Roundhouse vs front/side kick
- Thread starter Decker
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K31
Blue Belt
Ditto. I was taught that the front snap kick uses the top of the foot so under normal circumstances this kick would only be good for striking someone in the chin or crotch. It's great for breaks also. The push kick uses the heel. I agree with Kacey that the roundhouse to the side of the head is devastating.
Thanks for all the wonderful and insightful information everyone. I found Laurentkd's comment on aiming to "fold in" the bag with a roundhouse instead of making it fly particularly helpful.
The front kick I use uses the ball of the foot, with some hip thrust, which makes it more of a thrusting rather than pushing kick, in my opinion. I've also managed to add more of a hip twist in my roundhouse, resulting in some dents in the bag (yay!). The bag now topples when I roundhouse it though.
Regarding the roundhouse, it feels sort of instinctive to pull down the elbow on the same side of your kicking leg, as you raise the leg, E.g. when you kick with your right leg, your right elbow wants to move downwards. Is it "safe" to go along with this motion, or is it better to maintain a somewhat counter-intuitive guarding position at all times when kicking?
Once again, thanks for all the advice and info.
The front kick I use uses the ball of the foot, with some hip thrust, which makes it more of a thrusting rather than pushing kick, in my opinion. I've also managed to add more of a hip twist in my roundhouse, resulting in some dents in the bag (yay!). The bag now topples when I roundhouse it though.
Regarding the roundhouse, it feels sort of instinctive to pull down the elbow on the same side of your kicking leg, as you raise the leg, E.g. when you kick with your right leg, your right elbow wants to move downwards. Is it "safe" to go along with this motion, or is it better to maintain a somewhat counter-intuitive guarding position at all times when kicking?
Once again, thanks for all the advice and info.
Marginal
Senior Master
I think it's better to keep your arm from drifting. The two main reasons I've hit are that dropping the arm is a telegraph, and that once you start dropping the arm, you start turning too far inwards, which compromises your balance and makes following up with other kicks harder. If you keep your posture more upright, you also tend to take your eyes off your opponent less.
Bondservant
White Belt
Different tools do different things and work best when used as intended.
Round house kick is a speed kick that allows you to hit the target very quickly and with fine point penetration like a finger poke.
Front(push) Kick/ Side kick is a power kick that allows you to hit the target very hard with a more broad surface suitable to move a greater volume of energy/mass. Please view the following to see a Front(push) kick done with maximum power and speed to move maximum energy/mass. Enjoy!
http://www.jokaroo.com/extremevideos/pushkick.html
Round house kick is a speed kick that allows you to hit the target very quickly and with fine point penetration like a finger poke.
Front(push) Kick/ Side kick is a power kick that allows you to hit the target very hard with a more broad surface suitable to move a greater volume of energy/mass. Please view the following to see a Front(push) kick done with maximum power and speed to move maximum energy/mass. Enjoy!
http://www.jokaroo.com/extremevideos/pushkick.html
dancingalone
Grandmaster
I'm just echoing everyone else, but it's true the roundhouse kick has a different purpose than the front kick or the side kick. I like the roundhouse kick as a countering attack when forced to step to the side away from an onrushing attacker. The arc and direction of the kick will frequently blend in well with the attacker's forward motion, making the kick that much more effective.
Also consider the finger poke. It's less powerful than a thrusting punch, but targeted to a delicate, small area like the eyes, it's far more of a deadly strike than the punch.
Also consider the finger poke. It's less powerful than a thrusting punch, but targeted to a delicate, small area like the eyes, it's far more of a deadly strike than the punch.
wingchun100
Senior Master
It depends. I would think if you were doing a round house from the rear foot, the extra momentum would make it stronger than kicks delivered from the front foot.
Comparing a round kick to a side kick is apples and oranges. The kicks exist to do different things.
There are times when a linear attack tool (side kick) is the best tool and there are times with a circular attack tool (round kick) is appropriate.
If your opponent is in a stance that puts their line of stance either pointed at you or on angle the only way to hit them at relative 90 degrees to their line of stance is with the round kick or possibly the hook kick because it strikes from the side.
I personally can develop more power with the side kick but because the round kick is often hitting them from a more vulnerable direction it appears to have nearly as much affect.
There are times when a linear attack tool (side kick) is the best tool and there are times with a circular attack tool (round kick) is appropriate.
If your opponent is in a stance that puts their line of stance either pointed at you or on angle the only way to hit them at relative 90 degrees to their line of stance is with the round kick or possibly the hook kick because it strikes from the side.
I personally can develop more power with the side kick but because the round kick is often hitting them from a more vulnerable direction it appears to have nearly as much affect.
The original poster hasn't posted anything here in 5 years, so I doubt he will see that.
Also, since this was posted in the Tae Kwon Do section, I imagine he was referring to the TKD style of roundhouse, not the Muay Thai style.
drop bear
Sr. Grandmaster
Fair enough about the age of the thread.
Otherwise the shin would solve that bag topple issue.
Pint of Fosters anyone?
You get more torque with the instep and the ball of the foot than you can with the shin because of the longer movement arm.
For anyone still here on this thread after all this time, try this: Place your foot on a heavy bag with both the ball of the foot in front kick position and heel in side kick position with the knee bent and then push. Then place your foot on the heavy bag with the ball of the foot in roundhouse kick position with the knee bent and push. Which one is harder to push the bag away with? There's the answer.
drop bear
Sr. Grandmaster
Anybody who kicks hard kicks with the shin given a choice. Head kicking is different.
WWBD.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gloGY3UDZDo
It intrigues me that people have reluctance to say roundhouse kicks are weaker than side kicks or front kicks. Would people in boxing play word games about the power of jabs versus uppercuts or hooks? No! Sometimes these silly word games, and what I see as a lack of honesty, rears its head in tkd circles (I did not mention other ma, because this is a tkd forum). It leads to misinformation. Anyhow, Rh kicks are not generally going have tons of power. They are quick and can hurt the like hell. It is important to understand their application and how they set up other techniques.
Exactly... Front and side kicks in tkd sparring need a set up to use offensively. I use them more defensively. For example, an attacker comes in and I step back with my front leg and lift the year leg in a defensive front kick. Or if a hotshot wants to spin kick, I step with the spin and side kick his gut. It has worked for 20 years. I love guys who want to spin...
It's very unfortunate you are using that as an example of hard kick. Looks impressive, but for those who don't know -- and sadly there are many -- the trunk of a banana plant is very soft. It's so soft that one often has to prop it up with a pole, when a bunch of bananas grows on it, lest it fall. Essentially, banana plants are often brought down by their own fruit. Any half decent taekwondoin could bring that plant down with a few instep roundhouse kicks. The only reason you can't kick through the trunk altogeher is because it turns into a fibrous pulpy mess. Take this from someone who intimately knows banana plants and a little taekwondo.
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