The low kick is commonly referred to as the cannon, the dynamite, or the baseball bat. This refers to the devastating effect that is felt when it lands. The advantage of using this kick over high kicks is that it cannot be easily trapped and used as a throwing lever, it can be quickly “reloaded” to keep grapplers from following it in and gaining inside takedown position, and it is thrown at the head level of a grappler shooting in for a single or double-leg takedown. Just the threat of a low leg kick has many times turned the tide in a fight and kept otherwise fearless takedown artists at bay, leaving them open for hand strikes and eventual knockouts.
Leg kicks are common to many striking systems and so are widely employed. You can find very effective low leg kick techniques in martial arts from countries such as Thailand (muay Thai), Burma (bando), France (savate), and Japan (kyokushinkai karate). All of these martial arts have extremely useable and functional methods of low kick delivery for use in sport fighting and self-defense. Many other combination styles and systems have also adapted and added this technique to their arsenal.
The strategic objective of low leg kicks is to punish your adversary every time they either step into your kicking range or come inside and then back away from you. A good low leg-kicker will never allow his opponent to get into kicking range without making him pay for every inch of real estate gained. After a while the arms will drop, the eyes will look downward, and the fighter on the receiving end will not be thinking about delivering punishment, but rather trying to keep absorbing it.
Targets for the low leg kick depend on the rules you’re fighting under, but some of the favorite traditional targets include the knee (primarily for self-defense) the outside thigh (a specialty of kickboxers) and the inside thigh (muay Thai’s favorite target). It is also used by some of the more advanced grapplers in mixed martial arts events to create an opening to enter for a low freestyle takedown attempt, or to step in and clinch high after delivering the kick in order to execute a Greco-Roman or judo throw.
7 Low-Kick Defense Techniques
By utilizing the most effective bits and pieces from each of these arts, I have extracted seven different methods and strategies for low kick defense:
- Check or shield – block the kick, retain posture, or fire back
- Ride – absorb power for instant countering with a punch, knee kick or takedown
- Evade – not get hit, frustrate your opponent, and take advantage of his being off-balance
- Intercept or jam – stuff your opponent or stun him, thereby not allowing him to get off a full power kick
- Destruction – injure the tool so the opponent won’t attack or will think twice before using it again
- Clinch or shoot – quickly close distance and come in hard as soon as the opponent is off balance after they throw low leg kick
- Catch – pick up a kick and return a punch or knee, and then shoot-in or go straight to submission
Best Low-Kick Defense Technique?
There is no real best way to counter a low leg kick. Everything is subjective and comes about as a result of analyzing what your opponent likes to do, and then using the method that best fits your capabilities and strong points. What you will do in a fight will depend on your game, your opponent’s game, and what you are trying to achieve.
Obviously, victory is the primary goal, but there are many different methods that lead to victory that need to be considered. These intermediary steps can include striking, staying on the feet, takedowns, ground and pound, or quick flash submissions. The best method to achieve your particular goal depends on how good you get at each particular method and how skillful your opponent is at defending them.
Remember, mentally understanding these methods and the theoretical principles behind them does not necessarily mean that you can recognize and apply them quickly. Even if you get to the point that you can recognize and apply them, it doesn’t mean that your body has the physical ability to successfully execute them. Even if you can physically do them, it does not mean that you can pull them off successfully under pressure from a skilled opponent’s attack.
