Kicking in street fights

[Wey]

For those of you that do not throw high kicks in street fights, do you practice your high kicks when training? If so, why?

 

[ralphmcpherson]

People need to take into account how hard high head kicking is. You can kick high, but your technique suffers or your speed suffers. Being a good kicker is having all those qualities, how can someone tell a high kicker who shoots out a lead kick faster then you can jab that he cant head kick someone in the head on the streets? Or is he an exemption, a rarity, that comments of high kicking is still true? But just not for good kickers? You dont just learn how to high kick, you train hard for hours to high kick.

I been in many schools, and its rare that I found such good kickers, yet they are landing headkicks against other trained fighters anyway.

The chances of you ending up in a fight outside with someone that knows what to do when a headkick is coming up on them, is no where near as far stranger or rare to get into a fight with someone with great headkick speed and technique in the streets.

A couple of years ago people were saying that headkicks were impossible, or out of hollywood, and these were the self defense gurus who cant kick past the waist level anyway whos reality IS that kicking past waist level isnt real, because they cant maintain form, speed, or flexibility etc.. Now, with mma, headkicks are dropping people who make thousands to not to get kicked into the canvas (and who just so happens to be grapplers as well, where the arguement is that a street fighter can grab your leg, yet it doesnt happen so much in mma with pro fighters, but somehow untrained streetfighters have this amazing ability way past bb in bjj and judo to grab kicks), and these comments arent as loud as they were before.

I think people give too much credit to street fighters. Yes, its best to be cautious, because his fighting ability is unknown, but still, dont doubt your ability and make your enemy have all this technique he might not possess. A few seconds of his stance and footwork will reveal what hes about, and then you figure out hes way below your experience that a high head kick will just be overkill.

I agree with all of this. Its funny how so many people base what works and what doesnt work on what they see in mma fights, yet I am amazed at the number of head kicks attempted in mma and quite often they connect. Funnily enough , these same people say head kicks cant possibly work in real life situations and yet somehow they can work on a proffessionally trained mma fighter. It does come down to who is throwing the head kick , if you train in an art where you do literally thousands of head kicks in training and incorporate in into sparring then I doubt that some guy on the street is going to be able to grab your kick and if they can you should seriously look at how you are training. I agree also, that too much credit is given to a street fighters ability, the average guy I know that goes out and gets in , and starts fights is usually untrained and really just starts throwing sloppy punches with no thought whatsoever toward any sort of counter attack etc. Dont get me wrong , there are some guys out there who are very good , but generally I think far too much credit is given to "the guy on the street".

 

[ralphmcpherson]

For those of you that do not throw high kicks in street fights, do you practice your high kicks when training? If so, why?

I would not throw a head kick in a street fight as a general rule , but there is a time and a place for everything and if the oppotunity arose and it was the best option I may take it. In saying that , the thought usually wouldnt cross my mind as I find lower kicks more effective. The reason I train high kicks is because I have found personally that by getting my head kicks fast and powerful it in turn improves my lower kicks substantially. If I can throw a fast, powerful roundhouse at head height while maintaining good technique , balance etc , then my lower roundhouse is going to be even quicker and more powerful and gives me more options as to what height I kick when I throw one.

 

[Wey]

I would not throw a head kick in a street fight as a general rule , but there is a time and a place for everything and if the oppotunity arose and it was the best option I may take it. In saying that , the thought usually wouldnt cross my mind as I find lower kicks more effective. The reason I train high kicks is because I have found personally that by getting my head kicks fast and powerful it in turn improves my lower kicks substantially. If I can throw a fast, powerful roundhouse at head height while maintaining good technique , balance etc , then my lower roundhouse is going to be even quicker and more powerful and gives me more options as to what height I kick when I throw one.

You bring up a good point that I didn't think of, honestly. Thanks for the input.

 

[Bumblebee]

I used a head kick once in a fight. But I can see how it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. I got lucky and knocked the guy out.

 

[Touch Of Death]

I used a head kick once in a fight. But I can see how it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. I got lucky and knocked the guy out.

That lucky type of shot is what makes kicking to the head so dangerous; Even having the head kick as an option splits your focus in that you keep looking for an opening as an option rather than dismissing it in favor of a safer technique.
sean

 

[Kyosanim]

Talking with some coworkers of mine brought up the discussion of kicks (mostly high kicks) being a gambit in street fights because of how it throws you off balance, puts you on one leg, etc.. So my question to those of you that have used kicks in street fights is: Was using a kicks helpful or detrimental to you in the fight? Stories would be great.

Thanks in advance.

I have not been in a fight since having martial arts training, but in my experience
your not going to get the room needed for kicks to the head. Every situation is different and the techniques available will change depending on how the other guy fights. All I can say is that if I were in a fight now I would make sure I was clear to throw a high kick if I did at all. Low risk moves are always the best place to start and I rate a head kick as high risk.

 

[Balrog]

I stress in our self-defense training that any kicks thrown should be no higher than the top of the thigh. The primo targets to hit are: 1)the common peroneal pressure point, 2) the middle of the large quadricep muscle, or 3) blow out their knee.