How do you throw a high kick when sparring?

[alphacat]

I find it hard to surprise my opponent with a high roundhouse kick when sparring.

When I perform a roundhouse kick, I first make a 45 degrees step with the supporting leg, and then lift up the kicking leg high up to the opponent's side-head.

This 45 degrees step tells my opponent about that move and I always get my kick blocked.
Moreover, if I don’t take a preliminary action, the opponent's hands stay on guard so I can't hit his head.

I saw a video on Youtube where the instructor throws a jab-cross (light cross) and then throws a right high roundhouse kick.

The problem is that I’m feeling too close to the opponent in order to be able to lift my leg up to his head.

But if I’m far from him, he sees everything and there goes the surprise factor.

Yeah, I’m pretty confused about how it should be done...

 

[Touch Of Death]

I find it hard to surprise my opponent with a high roundhouse kick when sparring.

When I perform a roundhouse kick, I first make a 45 degrees step with the supporting leg, and then lift up the kicking leg high up to the opponent's side-head.

This 45 degrees step tells my opponent about that move and I always get my kick blocked.
Moreover, if I don’t take a preliminary action, the opponent's hands stay on guard so I can't hit his head.

I saw a video on Youtube where the instructor throws a jab-cross (light cross) and then throws a right high roundhouse kick.

The problem is that I’m feeling too close to the opponent in order to be able to lift my leg up to his head.

But if I’m far from him, he sees everything and there goes the surprise factor.

Yeah, I’m pretty confused about how it should be done...

You are experiencing this pesky thing called reality. A round house kick to the head, is the absolute slowest move in your arsenal. One trick to make it faster is to pick a mid point between your target and your weapon and strike at that with your knee. It sort of an attention to detail thing; the first half is just as important as the last half of your kick.
Sean

 

[Dirty Dog]

Combinations are your friend. A single attack will rarely, if ever, land. Use a combination to force your opponent to move their guard to block one attack, thus creating an opening for the next attack.

One example. With the front leg, throw a couple fast snap kicks to their abdomen. You don't expect them to land, you just want to get them thinking of guarding their belly. Now with the rear leg (more powerful) throw a solid front snap at the same target. Because this is a more powerful kick, because they're expecting it, and because the rear leg gives them more time to react, they're likely to perform a very strong block. In doing so, they bring their guard down.

Now, without putting that leg down (it's now the front leg) pivot and throw a fast roundhouse or hook kick (depending on which way you're both facing and exactly how they blocked) to the head.

The possible combinations are endless, but the concept is simple. Use one attack to create an opening for the second. Or third. Or fourth...

 

[girlbug2]

The 45 degrees step you mention is interesting. The way I was taught (combination of kickboxing and Krav), we do not step first but just pivot from wherever we are. That being said, a round kick to the head would be the last thing I'd try in sparring--I'd aim for the ribs or the knees.

 

[Skippy]

Whenever I spar & I'm up against somebody that dips their lead sholder & flat foots themselves at the same time is when I might throw a high kick like that. Depends how fast they are as well.

 

[blindsage]

Using the simplified combo you gave here's a simple way to try it. Throw the jab-cross, immediately after you throw the cross, step 45 slightly, just enough to turn your foot out and open your hip, then round kick straight from the ground to your opponents head, don't chamber, don't lift first, and turn over and pivot after you reach the head. If you're close, which you will be, lean a little into the support leg and you will have a larger angle to kick with, and can still hit from in close.


Here's another option:

 

[l_uk3y]

I find when i go head height round I have the exact problem. Not enough speed on my part considering the long travel distance from ground to target.

What type of contact level are we talking that you are aiming for when you do these kicks? Non contact. Light, heavy? etc

Perhaps look into the way you set the kick up.

- Do you set up by lifting the knee up to a fairly general position and snapping the kick? (Hard to read- You could launch into numerous different kicks/targets adding to opponents)
- Or more of a long flailing motion that only really has one place to go with minor changes in possible height (Like a baseball bat swing sort of?)

An unorthodox head height kick i have found useful for non contact or light sparring is sort of launching into front kick bringing my knee up. Then pivoting hard as if snapping for a mid height round kick except bending the kicking knee so the knee stays low but the foot quickly shoots up to head height. Hard to explain but i found under the particular sparring I do it catches people out looking at blocking a much lower kick when the contact point is actually the head. I guess its sort of like a breeding of a snappy round kick and an ugly back kick. lol.

My other non contact or light sparring kick i find works for me is a head height hook kick from a fairly square position. Rarely seems to even draw a block. Just gets a strange blank look.

Please note i say non contact or light sparring. I personally cant get anywhere near the power on a hook kick to make it effective under full contact conditions. The sort of round but back kick may work under tougher conditions but i've never really put it under its paces as to how effective it would be with a higher degree of contact.

I believe deception is your friend here. Try to make them think your not going for the head kick. Either take the focus away from your kicking leg, or make the kick appear as if it is aiming for a different target.

Cheers. Luke


P.S I have to share a technique I have thought up. Now i hope noone has ever come up with this before. Yes it is silly as well but potentially effective. Whilst in your sparring position. Slap yourself across the face then rush in to strike. As above. Take the Focus off the attack that is about to happen. If there mind is elsewhere. Then they wont block your strike. Sometimes the simple things are the most effective

 

[egg]

doing the 45 degree step before a kick as a default is probably a bad idea since, like you've already noticed, it's predictable.

at the gym we were taught this combo you might wanna try out?

Throw a light jab then quickly follow it with a light hook with the same fist.
When you throw the hook they should be guarding their ear and distracted so while throwing the hook do a 45degree step and half circle. At this point you should be facing their side and the mid section should be open to a roundhouse.

 

[seasoned]

Hard low front kick, move around a bit. Another hard low front kick, move around a bit. Third time pick up your leg for a front kick and his hands will drop. The important thing here is to not wait for the hands to drop, assume they will as you transition to your roundhouse kick. Another way is to throw the opposite foot low, then set it down and follow with the roundhouse. A high kick needs something just before it to take your opponents attention for a split second. Never look for the opening, after distracting them, assume the opening is there and follow through.

 

[TKDHomeSchooler]

If you are bouncing while you spar you should be able to "hide" your initial step. Also one thing I am trying to improve on is the double tap, round house to the rib cage and a rechamber and then kick higher. I can only hit a couple of my classmates in the head due to a combination of me being very tight and them being as tall as I am. Not to mention that for me to get it up there it is a pretty fast kick and has power behind it.

I don't practice on kicks to the head much, other than for a quick 2 points in a tourney, because if I am ever called to defend myself and I can't justify an armed response I won't waste my time kicking the head.

 

[jarrod]

i like the 45 degree step, but i always throw a right cross as i step, followed by the right roundhouse. i don't usually think about where it's going, i just throw where it's open.

the problem with learning static combos (although we all have to start there) is that opponents seldom just hang out in the range you want. you have to go in & get them.

another good tactic is to leave your last punch in their face rather than snapping it back as you usually would. if you do it all the time they'll capitalize on it, but once in a while you can leave it there to blind them for a second longer while you fire the kick.

jf

 

[Touch Of Death]

doing the 45 degree step before a kick as a default is probably a bad idea since, like you've already noticed, it's predictable.

at the gym we were taught this combo you might wanna try out?

Throw a light jab then quickly follow it with a light hook with the same fist.
When you throw the hook they should be guarding their ear and distracted so while throwing the hook do a 45degree step and half circle. At this point you should be facing their side and the mid section should be open to a roundhouse.

Not only is it predictable, dancers step that way because energy disipates as they move toward their partner; Sam Ting with kicks.
Sean

 

[blindsage]

Here's an explanation for the 45 degree step from Bas Rutten (which he inteprets on parallel lines), I think he's missing something with the pivoting talk (and if you watch him on the kick pads you can see him pivot), but for all the 'slowness' and 'dissapating energy talk', here's somebody that walks the walk.

 

[Skpotamus]

We ALWAYS step when we kick, we just vary the distance and angle and hide it with combinations to get away with it.

Head kicks are great when they land, but you do have to set them up pretty well to land them in light sparring. It's actually a little bit easier when fighting because you can hurt your opponent with leg and body kicks to get their hands down a bit. Digging into the legs with your shin kicks, and the body can bring hands down over the course of multiple hits.

Try a few combo's. to hide it, if the fist in their face isn't making them flinch, defend or at least close enough to their face that they can't see around it, then it's worthless. Remember, you're hitting with your shin. If you can't get your shin up to their head in punching range, you need to stretch a bit more (you should be able to land a head height kick from clinch range IMO), AND use your footwork to create the distance you want.

Jab while stepping 90 degrees to your left, the idea is to get enough room to get that leg up high- rt roundhouse kick
Jab, cross while stepping out with right foot, left roundhouse to head
Jab, cross while stepping out with your left foot, right roundhouse to head (

about 2:23 or so Peter Aerts does exactly that, again at 3:03, at 3:10 he does the clinch seperation I mention below)
Left teep to opponent's hip, right roundhouse kick
My personal favorite - tie up in a clinch and as you exit the clinch, push your opponent hard to your right side, lean far left and let the right leg fly. (peter aerts and ernesto hoost were really good at this

aerts vs Leuyer

hoost highlight,

you can see the clinch exit in the first 20 seconds or so of the video agianst maurice smith, you can see it again at 2:30 against someone else

)

Now that you've been given some combo's and ideas by me and others, DON'T GO HEAD HUNTING! I'd say as a minimum, 95% of your kicks should go to the legs and body. Use those combo's above and others that you've heard or or learned and dig into the legs 4 or 5 times with them before you even think of going upstairs. Let your opponent's get used to the movements with pain lower, makes even top level pros drop their hands (see the aerts hoost videos, some of the guys they were fighting were some of the best kickboxers of their day). They just kept on slamming those combos with leg and body kicks, after enough pain, even world class kickboxers dropped their hands to help absorb the kicks, when that happened, the next combo was a head kick.


Hope this helps

 

[xfighter88]

If you like the step for the extra power keep it. Try throwing combinations that end in a 45 step to leg kick. Do this a few times. Then do everything the same except throw the roundhouse high. I perfer to keep roundhouses lower and use spinning hooks for the head kicks but to each his own. Watch a cro cop fight where he actually wins. He uses the low kick combos for a while. Then when the opponent is thinking, "CRAP my leg HURTS." Cro Cop will take the kick up top and knock them out.

 

[xfighter88]

It's nothing fancy he just kicks hard enough for people to worry about the leg which leaves their head open.

 

[alphacat]

I'm so glad to have you guys.
I really thank you for the great help you've given to me (and I'm sure to everyone else here).

I'll practice these new techniques in the next sparring sessions and will update on my progress here.

Cheers!

 

[Razor Rob]

Alot of practice is what I found to be the best solution...Once you get better you'll realize you will be able to pull off that move faster. It worked for me I can pull off that move farely quick...usually works better for an over pursuing opponent....