Boot to the Head - Myth, Fantasy, and Facts

[Bob Hubbard]

Many arts include the infamous "Boot to the Head", through their inclusion of high targeted kicks to the head area.

Some people believe they are the 'fight stopper', others believe they are little more than useless 'show-off' moves.

What is your position on the idea of a kick to the head, would you use it, if so where, and if not, why?

 

[The Kai]

Actually they can be both, it is really hard to get your hips turned in enough to get a high kick in there (esp cold). Given the right conditions allthough a kick to the head could be a "big gun"

Now the "laying the redwings on" is always painful!
Todd

 

[INDYFIGHTER]

Nope. Granted if you practiced them all the time and were good at them I think one could pull it off and cause a great deal of damage, but for me I have to stretch out really well before I can pull off a head kick. Without warming up and in street clothes I wouldn't have a chance unless he was a shorter guy. But I love it when they connect while I'm sparing!:uhyeah:

 

[MA-Caver]

In the ring a BTH is a nice move and could (depending upon art) garner some nice points. Likewise sparring and everything else associated with it.
In the real-world fight dynamics... you'd be first: Lucky to even pull it off, second: able to connect with enough force to make it count, third: connect enough to stop the fight.
In an enclosed space such as a bar, office, living room, anywhere that furniture is using more space than the humans occupying that space, a head kicker is going to need the room to pull it off. Even for the straight forward jabbing kick, they're gonna need room.
There are alot of other (and more) effective moves to do.

It's a little of everything... Myth, (Hollywood) Fantasy and Fact.
Personally, unless the guy is down on the ground or on his knees (after a nice BTG) I have no use for a head kick when their solar-plexus is a bigger target and more damaging when you can crack (or break) a rib and they find it more difficult to breathe.

But... that's just me... :uhyeah:

 

[Cruentus]

Many arts include the infamous "Boot to the Head", through their inclusion of high targeted kicks to the head area.

Some people believe they are the 'fight stopper', others believe they are little more than useless 'show-off' moves.

What is your position on the idea of a kick to the head, would you use it, if so where, and if not, why?

Usually useless, and I wouldn't recommend trying it. However, I have stopped a fight with it before, and I have heard of others using it, so I guess there are rare circumstances....

 

[TigerWoman]

I am all for dynamic exercises first in the morning. Leg raises, side raises etc. slowly to height. This really does set you up for the day. If I do that, I don't do any more stretch for noon class and for the evening class. But if you are sore from previous workout, that is a different story.

That being said, I think at the right time in a fight, the spin heel or jumpspin heel to the head is an effective fight ender. It is an inside striking zone kick though and not an opening move. But for it, all you have to do is get your hips around to face away from the opponent, a quarter turn. Its a small spin on one foot, lifting at the same time for a spin heel. Its faster on a jump. I'm talking about a snap kick both ways. The wheel, forget it, you can see it coming and is too slow. Also, your flexibility has to be pretty good most of the time. If it takes effort to get up there generally, I wouldn't try it.

That kick is my nemesis right now, as I have to do a jumpback kick on one side through two boards-chest level, then come down jump again immediately and do a jump spin heel with the other foot on a board held with two fingers (speed break)at head level. Since I'm really coming down on one leg, that leg has got to jump some, supporting all the weight while the other is kicking back and going for the target. So I'm saying, its both good to be great at jumping (extra time in the air) and also be flexible.

I had practiced it so much, that I threw that combination in a tournament in reflex and realized it almost too late but stopped it. I just tapped my opponents head. It happened pretty fast. TW

 

[bushi jon]

Super foot Wallace used it all the time however I am not Super Foot Wallace

 

[TChase]

I don't think kicking to the head in a reality situation is a very good idea. But then again I don't think kicking above the waist is a good idea either. I've seen a kick to the head fail with drastic consequences in quite a few real fights. It was a real "fight stopper" alright!

The only way I would attempt a boot to the head is if the enemy was already on the ground.

 

[OC Kid]

It has its place but as a show stopper..No way. Just go to WKA or any kickboxing website and check out the records and or fight summeries of the fights. Very few by kicks alone. Mainly by good combinations.
Bad Brad Hefton back in the 80's had something like 30 KO's only about 3 were from Kicks so anyway thats what i think

 

[Touch Of Death]

I am all for dynamic exercises first in the morning. Leg raises, side raises etc. slowly to height. This really does set you up for the day. If I do that, I don't do any more stretch for noon class and for the evening class. But if you are sore from previous workout, that is a different story.

That being said, I think at the right time in a fight, the spin heel or jumpspin heel to the head is an effective fight ender. It is an inside striking zone kick though and not an opening move. But for it, all you have to do is get your hips around to face away from the opponent, a quarter turn. Its a small spin on one foot, lifting at the same time for a spin heel. Its faster on a jump. I'm talking about a snap kick both ways. The wheel, forget it, you can see it coming and is too slow. Also, your flexibility has to be pretty good most of the time. If it takes effort to get up there generally, I wouldn't try it.

That kick is my nemesis right now, as I have to do a jumpback kick on one side through two boards-chest level, then come down jump again immediately and do a jump spin heel with the other foot on a board held with two fingers (speed break)at head level. Since I'm really coming down on one leg, that leg has got to jump some, supporting all the weight while the other is kicking back and going for the target. So I'm saying, its both good to be great at jumping (extra time in the air) and also be flexible.

I had practiced it so much, that I threw that combination in a tournament in reflex and realized it almost too late but stopped it. I just tapped my opponents head. It happened pretty fast. TW

Tiger Woman,
Its not as if these kicks can't do untold damage but in a life or death situation you don't have the luxury of recovering to another starting point if the kick were to fail or only do partial damage for a myriad of reasons. Once you physicaly pass the point of no return, it means you are commited even if he slips the kick. God help you if your opponent can take a kick or worse yet knows what he is doing and gets behind you, or under you.(I have personaly witnessed the Golden Dragon pull a heavy price from a high kicker at the Internationals... not a pretty sight) This is when it helps to know how to fall.
Sean

 

[HammerFist]

I believe a kick to the head is a great tool. But just like any other technique it has a time and a place. A kick to the head would be usefull when your opponent is distacted by low attacks and has dropped their hands. Many fighters can throw a kick that looks like it's going to be low and then all of a sudden BOOM! their foot is on your shoulder. Other times if you are in tight you may not see the kick coming at all.

I really can't see myself kicking someone in the head on the street. Mostly I can't see myself getting into a fight on the street. But If I ever did and the opportunity presented it's self I would kick away. It sure as hell wouldn't be my opening move though. That's for sure.

 

[Deflecting_the_Storm]

Personally I dont believe in kicking above the waist unless your opponent is hunched over or bending down. But if it hits it works. At one of Pat Burleson Legends tournaments, one of my friends had his hands low, we were yelling at him to put them up and low and behold a straight side kick right to the face, dropped him and ended the fight.

 

[OUMoose]

I would kick to the head... after I had taken the guy down and was disenaging and noticed he was getting up. Otherwise, as others have said, street clothes would be too limiting to pull it off really in my case.

 

[ppko]

I will kick to the head if there head is about waist high, other than that in real world it is useless (at least to me)

 

[clapping_tiger]

No way. Not for me at all. There are several reasons, most of which were already pointed out. But first off, I am not the best kicker in the world, and maybe there may be a select few who may be able to pull it off on the street. But not me. Which leads me to my next reason, I am a firm believer in "closest weapon hits closest target". Why would I bring my foot up from the ground to kick someone in the head, when it is faster to use my hands, elbow, or head? You can fake just as easy with your hands or elbows. Personally I reserve my kicks for the knees, inner thigh (if available), outer thigh and maybe the groin; but even that can be tricky in the heat of battle.

 

[DavidCC]

A friend who is a 5th dan in TKD once told me a story about how he was assaulted while helping somebody at a traffic stop, managed to land a well-executed kick to the guys head, knocking him down an embankment. When they guy got back to the top of the embankment, he was _really_ mad by then. Luckily friend knew some judo and was able to hold the guy off until his friend's buddy came around the car to help, and then they got in the car and drove away as fast as they could.

 

[Zepp]

In term of self-defense, I think of the 'ole boot-to-the-head as a strike of opportunity. If I feel or see a chance to kick to the head safely, I'll do it. But for the most part, I wouldn't plan on having that chance. Not against someone who's sincerely trying to hurt me anyways.

However, I believe the best attack at any particular moment is whichever your opponent least expects. If you train to eliminate your "tells" in your kicking, then high kicks are a definitely a tool worth having.

 

[Cruentus]

I knew a TKD guy back in the day who used to work on his 180 jump spin crecent kick religiously. He was a bouncer, but only about 160 to 170 lbs. He stuck to mostly low kicks when needed them, but this 180 jump spin crecent was something he worked on all the time. He worked on being able to hit targets of various hieghts and distances from his body with no set-up. He worked on board breaking with this technique.

I asked him why he worked on that kick all the time, and he told me that when he bounced, it was sort of his emergancy technique if someone tried to attack him from behind while he was throwing someone else out. It would get the attacker by suprise, and was a very powerful initial blow. I didn't question it as I was a lot younger then, and at the time I thought this guy (a biker type) was tough as nails.

Well, sure enough, the next week he was throwing someone out and someone laid a hand on him from behind. He spun around and kicked the guy, dislocating his jaw and dropping him. He found out after the kick that the attacker had a knife in his hand.

Anyways, there is a moral here. I personally may not be kicking someone in the head in a fight, as I feel that there are other more effective/less dangerous techniques to use. However, you can be as sure as the day is long that I damn well won't under-estimate the capabilities of a good kick to the head from a good kicker.

Now, my suggestion is this. when it comes to kicking to the head (and I used to be a kicker) in a fight, you have to approach it as if you have one chance, and one chance only to put your attacker down. You need to use the element of suprise as well. The fact is, unless you knock your opponent out, you can do little to prevent him from closing the gap on you and getting you in the trapping/clinching range where your high kicks lose effectiveness. So, you need to dot him fast and by surprise before he can close on you if you expect it to work. To make this happened, you have to have exceptional kicks. And, even if you have exceptional kicks, there is still a good chance they'll fail, so you better have a good hand/clinch game to back you up.

PJMOD

 

[dearnis.com]

It's one more tool in the toolbox, albeit one that is very seldom called for. I've had it work out well for me in the past; not nearly so often as other techniques, but it can be played, giver the right players and circumstances.

 

[Adept]

It's one more tool in the toolbox, albeit one that is very seldom called for.

Thats how I think of it as well. If I see a situation where a kick to the head is the best option, I'll take it. But those situations are very, very rare.