of the foot. (it is also possible to strike with the heel and the entire foot). The foot should be parallel to the ground.

The blow is applied equally well to the face, solar plexus, stomach, and groin.

Turning kick

Raise the leg to the level of the hips, the leg is bent as much as possible, the heel is pressed to the buttock. Thigh and leg parallel to the ground, supporting leg slightly bent. This lift of the back leg is balanced by a slight tilt of the body. Next, turn the supporting leg 90 degrees (the heel of the supporting leg is directed forward, along the line of impact). The leg (impact) remains parallel to the ground, and the thigh is directed towards the opponent, the body is slightly back. Finally, the leg is fully extended in a straight line toward the point of impact, with the toes pulled back to strike with the heel (possibly an instep strike).

The most vulnerable places for this blow:

• underbelly
• frame

Starting position: front post. A 270-degree turn is made with the forward leg, and the backward leg describes an arc almost along the ground. The blow resembles a slap with the back of the hand. You need to turn in the direction where your supporting leg is. If the enemy escapes the attack, return to the starting position in the same direction.

Kick back

The striking leg must be compressed so that the heel is pointed at the opponent and the thigh is parallel to the ground. The second leg is slightly bent to maintain balance. Then we straighten the leg, accompanied by a sharp movement of the hips. The blow is sharp, dry, balanced by tilting the body forward. The face is turned towards the enemy. Make sure that the blow goes straight back and not to the side.

The blow is delivered to the knee, groin, body and face.

Knee strike

Left-handed stand. Shift your center of gravity forward, resting on your left leg. Raise your right leg, bending at the knee. The chest is closed, the stomach is pulled in. The impact point is the knee. Strike sharply upward. At the moment of impact, make a pressing downward movement with your hands, tilt your head slightly forward. The knee strike can also be performed while jumping.

After performing the kick, quickly place your right foot on the ground and return to a defensive stance.

The upward knee strike is used to attack the opponent in the groin, chest, stomach, and also the head.

Downward kick

The main target of this attack- opponent's knee and shin. They can also stop the opponent's attacking leg. The range of motion during a downward strike is small. This is one of the low-level strikes that, in combination with punches, can attack the enemy.

Technique: the left foot is in place or slides forward half a step. Shift the center of gravity of the body forward to the left leg, bent at the knee. Raise the right leg, bent at the knee, turn the shin outward, and the toe also outward. Straightening the knee, strike forward and down to the level of the knee. Direct the force towards the outer edge of the foot.