Question 120: Kick difference

I have been practicing ITF style TKD for about 11 yrs and have become confused with the difference in a couple of kicks. Can you describe the difference between a traditional Hooking kicking, crescent kick and vertical kick, as they all look the same in the encyclopedia of Tae kwon do I have written by Gen. Choi Hong Hi.

Reply

The hook kick is a similar to a side thrust kick except the foot and hip move laterally through the target instead of straight into it. In the side thrust kick, the leg chambers, and the heel is thrust directly into the target as the hip rolls over the axis of the leg to add power. In the hook kick, the initial aim is toward the side of the target. As the foot nears that point, the knee bends and pulls the heel back toward the buttocks, which pulls the heel sideways into the target. Simultaneously, the hip pulls the entire leg in the same direction. At the end of the movement, the knee will end up pointing toward the other side of the target. The hip, knee, and foot are all pulled sideways through the target.

In crescent kick, the foot may move from the inside toward the outside or from the outside toward the inside. The kick has two variations: straight leg and snap. In both variations, the foot moves in a circular motion, initially moving from the inside toward the outside or from the outside toward the inside. The hips also move in circular rotation, which means they start moving with the leg and foot, and then must rotate and start moving in the opposite direction as the leg begins circling. At the height of the intended target, the foot and hips start moving horizontally, into and through the target. Then the foot and hips complete their circular and downward movement and the foot returns to the floor. A graph of the motion from the front would resemble the bottom half of an oval; rounded on the sides and flat across the top with the target in the center of the horizontal top line.

In the straight leg version, the kicking leg is kept straight throughout the kick and most all the power comes from hip rotation.

In the snapping version, the leg is bent, and, while most all of the power still comes from hip rotation, a snap kick adds more power. All the motions are the same as with the straight leg version except that instead of a straight leg, knee is bent as in a front kick chamber. As the knee starts moving horizontally through the plane of the target, the leg snaps the foot into and through the target in sort of a front kick where the foot moves sideways instead of straight forward. The straight leg version is similar to a hook punch; it can move around a guard, but it is easy to block and is difficult to control. The snap version is similar to a hooking jab punch; it can move inside a guard, is more difficult to block, and can be controlled as precisely as a punch.

I was never taught a vertical kick and there does not seem to any consensus of opinion as to what it is. Some describe it as sort of a karate side snap kick, some describe it as similar to the rising kick (actually a warm-up exercise instead of a kick) except it is performed to side, and some describe it as a side kick performed straight up (useless except for demonstrations and it requires extreme flexibility).