Least favorite kicks

[dancingalone]

to be honest i like pretty much every kick there is, i dont always use them but im always up to learning new things, during sparring however i dont want to do a flying side kick spin side kick (although thats like my favorite kick) because it could really hurt someone

If anyone past yellow belt gets hit with that kind of kick, they sort of deserve it for being so unaware. Ditto with other slow kicks like the crescent kick.

 

[exile]

If anyone past yellow belt gets hit with that kind of kick, they sort of deserve it for being so unaware. Ditto with other slow kicks like the crescent kick.

Right—you can see those kicks coming down the pike ten minutes before they arrive. Even for arena competition, they don't seem all that practical as point-scorers... I'm sure there's a reason they got adopted into the curriculum, but combat effectiveness surely wasn't it!

My feeling is, any kick that (i) you have to think about too much and (ii) that works against your biomechanics has got to be something you can and probably should live without. Yes, I know, I know, if you practice it long enough, it becomes easy—but why not practice something more practical and versatile during that same training time? Why practice something that might come in handy one time out of a thousand or ten thousand, when it's very likely that one of the solid basics is going to serve you much better when push comes to shove for real? I like practicing side kicks, they're great training for balance and so on, but I have to say that, if I were being really sensible about it, I'd spend less time on them and more on upper-body combination moves with knee strikes....

 

[firerex]

If anyone past yellow belt gets hit with that kind of kick, they sort of deserve it for being so unaware. Ditto with other slow kicks like the crescent kick.

well the main part im worried about hurting someone with is the flying side kick the spin kick is just there to look cool and possibly get an extra point in competition sparring

 

[granfire]

If anyone past yellow belt gets hit with that kind of kick, they sort of deserve it for being so unaware. Ditto with other slow kicks like the crescent kick.

LOL, slow kick... crescent kicks need not be slow...not as fast as a front leg front or round, but depending on distance and angle....very useful kick...got hit with one to the side of my head, I was happy it stayed on my shoulders...

Then again, I was sparring more aggressively with that particular partner, somebody else might not have had a chance to hit me with it. New Black Belt mistake I guess

 

[dancingalone]

LOL, slow kick... crescent kicks need not be slow...not as fast as a front leg front or round, but depending on distance and angle....very useful kick...got hit with one to the side of my head, I was happy it stayed on my shoulders...

Crescent kicks are extremely slow since they originate from the hip and then rotate through a large arc to strike the head, assuming you are sparring someone who matches your own height. I consider it primarily a training tool to increase flexibility with your groin muscles and hip joints.

Under rules where take downs are permitted, the crescent kick goes away entirely. You're way too exposed to a grab and sweep combination. It's popular in TKD sparring precisely because of the emphasis on kicking techniques and the lack of threat from having your leg caught or trapped.

 

[kaizasosei]

true about the crescent kick but their deceptiveness can make up for it.

plus, if you turn it from a crescent to a sharp peak, sortof starting out like a front kick, you can make it a hell of a lot faster, even first strike speed.

j

 

[dancingalone]

true about the crescent kick but their deceptiveness can make up for it.

plus, if you turn it from a crescent to a sharp peak, sortof starting out like a front kick, you can make it a hell of a lot faster, even first strike speed.

j

No doubt it has its place in the toolbox if you are just sparring. I prefer to teach and train other techniques.

 

[firerex]

i dont like them however a good inside crescent, set, side kick is effective

 

[granfire]

No doubt it has its place in the toolbox if you are just sparring. I prefer to teach and train other techniques.

I prefer not to train crescent kicks as well, but I am NOT about to argue with my instructor about that!

 

[dancingalone]

I prefer not to train crescent kicks as well, but I am NOT about to argue with my instructor about that!

I understand. When I studied tae kwon do (I achieved a 2nd dan back when it sort of meant something still :uhyeah: ), I practiced them too. Eventually I realized the curriculum I was practicing was far too 'punchy-kicky' for my martial goals and I began to study other arts. It was years before I realized that TKD actually could have accomplished my needs just fine, if only my instructor had shared the same interests as me. I now teach Okinawan karate, but I bet I could teach a TKD class based on my original lessons, yet slanted towards effective self defense.

As I said, crescent kicks are fine for training your body. The only time I have a real issue with them is when I see instructors really pushing them as a viable street technique. (Yes, I know some here will disagree with me.) The 'favorite' pet peeve is the infamous crescent kick used to kick a knife out of an attacker's hands. I think Chuck Norris must have done it in a movie back in the seventies, and somehow it caught on and is now taught as a serious technique.

 

[CrimsonPhoenix]

My least favorite would have to be a side kick. I'm able to do the kick pretty well, but part of the time my hip will pop or I'll feel it slide and it can be uncomfortable.

Crescent kicks I can execute fairly well, but they wouldn't be my first choice if I had to pick favorites.