An Odd Kick, but effective.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

My sensei taught me this kick years ago, and I teach it to my students. I don't know the Okinawan/Japanese term for it, but we call it a "front inside snap kick".

 

This is how it works. Get in a left foot forward front stance, then do a normal back leg (can also be done with front leg) front snap kick, but at the end of the kick, instead of using the ball of the foot to make contact, you twist your right foot so that the foot rotates inward (counter clockwise if you will) and you strike your target with the bottom of your foot into his lower/mid torso.

 

It's not as damaging or penetrating as a front snap kick, but is very effective in knocking the wind out of somebody, or just pushing them backwards without injury.

 

The theory is, that you would use this kick when you didn't want to do harm to your opponent..just back them up.

 

It takes a while to get that twist at the end of your kick, and you don't want to rotate your hips and end up doing a side kick. That's the hard part. It can be very fast, and hit hard.

 

Anybody else ever done one of these?

[G95champ]

Sounds like a side snap kick

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Sounds like a side snap kick

 

There again, not knowing what you consider a side snap kick..I don't know. To me, a side snap kick is just that..a snap kick done to the side using the ball of the foot as the weapon. That's not the same as a front, inside snap kick, because that uses the full flat bottom of the foot as the weapon, making it more of a hard push instead of a penetrating kick with the ball of the foot.

 

Does that sound like a side snap kick in your frame of reference?

 

Like I said..everybody has different names for the same kicks..so who knows!

[Kirves]

I haven't stumbled into that kind of kick, but a close one being the old school Okinawan side kick, where you do almost the same, except you kick in a clockwise arch and hit with the top of the foot (+ maybe ankle too). This is the traditional yokogeri, side kick. Although, the clockwise term may be a bit overboard, it goes almost straight to the target after you bring your foot next to the other foots ankle, so it's not a "crescent" kick as one might imagine from my initial description.

[delta1]

Similar, but not exactly the same. In AK, we do two versions of the front, and some other, kicks- snaping and thrusting. Snap kicks are quick and don't get as much hip into them. Thrusting kicks get a lot of hip and are designed to do as much dammage as possible. Your kick sounds like a front snap that was converted in mid strike to a side snap. If I did this, though, I'd probably roll my hips to prevent torquing my knee and also to facilitate a better withdrawel if he tries to trap. Might be interesting to practice as a designed kick, see how it works.

[stl_karateka]

I never heard of it --- at first I thought you were talking about an inverted front kick...but with that you end up striking with the top of the foot (instep) , not the bottom as you mentioned

[Jussi Häkkinen]

Sounds like a yoko geri keage for me too. It is a side snap kick. Can be seen in Chatan Yara no Kusanku in Kyan lineage (and in several other lineages). Okinawan thingy.

[stl_karateka]

Sounds like a yoko geri keage for me too. It is a side snap kick. Can be seen in Chatan Yara no Kusanku in Kyan lineage (and in several other lineages). Okinawan thingy.

Isn't a side snap kick done with the side/heel of the foot...not the bottom?

[Jussi Häkkinen]

Well, it depends a lot. Generally: Yes, but you can use any of the appliable parts of the foot to the kick.

 

"Side snap kick" is a bit open term - it can be done as maegeri to the side, it also can be done in many other ways...I guess that the kick is one variant of the theme.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

OK..I think I'm not quite explaining the execution quite right here. Trying again.

 

From a left foot forward front stance. You're kicking to your front, just like a normal front snap kick...not to the side. The kick/foot comes up to the knee first then shoots out to your intended target. So far, exactly like a normal front snap kick where you would connect with the target with the ball of your foot..right so far?

 

OK, now is where the differance is. Just before making contact (remember, it's your right foot moving to make contact), you rotate your right foot counterclockwise with the foot pulled back, not pointed forward as in a roundhouse. You are NOT rotating the hips, otherwise you would be doing a side kick, but rather rotate the foot alone and making contact with the bottom of your foot to your opponenets mid-section.

 

Maybe now it's clearer..or more confusing??? Try it a few times and see if it makes more sense. Otherwise, somebody send me a video camera and I'll videotape it and send it back to you! lol It takes a fair amount of practice to get the foot to rotate easily into this kick, but once you have it, it makes a pretty good pushing kick without doing the damage a front snap can do.