The risk of spinning hook kick

[Kung Fu Wang]

What defense do you have during that body turning?

Your thought?

 

[drop bear]

It depends what they throw. If it is a spinning wheel. You can angle in and chop them up.

If it was q spinning back fist. You get your head taken off.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

It depends what they throw. If it is a spinning wheel. You can angle in and chop them up.

If it was q spinning back fist. You get your head taken off.

I think he means how would you defend against the counter.

The answer to me is you don't. Or you don't throw one at someone who's in position to counter.

 

[drop bear]

I think he means how would you defend against the counter.

The answer to me is you don't. Or you don't throw one at someone who's in position to counter.

That is how you defend it.

You don't stand there saying I am going to throw a spinning wheel kick at your now.

You Mabye throw a heel. You Mabye throw a fist.

And see how keen the guy is to run in there and catch the thing.

 

[skribs]

Every technique has a counter. Spinning kicks are actually really hard to strike against (unless you target the leg). The body is spinning, which makes it harder for strikes to penetrate. And if you'll notice at the apex of the kick, the kicker is usually leaning away from the opponent, so your head is safe from strikes simply by being out of reach.

However, these kicks are easy to catch if you see them coming. Having proper technique really helps against this. This kick was not proper technique. It wasn't high enough, and he was too close to his opponent. Looking at the video, I don't even think his opponent even caught the kick. I think it just landed on his arm and he thought "free take-down."

That is how you defend it.

You don't stand there saying I am going to throw a spinning wheel kick at your now.

You Mabye throw a heel. You Mabye throw a fist.

And see how keen the guy is to run in there and catch the thing.

Without seeing the rest of the fight, I'd argue this kick isn't very telegraphed. I don't see any tells that he's going to spin until he's actually spinning, and the spin itself is a quick, fluid motion. (Unlike most of the caught kicks I see in the UFC). He just wiffed.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

That is how you defend it.

You don't stand there saying I am going to throw a spinning wheel kick at your now.

You Mabye throw a heel. You Mabye throw a fist.

And see how keen the guy is to run in there and catch the thing.

So you're talking about before the kick response, not after? Anything like that needs some sort of setup. I'd have to see the fight before this to know what happened. But after the guy has you caught like red does, I don't think there's anything else you can do.

 

[skribs]

So you're talking about before the kick response, not after? Anything like that needs some sort of setup. I'd have to see the fight before this to know what happened. But after the guy has you caught like red does, I don't think there's anything else you can do.

You could probably try for a scissor take-down, but I don't think there's enough time in this instance to do that.

 

[Buka]

No offense intended, and that clip is not in any context, but that was an ill timed, not very good spinning hook kick. Which I'm sure we've all thrown our fair share of.

Personally, I always used a spinning hook as a counter. I had a great deal of success with it. When it, in turn, gets jammed/blocked/countered, you continue with what ever that moment of the match dictates. That's why we call it a fight.

Offensively I liked it as a chase technique/combo against guys that tended to just go straight back. A lot of guys tend to do that before they figure out it's not the best idea.

But I'll tell ya a sneaky good way to use the spinning hook if you have advanced kicking skills and decent speed. Throw it in close, a touch wide but with a little more bend in your knee than usual, and use it to wrap the bend of your knee around his neck and drop your butt towards the floor a half beat later. It's a hell of a take down.

It goes without saying you only have to train it a thousand times, then a bajillion more against resistance.....just the way you originally did with the hook kick.

I mean, we all did that, right?

 

[drop bear]

So you're talking about before the kick response, not after? Anything like that needs some sort of setup. I'd have to see the fight before this to know what happened. But after the guy has you caught like red does, I don't think there's anything else you can do.

Yeah. Stand back up keep fighting.

 

[dvcochran]

Every technique has a counter. Spinning kicks are actually really hard to strike against (unless you target the leg). The body is spinning, which makes it harder for strikes to penetrate. And if you'll notice at the apex of the kick, the kicker is usually leaning away from the opponent, so your head is safe from strikes simply by being out of reach.

However, these kicks are easy to catch if you see them coming. Having proper technique really helps against this. This kick was not proper technique. It wasn't high enough, and he was too close to his opponent. Looking at the video, I don't even think his opponent even caught the kick. I think it just landed on his arm and he thought "free take-down."


Without seeing the rest of the fight, I'd argue this kick isn't very telegraphed. I don't see any tells that he's going to spin until he's actually spinning, and the spin itself is a quick, fluid motion. (Unlike most of the caught kicks I see in the UFC). He just wiffed.

Watching the video I wondered if the guy tried to cancel the kick in mid-motion. He never really rotated and it looked like he never really committed to the kick. Granted he got stuffed just past mid-motion. Not certain he wasn't trying to throw a spinning side kick and got out of position from the counter.
As far as defense on a true spinning hook; Head movement forward/back helps but you have to decide if you want to take the leg (move forward) or clear the leg (move back). It is insane how close to you guys that are really good can throw this kick, and can do it from straight on, or from either side of centerline. A kick from centerline out is aiming at the ear or jaw. A kick from centerline in is a face shot. In other words, the first kick is going to the outside of their body and the second is inside. The latter is biased and coming forward to your sight line so, in theory, easier to see and counter. A hook from the outside can be unexpected because of the extra rotation required but for a good kicker it does not matter. Often times a less experienced kicker will project the kick with stance and body position.
A Lot of hard knockouts come from spinning hooks and one delivered correctly with velocity is not going to be fully stopped by a boxers style blocking arm/hand. And as Skribs said, timing is everything. The timing in the video was pretty far off.
One of the things we actively practiced as a counter to a hook is to rotate the torso Toward the kick to change angle and create a stronger/larger blocking member relative to the profile of the oncoming kick.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Yeah. Stand back up keep fighting.

In this video, the guy didn't hook his opponent's only standing leg.

If he uses

- right arm to hold on his opponent's right kicking leg,
- right leg to hook up his opponent's left rooting leg,

his opponent will have no legs left. The fall will make his opponent's harder to get back up.