Overcoming Opponent w/ Quick Legs

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Good point.

- Catch your opponent's kicking leg.
- Put your hand under his ankle.
- Lift that leg over your shoulder, and
- push.

Exactly. An awesome move, although he probably cant do it fully in his ruleset

 

[JR 137]

Also, if your style has crescent kicks, practice throwing those from really close range. It's my opinion that that is there real purpose, but a lot of schools apparently don't use them, and it can really mess with people in sparring

I love the inside-out crescent kick. I throw it at punching range or closer. People say it’s a weak kick, I say hit a heavy bag with it until it isn’t

I like it because it suits my preferred range and it’s the only kick I can hit people in the head with (unless we’re talking dwarfs, little kids, or people laying on the ground).

My only criticism of it is it’s not easy to work into combos. I haven’t had a good technical heavy bag session in a while. I’ve got to work on combos with it on the bag, as that’s where I really get things to flow and feel natural.

 

[JR 137]

Many years from today you will understand those rules can hurt you more than can help you.

It makes no sense that you can

- kick me but I can't catch your leg.
- punch me but I can't wrap your arm.
- ...

After you have established a bad habit (not thinking about disable a kicking leg), it' s hard to remove it.

Dojos have rules in place for good reasons. Lower ranked students aren’t allowed to catch kicks and sweep/takedown using it, and upper ranks don’t do that to lower ranks either.

It’s a safety issue. People have twisted and busted up their knees doing that. If a student is taught it properly, and can can demonstrate they can consistently do it right and can react right when it’s done to them, then it should be allowed in free sparring. If they can’t, then it shouldn’t be allowed.

A lot of karate dojos are on hardwood floors, making that stuff even higher risk.

 

[marques]

What’s your strategy when sparring against a fast kick opponent? There is a student in class whose kicks are fast and unpredictable—usually roundhouse and sidekick. Having trouble avoiding them and also often get heeled in the gut when I’m feinting or attacking.

Jam. You only need the right timing. After that, you’re safe within is kicking range. (Does he punch?)

I had a similar issue against a champion TKD guy. But once inside, he was like an average Joe; or like a shark in a forest.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Dojos have rules in place for good reasons. Lower ranked students aren’t allowed to catch kicks ...

The issue is to squeeze the kicking space (don't give your opponent enough space to kick) is a very important principle. It should be addressed during day one. If you have developed a bad habit that you always move back when you see a kick come in, you will never develop a good habit that you always move in when you see a kick come in.

When your opponent kicks, he is standing on one leg. The best counter is to attack his rooting leg. In order to do that, you have to move in.

 

[JR 137]

The issue is to squeeze the kicking space (don't give your opponent enough space to kick) is a very important principle. It should be addressed during day one. If you have developed a bad habit that you always move back when you see a kick come in, you will never develop a good habit that you always move in when you see a kick come in.

When your opponent kicks, he is standing on one leg. The best counter is to attack his rooting leg. In order to do that, you have to move in.

People can train moving forward into the kicking space without grabbing the leg. There are standardized drills teaching exactly that in my organization’s syllabus. They teach stepping forward (some with angling) and countering with punches, grabs, etc. They’re designed against the basic kicks - front, roundhouse, sidekick, back kick, and hook kick. They start learning those before free sparring. To be honest, some of them IMO are the best things in our syllabus.

Teachers can add things like sweeps to them when applicable, but that’s not part of the formal syllabus.

You can teach proper and effective movement forward and countering kicks without grabbing the leg and sweeping.

 

[_Simon_]

Also, if your style has crescent kicks, practice throwing those from really close range. It's my opinion that that is there real purpose, but a lot of schools apparently don't use them, and it can really mess with people in sparring

Yep yep, love close up crescent kicks, hard for the opponent to see them coming too!

Loving reading the advice guys, was something I struggled with against a kicker in a tournament this year so I'm learning from this. I had my tactics but they just didn't work (shifting off to the side of the kick and using angles, I think he just flailed his arms about with back fists after his kick as he saw my movement.. or just as a standard habit)

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I love the inside-out crescent kick.

Since the knee joint is weak side way, will it be better to use the hook kick instead?

People can train moving forward into the kicking space without grabbing the leg.

You grab your opponent's kicking leg so he cannot land that leg back down. When he stands on one leg, he will have weak balance.

 

[JR 137]

Since the knee joint is weak side way, will it be better to use the hook kick instead?


You grab your opponent's kicking leg so he cannot land that leg back down. When he stands on one leg, he will have weak balance.

I’ll agree that catching the leg is most often the best approach. But it isn’t the only approach nor the only effective approach.

I’m assuming the hook kick you’re referring to is the same one I’m referring to - kick goes out like a side kick, then the knee is bent, thereby using your heel as the weapon. Hook kick would be better for your own knees.

For me it takes a bit more range and the angle it’s thrown from is a bit different, but I can and mostly use it up close. It’s harder for me to throw that one at head height and it’s more telegraphed, but when I set it up right, it’s definitely effective. I try to get the back of the head with it.

Inside-out crescent kick is a higher percentage kick for me. At the close range I throw it from, it’s harder to see coming. I’ve trained it quite a bit on the heavy bag, so it’s definitely not a weak point fighting-only kick for me.

 

[_Simon_]

Or soto mawashi geri (outside to in crescent kick) can be good in closer range, using teisoku (arch of the foot) to strike. But you have to keep a good bend in your knee a) so you can strike with teisoku, and b) so your knee joint doesn't cop too much strain. I've done it a few times in sparring, and very hard for the opponent to detect due to it being closer range.

Just an fun thought!

 

[JR 137]

Or soto mawashi geri (outside to in crescent kick) can be good in closer range, using teisoku (arch of the foot) to strike. But you have to keep a good bend in your knee a) so you can strike with teisoku, and b) so your knee joint doesn't cop too much strain. I've done it a few times in sparring, and very hard for the opponent to detect due to it being closer range.

Just an fun thought!

Definitely true. I just prefer uchi mawashi geri. My hips work better that way and I telegraph it less.

 

[Anarax]

What’s your strategy when sparring against a fast kick opponent? There is a student in class whose kicks are fast and unpredictable—usually roundhouse and sidekick. Having trouble avoiding them and also often get heeled in the gut when I’m feinting or attacking.

Change angles, pressure them, invade their space, counter-attack. Try and find patterns in their combinations and block/grab their leg as they kick and sweep them. I've seen great kickers become much more cautious after you block/catch their kicks. Please know I mean block THEN catch their leg, never try grabbing a high velocity kick. Depending on the sparring intensity, leg kicks are a great technique to neutralize kickers.