Comparison of the Three Kicks

Characteristics	Karate Roundhouse Kick	Taekwondo Traditional Round Kick	Taekwondo Modern Turning Kick
Pivot	90 Degrees	180 Degrees	180 Degrees
Lean into Kick	Much	Much	Little
Leg Motion	Leg whip motion	Whip-cracking motion	Knee whip motion
Target Penetration	Slight	Slight	Push through
Chamber	None	High	Low
Striking Area	Ball of foot	Ball of foot	Instep of foot
Focus Point	Inch past surface	Inch past surface	Past target
Source of Speed	Quick motion	Slight twisting to opposite side at start to add torque	180 degree pivot to accelerate knee whip
Target	High, middle, or low sections	High, middle, or low sections	Middle section
Power	Quick but less power	Very powerful	Less power due to large area of impact
Speed	Fast due to no chamber	Slower due to high chamber	Fast since it is launched in a 45 degree angle to the target and from a high stance
Training Method	Used against bags	Used against bags	Used against hand targets

In the Taekwondo rear leg "off the line" roundhouse kick, the knee is first chambered before any body rotation. This differentiates it from the Muay Thai, karate, and other roundhouse kicks that tend to start the rotation before or during the rising of the knee. The knee is then rotated nearly parallel to the ground and the kicking hip is simultaneously rotated towards the opponent. The rotation of the hip, combined with the snapping of the leg forward, gives the kick its power.

In a front leg roundhouse, the leading leg is drawn up vertically, and rotated and snapped toward the opponent in the same manner as in the rear leg kick. A fast kick version is done by skipping forward with the rear leg, moving the kicker toward the opponent while simultaneously chambering and firing the front leg roundhouse. This version was effectively used by Bill Wallace, a highly successful Korean martial art stylist, during his full-contact karate career. The front leg kick is weaker than the rear leg kick because the hip does not rotate as much; however, it is faster because the leg travels a shorter distance before striking the opponent.

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