# How was Bruce Lee able to kick so fast? What kick is this? Hows it done?



## Towel Snapper (Sep 14, 2014)

1) Is it a round kick? 

2) Does it use hip rotation? Because his hips dont move that much at all or at least I cant see them moving that much!? Does he use just a small amount of hip rotation? 

3) Hows this kick done? Is it like a regular round kick like in Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) or is there more to it?


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## donald1 (Sep 14, 2014)

The best answer i can think of how he does it so fast is probably simply practice,  practice and more practice,  but perhaps there is something else he is doing,  something that makes it appear as it's going faster?  Maybe he is that fast but like I said, I'm going to go and say he practiced a lot 

It appears like one.  Sort of looks like one.  

To me, it didn't look like much,  if he did it either wasn't much or i need to focus better 

I don't know what you mean by regular,  different styles different ways.  So regular is depending on the style,  might be similar to your style but that is a question I don't know


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## Touch Of Death (Sep 14, 2014)

While your knee will, of course, be part of the process, I think part of the trick is to pick up the heel when you kick and not picking up the knee.


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## Towel Snapper (Sep 14, 2014)

donald1 said:


> The best answer i can think of how he does it so fast is probably simply practice,  practice and more practice,  but perhaps there is something else he is doing,  something that makes it appear as it's going faster?  Maybe he is that fast but like I said, I'm going to go and say he practiced a lot
> 
> It appears like one.  Sort of looks like one.
> 
> ...



Perhaps you already know what he is doing to make it appear faster than it is?


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## Towel Snapper (Sep 14, 2014)

Touch Of Death said:


> While your knee will, of course, be part of the process, I think part of the trick is to pick up the heel when you kick and not picking up the knee.



Awesome tip thank you bro!!!!


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## Towel Snapper (Sep 14, 2014)

I think it does come down to ALOT of practice too, I think/know Bruce has really good hips, and thats an important factor to consider despite being basic. He doesn't seem to rotate his hips much at all though which I find odd. 

Do you think that kick has much power or is it mainly a speed technique designed for a groin shot?


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## Thunder Foot (Sep 15, 2014)

Snapper,
Consider for a movement that it is a groin shot... how much power do you really need there? I know from experience that even the "love taps" hurt. Lol.
As far as the kick, it appears to be a hook kick... and judging from the motion, he turns his waist when he moves his head offline and bends his leg for the kick.
Practice practice practice!


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## donald1 (Sep 15, 2014)

Thunder Foot said:


> Snapper,
> Consider for a movement that it is a groin shot... how much power do you really need there? I know from experience that even the "love taps" hurt. Lol.
> As far as the kick, it appears to be a hook kick... and judging from the motion, he turns his waist when he moves his head offline and bends his leg for the kick.
> Practice practice practice!



Ha,  that's a funny word love taps...  Love to see them hurt...  Never gets old


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## Touch Of Death (Sep 15, 2014)

Towel Snapper said:


> I think it does come down to ALOT of practice too, I think/know Bruce has really good hips, and thats an important factor to consider despite being basic. He doesn't seem to rotate his hips much at all though which I find odd.
> 
> Do you think that kick has much power or is it mainly a speed technique designed for a groin shot?


If you step through with that kick, you have all the power you will ever need. There is always something a mile north of the north pole, but that is an excellent kick!


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## K-man (Sep 15, 2014)

Towel Snapper said:


> 1) Is it a round kick?
> 
> 2) Does it use hip rotation? Because his hips dont move that much at all or at least I cant see them moving that much!? Does he use just a small amount of hip rotation?
> 
> 3) Hows this kick done? Is it like a regular round kick like in Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) or is there more to it?


I think no and no for 1) and 2).

3). It is done by pushing the foot up using the ball of the foot to accelerate the action. People have fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibre. Sprinters have more fast twitch, long distance runners more slow twitch. It may be possible through training to increase one or other. I think Bruce Lee was someone gifted with vastly more fast twitch fibres than the average person.
Fast and Slow Twitch Muscle Fiber Types
:asian:


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## EddieCyrax (Sep 15, 2014)

K-man said:


> I think no and no for 1) and 2).
> 
> 3). It is done by pushing the foot up using the ball of the foot to accelerate the action. People have fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibre. Sprinters have more fast twitch, long distance runners more slow twitch. It may be possible through training to increase one or other. I think Bruce Lee was someone gifted with vastly more fast twitch fibres than the average person.
> Fast and Slow Twitch Muscle Fiber Types
> :asian:



It looks like what my instructor calls a "switch kick".  Leg moves up to a crane stance pointed away from target, followed by the extension of the lower leg back into the target.

This is a very quick/sneaky kick.  I am not as fast as Mr. Lee, but I find it effective in attacking both the ribs/knee.


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## mook jong man (Sep 15, 2014)

Towel Snapper said:


> 1) Is it a round kick?
> 
> 2) Does it use hip rotation? Because his hips dont move that much at all or at least I cant see them moving that much!? Does he use just a small amount of hip rotation?
> 
> 3) Hows this kick done? Is it like a regular round kick like in Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) or is there more to it?



It's a Wing Chun hook kick , using the instep in the case of targeting the groin.
Or at closer range the shin is used to strike the thighs or rib cage.

The power is generated by a 45 degree pivot of the whole body.
It is not like a regular round kick , it is more direct and the power can be generated at close range.


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## teetsao (Sep 5, 2015)

It is in old savate too. It is not really a round kick or a front kick but in between as suggested above. Being it is in WC I assume that is were he learned it.


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## paitingman (Sep 5, 2015)

He does rotate the hips just enough by pushing them outward rather than twisting on the standing leg.
Which is why you see him barely pivot and also bend over to sort of push his butt out and rotate the hip. 

at this range it takes less space and time to quickly push out and retract the hips rather than pivot and rotate the body


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## punisher73 (Sep 6, 2015)

It's a kick that is in various styles.  In Isshin-Ryu it would be called a "squat kick" or sometimes a "step away kick" if you use the motion to move to the side of your opponent.  Other styles it is called a "wheel kick" or a "snap wheel kick".  As you can see from the video, it is a very sneaky kick that can be done from a closer range than a traditional roundhouse kick.  I have also seen it thrown as a front kick and as the opponent lowers his guard to block the kick it is snapped back and rechambered immediately into the wheel kick to the head.

It is the same motion as a front snap kick, but you can contour the angle of it from vertical (front snap kick) until you knee/lower leg is parallel to the ground, depending on the target and what you want to accomplish.


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