Angus

Now to the lest important of the three main striking skills - kicking. Most of us know that in the street our spinning kicks and head-height kicks are near useless. Because we may have bulky items such as wallets or mobile/cell phones which impede flexability. However, some kicks can still be used and are very effective: Front leg - this is like your jabbing hand. Your quick strikes such as snapping side/front/round kicks are done from this. But most probably the most important kick is the front snapping groin kick. Painful and effective, the groin kick is the number one defensive choice when it comes to real violence. Long range attacks such as the stepping/slide up side kick are also effective and likely to be used (just make sure that u strike them higher up and off their centre of balance). Back leg - the attacker. This leg is slower and more cumbersome than the front leg but is commonly considered more useful. My particular style of fighting would utilise rear leg thigh and knee kicks (roundhouses). I also tend to use a front thrust kick or 'teep'. Spinning kicks CAN be used but are VERY rarely needed. Remember, footwork is also essential when kicking. Like the jab, use the front foot in conjunction with a little slide to help give u momentum. A back leg roundhouse could be given a little extra zip by stepping forward with the front foot or more likely out to the side, and then crashing your back leg roundhouse into the aggressor. The back leg, used in conjunction with some hand work is also good for a thrusting knee action. Either grabbing the person and kneeing them in the groin or the stomach, or by grabbing the back of their head and smashing into their face... VERY cool stuff! Anyway, that's the end of my three part 'ON' series. Cheerio.... Angus

Yeah it think that's pretty much it Sai... I've got the modfied versions of the taikyoku katas down, apparently i'm good at them... One kid told me my kata was 'awesome' and i laughed at him... I just do the techniques like i'm really trying to use them, not just mucking around - and i suppose that makes my katas look good... BUT I HATE THEM SO MUCH!!!!! Angus

It's good but it's not great... Angus

Um... not meaning to burts anyone's bubble but if u try the stuff that pizzaboy suggested u might find that it's a waste of time... Sorry... U might learn how your training partner telegraphs his moves but everyone moves differently and some people do not telegraph their moves at all... Looking at someone's chest is useless, u will have more of a chance trying to figure out what they're doing if you're looking them in the eyes. The eyes can betray even the best of us sometimes. And also, it's kind of a myth that jumping rope improves footwork/mobility... It's simply an exercise to improve cardio-vas and leg strength. The only way to improve mobility is to do footwork drills. All of this sounds nice and looks good in theory, but the only thing i like about that routine is the kicking/punching drills... I'm not meaning to annoy anyone, i was just noticing that a lot of people were probably gonna go off and try and practice the stuff in that post... But again i could be wrong and pizzaboy could be a 4th dan black belt for all i know. But it's not likely that i'm wrong. Angus

Some people can get away with low guards if they're quick enough, but it's really pointless. A high guard's not only a good defense but it allows for your main strikes (jab-cross-hook-uppercut) to be delivered quicker, and it doesn't impede your kicking ability. Angus

Now, prodigy - is it useful realistic footwork or thast crap zenkutsu long stance stuff that u never use? Once u have foot work mastered though u are set! Angus

Hey man, welcome to the forums! Kickboxing's great isn't it!?!? I do freestyle martial arts mainly centred around a street oriented kickboxing style. I hope u have fun posting here. Angus

Hmmm... so training with me is out then Bon... Angus

Hey Bon, you're a ring fighter aren't you? That's a good guard btw... Angus

I think they are Goju based, but i don't do Goju anymore. This new style i do has SOME kata in it and i have to learn a modified version of the gekusai kata... It's a pain in the a$$!! Thanks for your help anyway peoples. Angus

I should have also mentioned that i am also a grappler. I'm a mixed/freestyle martial artist and basically i keep my front hand open (yet still high) so i can get to my grappling a bit quicker. I guess i forgot about competition though cos i'm more survival orientated. Angus

I'm on a (sea)food diet... I (see) food and i eat it.... Angus

Does anyone know where i can get some outlines for these katas? Angus

A high guard that is as wide as it is high is absolutely useless!!! A high front snap/thrust kick to the head will do the trick nicely against a wide guard. Plant it right on their chin and they're stuffed beyond all recognition. Angus

When sparring i see a lot of people (and the odd blackbelt) dropping their guard. In particular they do not bring their hand back to their guarding position quite quick enough. A lot of people, especially the TKD/Karate/Kungfu students aren't taught that if u have a high guard u don't always have to block, u can just take the hits on your guard. Just watch the boxers - they keep their guards up and take punches on their arms.. It's a good tactic, as long as u can see what you are doing. Just remember, one hit to the head and u can be knocked out - but most blows to the body can be stopped with the leg blocks or can be taken with minimal pain. Keep a high guard and bring back your hands as quickly as possible. Whether it be open or closed handed (or in my case front hand open and back hand closed) a high guard is always best. Angus

"If you say so" HAHAHAHAHA!!! "I'm going to take appart your argument piece by piece and try to make you look silly" HAHAHAHAHA!!! "I like using inverted commas" HAHAHAHAHA!!! "Look at me, i can use this shift function on my keyboard" HAHAHAHAHA!!! "My cat's breath smells like cat-food" HAHAHAHAHA!!! Far out people! Angus

Drills.... well, i can't really offer any drills until u know the proper technique... U'd really have to talk to someone who knows the boxing kinda footwork and take it form there... Sorry. Angus

Quite right... Some martial arts i have studied have also written off the quick jab - saying that it would never be use in a street fight. Well, with the correct use it is quite effective i believe. It's useless if you're standing still, but moving in a circular motion to the outer side of the person's guard then u allow yourself a window to punch them in the eye or the cheek... Very cool stuff. Angus

Well luckily i have never had the unfortunate experience of pitching a trouser tent in the middle of a class - but i have heard of some poor unfortunate fellas who have had to fake stomach cramps (thus doubling over) when they have lost control of their blood flow. It would be even more difficult for those of us who put our pants on three legs at a time, but i will not discuss any further on that subject, because i do not want this thread to be closed down. Angus

Bleh! I might start my own thread for guys that asks the question about what to do when Stanley the Power Drill pops up to say hello. THERE'S JUST NO HIDING!!! Angus :lol: :lol:

I see too many people who practice all this technique and don't pratice the single most effective thing. This will greatly increase your chances of not getting hit, and winning a fight; Bruce Lee practiced this more than he did his actual techniques (according to Linda Lee); and without it you will never be complete... It's called footwork. Even boxers need it. Especially BOXERS in fact. I asked a guys to hit me with a jab/cross combo and he walked towards me, so i stepped back and kicked him in the stomach. Then he tried to slide in and i did a snap roundhouse to his head (not hitting him)... He didn't realise that by keeping his guard up that he could slide in with his front foot (bringing the backfoot up immediately after the front foot had stopped) and shoot out a jab, and then rotate on his back foot and shoot a cross that could reach just as far. Too many people and not aware of the subtleties of boxing, and the fact that u can do these things and still invorporate your kicking and grappling techniques. All it takes is practice. So if u ever get hold of a guy who does boxing then talk to him about footwork, and get him to show u some moves. Then, and only then, will u be able to get yo' groove on! Angus

I was sparring the other night and this guy was pushing me back with good kicks, i'm moved back and to the side (in south paw position, my worst side) and as he came in with a roundkick i thought "ooooohh mumma!! i got youse now!" and i checked it with my back leg and gave him a right jab into the teeth. I didn't mean to hit him so hard, just a tap, but it was effective enough to make him bleed and back off... It was pretty cool. You might fidn that when some guys are concentrating on their kicks that they are looking down and their guard drops a bit, just use your footwork to slide in with a quick jab (double jab if you're quicker than myself). You have to remember your footwork. Sliding your feet will get u their quicker than a stationary karate punch and you will ultimately get more power. Thar ye goo, Angus

Ahhh, that's what i thought. U know, i really don't know why all martial arts haven't adopted (or didn't think of in thefirst place) the leg checks/blocks... I've seen kungfu dudes kick the leg coming up but i've only seen freestylers and thaiboxers do the proper checks. This new form of karate i do (which basically freestyle) does leg checks... It's seriously got to be one of the most useful things out there. Angus

I'm interested now... why wouldn't i see many leg kicks in thailand? Is it because they know that they are so good as to be able to block the leg kicks or what? Angus

Yeah it's a load of BS... I train easier these days and use shin pads when sparring cos i don't want to have bruises all over my shins and be too sore to block if i get into a fight the next day. I must admit that sparring is a lot more fun when u have just a couple of protective things on. U can go at it hard and not risk loosing teeth and stuff... Angus