# how do you side-kick?



## Runs With Fire (Jun 29, 2016)

Two variations in foot position I have been taught in formal instruction.  First, striking with the heel.  Later I learned to strike with the outside edge of the foot, the "blade of the foot".  I was recently shown another variant from an old school TKD friend.  Instead of striking with the heel or blade; striking with the extended ball of the foot.  A bit like a sideways front kick.  I can see uses for each.  The heel is a tough spot, hard to damage and no toes in the way.  A great choice for strict placement on a small spot. It is my choice for a shot to the bladder or solar plexus.  The blade, I use it to gain more full contact and either push away the opponent, or bend them over a bit with a low gut shot.  It also gives me an additional two inches ish of reach.  With an extended foot (the ball) , I only have done it while executing aerial side-kicks when my opponent was quick and I needed still, a few more inches of reach.  The striking area is smaller again, but the toes are exposed and vulnerable. 
       What do you do, and why?
       What do you think?


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## Dirty Dog (Jun 29, 2016)

Striking with the ball of the foot will give you extra reach, at the expense of a great deal of power. It's probably most useful for points scoring.
I teach the heel of the foot from Day 1, primarily for targeting the solar plexus, head/face, etc. As precision improves, I teach the blade as a way to reach smaller targets such as the throat. 
I don't teach the ball of the foot at all, and actively discourage it's use.


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## Danny T (Jun 29, 2016)

Heel and Blade


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## Bill Mattocks (Jun 29, 2016)

Yokogeri - sokuto or blade edge of the foot, delivered to the side.

Shobageri - front snap kick delivered with the ball of the foot (koshi), but to the side (after turning).

Shobakonate - low kick delivered with sokuto at a 45 degree angle (knee-crusher).

Technically, fumikomi is also a type of side kick. Cross-over stomp kick delivered with the heel (kakato).


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## PhotonGuy (Jun 30, 2016)

I usually strike with the heel. The situation I can think of where striking with the blade of the foot might be more effective is if you're aiming at the knee joint. I've never heard of striking with the extended ball of the foot.


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## Bill Mattocks (Jun 30, 2016)

PhotonGuy said:


> I usually strike with the heel. The situation I can think of where striking with the blade of the foot might be more effective is if you're aiming at the knee joint. I've never heard of striking with the extended ball of the foot.



All three are quite common in Isshin-Ryu.  When we deliver the ball-of-the-foot kick, it's the same as a front snap kick; just delivered to the side.  In other words, we line up facing forward, as if our opponent was in front of us.  We detect an attack from one side; we turn to face the danger, front snap kick and land facing forward again.  So take your basic front snap kick and add a quick turn to the side before and after the kick.  That's about it.


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## Buka (Jun 30, 2016)

I kick with the blade, my wife kicks with the heel.


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## Jaeimseu (Jul 1, 2016)

I like the blade of the heel. 


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## Earl Weiss (Jul 1, 2016)

Chang Hon - Side Piercing Kick - Back third outside edge of foot called the "Footsword"    Side Thrusting Kick- Ball of foot.. To better understand the "Whys" you need to understand the Chang Hon Types of attacks vis a vis  "Striking" "Piercing" and "Thrusting"    

While the heel is a nice firm surface there is a potential for developing a "Heel Spur" which is extremely unpleasant.


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## paitingman (Jul 1, 2016)

I've always done it and taught with the heel. 
I've seen and heard of people using the blade of the foot, but never heard many reasons that made me feel just using the heel was inadequate.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jul 1, 2016)

Bill Mattocks said:


> All three are quite common in Isshin-Ryu.  When we deliver the ball-of-the-foot kick, it's the same as a front snap kick; just delivered to the side.  In other words, we line up facing forward, as if our opponent was in front of us.  We detect an attack from one side; we turn to face the danger, front snap kick and land facing forward again.  So take your basic front snap kick and add a quick turn to the side before and after the kick.  That's about it.


In Nihon Goshin Aikido, this is called "Front Kick to the Side", and is identical to what you've described.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jul 1, 2016)

paitingman said:


> I've always done it and taught with the heel.
> I've seen and heard of people using the blade of the foot, but never heard many reasons that made me feel just using the heel was inadequate.


I was taught to use the blade, and it has somehow never occurred to me to use the heel. I need to get to a kickable target...


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## PhotonGuy (Jul 9, 2016)

Earl Weiss said:


> While the heel is a nice firm surface there is a potential for developing a "Heel Spur" which is extremely unpleasant.



I've been doing sidekicks and striking with the heel for more than twenty years, I've never had that problem.


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## SenseiHitman (Jul 10, 2016)

I use the heel or the side or edge of the heel, depending on the target.   I  never use the side of the foot.


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## JowGaWolf (Jul 10, 2016)

Dirty Dog said:


> Striking with the ball of the foot will give you extra reach, at the expense of a great deal of power. It's probably most useful for points scoring.
> I teach the heel of the foot from Day 1, primarily for targeting the solar plexus, head/face, etc. As precision improves, I teach the blade as a way to reach smaller targets such as the throat.
> I don't teach the ball of the foot at all, and actively discourage it's use.


I never even heard doing a side kick using the ball of the foot.  If someone asked us to kick a door down by using a side kick, I wonder how many would naturally try to kick it down with the ball of the foot.


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## SenseiHitman (Jul 11, 2016)

I would never recommend using the ball of the foot for a side kick. It sounds too risky for the ankle.


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## Earl Weiss (Jul 11, 2016)

JowGaWolf said:


> I never even heard doing a side kick using the ball of the foot.  If someone asked us to kick a door down by using a side kick, I wonder how many would naturally try to kick it down with the ball of the foot.



>>I would never recommend using the ball of the foot for a side kick. It sounds too risky for the ankle.<<

Therein lies the need to understand the system.  The Chang Hon system has 3 basic (there are more than 3 but these make up the majority of attack types.)  types of attacks designed for different types of targets. As noted the "Side Thrust' Kick uses the ball of the foot.   The "Thrust" type of attack is specified to "Cut Through"  a softer vital spot. (I think "Cut Through" was an in artful use of English terminology and perhaps "penetrate" would have been a better choice.)  Just as a fingertip "Thrust" was never meant to knock down a door neither was this kick.


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## Earl Weiss (Jul 11, 2016)

PhotonGuy said:


> I've been doing sidekicks and striking with the heel for more than twenty years, I've never had that problem.



Get back to me in another 20


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## PhotonGuy (Jul 11, 2016)

Earl Weiss said:


> Get back to me in another 20


Sure thing, and if Im still alive in another 20 years I still intend to be training just as much.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jul 11, 2016)

SenseiHitman said:


> I use the heel or the side or edge of the heel, depending on the target.   I  never use the side of the foot.


Hmmm...now that I think about it, I've always talked about this as being the "side of the foot", but my kick actually uses the side of the heel, rather than the blade edge of the foot. Odd that I never noticed that distinction in all the time I've been practicing that kick.


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## SenseiHitman (Jul 11, 2016)

The great grand master of kickboxing and karate fighting Joe Lewis taught a lot of us "TRACO" = TRACY/CONNER circa 70s 80s guys how to do the side kick, many senior instructors at TRACO had been to one or more of his seminars, he was a legend at TRACO as one can imagine,  I have a couple of personal photos of him from that era (one is a seminar I was lucky  enough to attended another is when he visited my instructors dojo when he was younger = mid 70s ) . His side kick also removes the telegraph, but at the same time had the proper thrust.  It's a shame he is no longer with us, even though I only meet him 1 time ( I was 19 yrs old ) he really impressed me.  I take my side kick every where I go, I never know when I might need it.!!!!


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## Earl Weiss (Jul 12, 2016)

SenseiHitman said:


> The great grand master of kickboxing and karate fighting Joe Lewis taught a lot of us "TRACO" = TRACY/CONNER circa 70s 80s guys how to do the side kick, many senior instructors at TRACO had been to one or more of his seminars,....................../QUOTE]



After attending a Seminar which he was part of along with Bill Wallace and Jeff Smith I liked it so much I had an opportunity to host him for a Seminar.  Good stuff. Bought his tapes and attended his seminar again when I had the chance.


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## Jujutsuka (Jul 12, 2016)

I actually never thought about it as either/or (either the heel or the edge of the foot). I usually just hit with the entire bottom of the foot in order to turn it into a stomp kick. (I mostly did this out of necessity because I really wanted to hurt my attackers' ribs in order to do the most damage.)


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## Dirty Dog (Jul 12, 2016)

Jujutsuka said:


> I actually never thought about it as either/or (either the heel or the edge of the foot). I usually just hit with the entire bottom of the foot in order to turn it into a stomp kick. (I mostly did this out of necessity because I really wanted to hurt my attackers' ribs in order to do the most damage.)



If you wanted to do the most damage, spreading the impact over the entire sole of your foot, rather than concentrating it into a smaller area, was a mistake.


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## oftheherd1 (Jul 13, 2016)

Interesting responses.  When I studied TKD, I was taught primarily the heel or the ball of the foot, depending on the kick and target.  We were cautioned to be sure we learned to keep the toes back out of harm.  For a heel kick, we pointed the toes downward.

In the Hapkido I studied, we used heel and ball of feet, but more often the upper instep in place of the ball of the foot.  Takes some training and getting used to.


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## Michael Loughrie12343 (Jul 13, 2016)

That's for you to figure out. While you're sparring, try a bunch of different side kicks and see which one fits you the most.


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## Zumorito (Aug 10, 2016)

Not sure if this is a Taekwondo side kick, but I'll try to describe how I personally perform a side-kick.

1. Spot my target. Preferable a low target, such as the groin or the knees; this will deliver maximum damage with minimum effort, while at the same time protecting my leg from an easy grab and take down on the behalf of my opponent.

2. Staring front on at my opponent will be called "12 O'Clock" for descriptive purposes; I lower my body profile, centering it over my hips, keeping my solar plexus aligned over top of them; the body's center point of gravity. This provides me a strong foundation, and protects me from being pushed over too easily. In the same movement, I pivot with my strong leg towards 6 O'Clock, with my dominant foot pointed closer to 5 O'Clock for better balance. At the same time, I'm pulling my non-dominant knee up towards my chest. My upper body is now horizontal to the floor, and my weight is balanced on my dominant leg, with the other leg poised to strike.

3. Using my arms to help maintain balance, I now take my eyes/peripheral vision off of my target site for a split second, visualizing a straight line from 12 O'Clock to 6 O'Clock, moving my head towards 6 O'Clock and elongating my torso while snapping my raised leg out straight along the imaginary line to my target site, driving with my hips like a swivel and moving my arm to the rear to give the kick more momentum.

4. Immediately recoiling my kick, I spin around the opposite direction that I originally pivoted, while simultaneously raising my arm up and wrapping my hand around the back of my head, flexing the muscles in my arm and assuming a lower, tighter profile. This will protect me in the event my opponent is unaffected by the devastating kick I just delivered, and comes at me with an immediate strike to my face or torso. Chances are my opponent will either be on the floor (if I took out their knee cap) or hunched over in a "tummy ache position" (if I took out their nether-regions). Both positions are ideal for me to immediately follow up with a finishing move to destroy my opponent, assuring that they won't be able to pose any more of a threat to me; either a ground and pound, or downward elbow strikes to the back of their head if they've assumed the tummy-ache position, then a supplex through the nearest wall.


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## Zumorito (Aug 10, 2016)

....And a running, flying jump kick if they happen to get up after being bludgeoned and supplexed through the wall.....that'd be a scary opponent hahaha. Like "The Russian" from the Punisher movie. XD


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## KangTsai (Aug 18, 2016)

I'm pretty sure ball striking's only real use is framing for a better strike, or to score points. I throw with the heel and generally only to the body, not that I'm not flexible but, the more straight the angle, the less wasted energy is what I felt.


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## FlamingJulian (Aug 22, 2016)

Lift kicking leg, pivot 180 degrees on non kicking foot, extend kick out to target, pull kick back, land on ground and in-pivot other non kicking foot. 


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## Jedmus (Sep 8, 2016)

I have always kicked using the blade of the foot. When I've tried using the heel I have found it to have less impact and for me, it's much harder to be precise with your kick


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