Types of Kicks

 

Check or Stop Kicks. Kicks used to jam, check, or intercept an attacking kick before it is executed. May be used to stop the forward motion of an attacker.

Aerial Kicks. Flashy, extreme kicks (flips, somersaults, etc.) performed mainly for entertainment purposes. High, jumping, flipping kicks are totally useless in the martial arts. They may be difficult to perform and may be entertaining to watch, but that does not make them effective fighting techniques. Some attempt to justify the use of high kicks by saying they are based upon techniques that ancient ground fighters used to knock warriors off their horses. What? Horses are measured in hands, equivalent to about 4 inches. The average horse is about 15 hands, or 60 inches, just short of five feet. Since a horse warrior straddles the horse, to knock him off a horse you would have to hit him very hard in the chest area, which would be 7 to 8 feet off the ground. Does anyone really believe a ground fighter of any height, wearing all his warrior equipment or otherwise, could jump 7 feet in the air and kick with a 200-pound man with enough force to knock him off a horse. In warfare, the purpose is for you to kill an enemy without harming yourself. Trading a life for a life will not win a war. Warriors do not do tricks in an effort to kill an enemy. Trick kicks are acrobatics; they belong in gymnastics or in the circus, not in the martial arts.

Other Sport Kicks

The martial arts are not the only sports that use kicks. The American football kick can be deadly when used against an opponent. A soccer football kick can take down the biggest attacker.