Step through side kick

[Headhunter]

So this is something I was doing when just doing my own workout at home. I was playing with some combinations and ended up trying a step through side kick and it felt so awkward and couldn't get much power on it and then when I thought about it it's not a kick I've seen a lot (a side kick starting from the back foot) my front leg side kick is one of my favourite weapons but the step through felt terrible. Does anyone use that type of kick?

 

[DanT]

Do you mean side kicking with the back leg? It's a difficult one to pull off because of the path of the leg. Best advice I can give is to chamber the kick as you're switching your stance to make it faster. Just practice the stance switch with the simultaneous chamber a couple hundred times and you'll get it much more fluid. A good combo I like is: Jab, Rear Hook, use the rear hook hip motion to step forward into a stance change and chamber at the same time, and then side kick. But honestly the rear leg side kick is mainly to make your opponent fly away when he's already half knocked out IMO. It has a ton of power when done right (I've sent people flying 15 feet with that kick), but it's slow as hell, even when you make it efficient.

 

[dancingalone]

It's not uncommon in my world when we are sparring. If you have a deceptive set up for the front, roundhouse, and side kick where it's not easy to predict which one is coming, you can instinctively switch to the correct one depending on distance and target. I have a little bit more reach with my sidekick than I do with the front kick, so when I sparred a lot, I would set up my partner with a steady diet of front kicks and then switch to the side kick for the point when he got used to avoiding the front kick.

 

[CB Jones]

So this is something I was doing when just doing my own workout at home. I was playing with some combinations and ended up trying a step through side kick and it felt so awkward and couldn't get much power on it and then when I thought about it it's not a kick I've seen a lot (a side kick starting from the back foot) my front leg side kick is one of my favourite weapons but the step through felt terrible. Does anyone use that type of kick?

Seen a few use it. Typically its used by fighters trying confuse you on whether its a side kick, roundhouse, or hook kick.

Our Sensei is not a big fan of that strategy. IMHO, against someone with good footwork and movement, its ineffective and easy to defend and counter.

 

[marques]

It's not uncommon in my world when we are sparring. If you have a deceptive set up for the front, roundhouse, and side kick where it's not easy to predict which one is coming, you can instinctively switch to the correct one depending on distance and target.

Right. Common in Muay Thai, I guess, since round kicks are expected all the time. And then the side kick can target the body, head or even become a hook kick.
Otherwise I think we can just be easily hitted before throwing a rear leg side kick...

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Side kick lets you cover ground quickly. It is often mistaken for the reverse kick, where you turn your butt towards the target, but it is different.

In a side stance to your opponent, with legs spread and knees bent, you typically flag the face with a backfist. At the same time, you step behind with the leg furthest away from the opponent, lift your knee of the leg closest to the opponent, and drive the heel or blade edge of the foot in sideways as if your leg was throwing a jab. It can also be done as a 'hop-skip' type kick, where instead of stepping behind, you step up to a parallel stance and then throw the side kick. The former covers more ground than the latter.

Hint: if you are turning your hip when you throw the kick, it's a back kick. Which is a fine kick, but that's not a side kick. Also, I find it helps to point my knee at the target when I lift it.

 

[drop bear]

A mate of mine throws it as a sort of round kick side kick thing. And is truly one of the most uncoordinated looking kicks i have seen.

But it does work. Which makes the whole issue even more infuriating.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Step through side kicks are the absolute slowest moves you have got, but if you step to a 45 degree angle with your lead foot, you can blast them with a side kick directly to the side, which is much faster.

 

[Buka]

Are we referring to a side kick thrown with the back leg?

 

[CB Jones]

Are we referring to a side kick thrown with the back leg?

I think so.

Rotating around to bring your back leg forward and into the chamber position.

 

[WaterGal]

I'm not clear on what the "step through" part refers to, if we're just talking about doing a plain old side kick with the back leg? I'd just call that "side kick", or maybe "back leg side kick".

 

[RTKDCMB]

Are we referring to a side kick thrown with the back leg?

I suspect we are talking about a skipping side kick.

 

[Tez3]

I suspect we are talking about a skipping side kick.

Sounds like the one I know, stepping or skipping. If you are in left fighting stance, the right leg steps forward behind ( that's important!) the left leg which then lifts for the side kick.

 

[CB Jones]

No.

Left leg forward

Rotate hips and body bring the right leg forward into a chambered position and then side kick with the right leg.

And ending up with the right leg forward.

 

[Tez3]

No.

Left leg forward

Rotate hips and body bring the right leg forward into a chambered position and then side kick with the right leg.

And ending up with the right leg forward.

That's just a side kick off the back leg for us, we do side kicks off back and front leg, change stance and do it again t'other way as well. We can also do jumping sidekicks, straight up jump, some can do the 'flying sidekick' ( the one you knock people off their horse with...alledgedly ) but sadly I can't.