kick to kneecap

[Sam]

also - contrary to popular opinion the knee when in motion is actually quite strong..... only when stationary and bent noticably will it be easier to break.... otherwise your more likely to just swipe it, cause some minor damage and knock them down

[elbows_and_knees]

when bent? It's stronger when bent...

when the leg is straght, you just kick it and snap it backward. When it's bent, you have to get it back to the straight position and still must snap it backward. The knee is VERY unlikely to break if you hit it from the sides - your hips tend to naturally move in the direction of impact. If anything, you'll tear some ligaments.

[elbows_and_knees]

This may sound a little controversal...

But on top of kicking the thighs, which is probably the best choice for the school yard... Aim for the lower abdomen to groin area. It doesn't take much to take incompacitate a guy with a good groin or lower abdomen hit.

May be a little dirty, but fighting isn't clean anyways.

groin shots are overrated. They aren't the fight enders that people think they are. In high adrenaline situations, you don't always feel it. I've taken them in fights - in the street and ring - and not felt it until after it was over.

[TSDforChrist]

When kicking the knee, it's generally best to strike it from the inside, prefereably with a side thrust kick (in my opinion, lol). A straight on kick will tend to slide off unless the knee is locked, and roundhousing the outside of the knee is a BAD IDEA. Think about it: You roundhouse to the outside of their knee, they flex their knee and point it towards your incoming foot (I've seen it happen). Knee vs. Instep, knee wins and you just broke your foot - even if they don't see it coming, a misplaced kick or moving target can have the same result. This all necessitates that the knee kick be a very up close and personal attack, and not a starting off fight-ender. You have to be right on them to get that kick to the inside of the knee, so you have to be willing to go in for it. The other forms of knee kicking are great as a distraction, or to draw hands down, but if you really want to break that knee (say, to discourage pursuit), you have to mix it up first. Oh, and it's nasty from a clinch, too, especially if lifting that foot makes your opponent think you are going to try to bear him down (a la most street fights) and he shifts weight in that direction....

In Christ,

Master Phil Stewart

4th Dan Tang Soo Do

[elbows_and_knees]

When kicking the knee, it's generally best to strike it from the inside, prefereably with a side thrust kick (in my opinion, lol).

A straight on kick will tend to slide off unless the knee is locked,

I like the inside as well, but prefer the roundhouse.

and roundhousing the outside of the knee is a BAD IDEA. Think about it: You roundhouse to the outside of their knee, they flex their knee and point it towards your incoming foot (I've seen it happen). Knee vs. Instep, knee wins and you just broke your foot - even if they don't see it coming, a misplaced kick or moving target can have the same result.

That's one thing I don't like about the roundhouse of many styles - the idea of hitting with something as weak as the instep. As a thai boxer, I prefer the shin. depending on your condiitioning, contact to the knee may or may not hurt the shin. Either way, it will hurt way less than instep-shin.

[TSDforChrist]

Very much true. Another option is the ball of the foot, but that depends on training, and largely what shoes you are wearing.

In Christ,

Phil Stewart

[Sam]

ok i was talking about laterally stronger.... kicing throught the knee [through the directino of bend] yes its beter to be straigh, but side on your more likely to knock them down than break their knee.

[Muaythaiboxer]

im not really a fan of the side kick because of the time and teligraph it takes to exicute even and untrained fighter is hop back or parry it. (although i have used it before)

has anyone thought about kicking the shin? i mean as a thaiboxer this comes natural to me but if an untrained person where to slam there shin into another persons shin what would be the result? both partys hoping around on one foot rubbing there shin?

[BlackBeltAngel]

I've heard that a kick to the kneecap is a good selfdefence move. Do you throw this kick to the front of the knee or do you mean a round kick to the knee. I would like to know how to execute it for school if I needed to defend myself.

Regards

I got kicked to the side of my knee during competition once. Almost shattered my knee. And it hurts like you wouldn't believe.

[Muaythaiboxer]

yea a good kick to the side of the knee can hurt