# Wheel Kick or Spinning Hook Kick?



## KangTsai (Jan 11, 2017)

Just covering the differences between the two spinning heel kicks. You (hopefully a beginner) may not know the difference, hence this thread.

Similar things:

-The setup
-The spin
-Landing square with the heel to the target
-High risk, high reward - it'll do good damage even if blocked, if it doesn't miss

Key distinctions:

Wheel kick-

-Completely round range of kicking motion
-Stiff leg throughout the motion
-Full follow-through of the leg


Spinning Hook Kick-

-Leg chamber through the spin
-Hip shift during the kick - higher hip mobility requirement
-Whip and hook motion
-Shorter range of motion
-Killing of momentum at the end of the kick

What it means:

The motions of both kicks allow for similar impact pressures. 
The wheel kick can generate momentum like a roundhouse kick, because the extended leg acts as a force for increasing the torque of the kick. The spinning hook kick's chambering motion makes the spin faster because it acts like an ice skater's 'wrap.' Adducting the knee upward conserves angular momentum, which makes rotational velocity faster.

Technically, the wheel kick is more telegraphed. But seriously, the effect this has on actually landing either kick is negligible. Your kick will usually be stuffed BEFORE you complete the spin, not after.

Extras:

Spinning hook kicks are most popular in taekwondo. Also in competitive taekwondo, because of the way that the spinning hook kick generates speed, the kick is favoured for quick, counter-point shots; for range, they may also landing with the ball of the foot. Landing with the ball of the foot in the spinning hook kick as well as the wheel kick is more like a very, very hard slap in the face, as opposed to sharp set of bones spiking you in the side of the head.


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## KenpoMaster805 (Jan 11, 2017)

i would choose spin kick more powerful even in my sparring we used spin kick sometime


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## KangTsai (Jan 11, 2017)

KenpoMaster805 said:


> i would choose spin kick more powerful even in my sparring we used spin kick sometime


??? 

What spin kick


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## Dirty Dog (Jan 12, 2017)

Honestly, I do not consider these different kicks. I consider them to be two variations on the same kick.


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## KabutoKouji (Jan 12, 2017)

I saw people saying a 'wheel kick' was the same thing and tbh at high speed I wasn't sure what the difference was much between a wheel kick and a a 'spinning hook kick' as we called it in ITF -reading this yeah the difference is definitely the chamber part - at one stage in the spinning hook kick, you should almost be in a 'proper' side kick chamber position, just before doing the actual hook (and actually this exact point where the hip has to switch is where it really hurts this old man when I try and do them these days  ). This can also be used off front leg without spinning as it looks as if you are about to sidekick, then you suddenly hook.

Now of course this all comes with the proviso that holding your leg up for that long unless you're super fast is not the best of ideas .


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## KangTsai (Jan 12, 2017)

Dirty Dog said:


> Honestly, I do not consider these different kicks. I consider them to be two variations on the same kick.


Same. But the techniques definitely have enough differences to warrant different names.


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