Head Kicks

[shotochem]

I agree with MA. However I belive in keeping things as simple as possible. A person has to know their personal abilities and limitations. I know that I have a better chance of hitting lotto than springing through the air with a flying death kick to the head of a much taller person.

 

For me a lot of punching, elbows, knees a grab, and a kick or 2 to the ribs or lower will have to suffice. Im not as young and flexible as I used to be

 

If its your life and you have to defend yourself there are no rules........

[G95champ]

I hate high kicks but I will agree with the statement made by Martial_Artist. To often people take the approach why do I need to do this or that I will never use it. I hear it everyday in football practice. LOL.... IMO high kicks are completely useless in SD but they are a part of MA. So practice them and understand them. Like he said that don't mean you have to use them.

[Hpkid0ist]

We always use any high kicks as finishing kicks, or in combinations. Never do we initiate with a high kick, with very few exceptions. And we do a lot of kicking.

[three60roundhouse]

[color=indigo]I can kick way over my head in pajamas, but wearing jeans I can barely get up to my head, and on my favorite pair I don't want to chance a rip going for someone's head. IMHO certain kinds of punches can be just as devastating to your opponent without ripping your pants or more importantly wasting the time it takes for your foot to get up there. If anyone here watches NHB (prepares self for slams), Frank Shamrock once had this UFC bout with a very lanky BJJ guy, Jeremy Horn (it was his debut)....anyway, Shamrock won, but early in the fight he went for this high kick and SLAM Horn caught it and dropped Shamrock like a rock. I would need to perfect my high kicks MUCH more to be confident that I wouldn't get slammed.[/color]

[Thai_Kick]

On a side note: A kick to my thighs, regardless of the strength (believe me I have been kicked there quite hard in training) does nothing to affect the way I continue the fight. Low kicks to the legs, in my experience, are easy to evade. They're easily noticeable and all I have to do to avoid is simply step back and you've missed.

 

It's obvious by your statement about low kicks that you have NEVER fought a Muay Thai fighter!

 

I've been training in Muay Thai for 5 years and after every sparring session or fight, myself and my partner(s) all have problems walking after, due to massive welts on our inner and outer thighs due to cut kicks (low roundhouse kicks). When sparring or fighting if you get nailed with a cut kick you feel it and it takes you off your game, by having to place that leg back and not kicking or blocking with it and sometimes if a person has a strong cut kick to will cause you to drop or fall. Sorry Martial_Artist cut kicks are NOT "easily noticeable" cause if they were then EVERY SINGLE Muay Thai fighter needs a lesson from you to learn how to avoid them !

A lot of this primary focus to the legs/knees, lower torso leaves one to wonder where your attention is. If you are targeting your opponents legs are you watching his top?

 

Of course you are watching his top! When a cut kick is preformed by X then Y will attempt to counter with a cross or hook to the head. That's why you should ALWAYS have your hands up and eyes on your opponent, and not on his body part!

[siffy01]

im a black belt in tkd and hav used head kicks on may occasions and they hav always worked 4 me. that may b because i am quite flexable and in an average street fight ur opponent does not really know how 2 block or fight.

 

then again i spar a lot so u wud xpect mine 2 b good at them. But having fought agains other martial artists e.g wing chun, boxers and judo they have always worked.

[GoldDragon]

ohhhhhh----- head kicks, my favorite

 

I only use head kicks after I confuse my opponent.

 

After he attacks- i counter, and go for a fake sweep, and reverse it and go in for a reverse roundhouse heel kick

[sk0t]

In a street fight, I, personally, feel that it is unwise...the fight wont last long enough for a head kick to come out...

 

in a street fight, he who unleashes first, unleashes last!

[Jade_Lotus]

"...he who unleashes first, unleashes last!"

 

this is the furthest from the truth, I don't know where it is that you attained this great knowledge, but I know that it couldn't possibly be from experience. Every single street fight I have been in my opponent/opponents, "unleashed" first. They came at me suddenly and quickly, with tremendous force. Most of them fell with kicks, others fell by other means. They were the first to unleash, but they were also the first to fall. There is no wisdom in that phrase whatsoever, true as it may be that aggression is a necessity in a fight, but don't fool-heartedly believe that if you unleash your attacks first then, you are sure to win. My experience has been the exact opposite. This may only stand true if you are speaking of bumbling, untrained fools on the street, but this is not the philosophy of a trained skilled fighter. This is just my opinion.

[Kyle-san]

Personally, I'd be quite wary of using head kicks during a street fight. There are just too many factors that could put you off balance, especially if the opponent knows what he's doing. I'll always remember this one tournament I was watching; A friend of mine was sparring and kicked at the opponent's head, the guy he was against used a rising block to get my friend's leg up higher, stepped in to close the distance, then punched my friend in the chest which knocked him down.

 

It was a good thing it was a tournament. If there hadn't been the restrictions on grabbing and where you could strike, my friend would have been much worse off.