High kicks

[elbows_and_knees]

i dont understand why ppl jump quickly to say high kicks in general (w/ or w/o jumping) are bad in real scenarios. time properly they can be devastating.

because of the openings they leave. with high kicks, you are compromising your balance. With jump kicks, you are completely off of the ground. If you add spinning, then not only the other factors apply, but you turn your back to your opponent briefly. Conesquently, there is a trade off. These kicks can generate much power and produce a KO, but you are sacrificing stability, which can cost you the fight. The decision is up to the fighter.

[Menjo]

That is true, but with enough skill a fighter can reduce the sacrifices made enough to use the kick effectivly however it is less common than more grounded "safer" moves.

[elbows_and_knees]

Exactly - high kicks can quickly end a fight.... there have been a couple of examples in the UFC of this..... ill leave that to people that know it better than me to list the fights.

a few, but not many. They are more common in K-1 than UFC - in k-1, you can't grapple.

[Bleeding Lion]

because of the openings they leave. with high kicks, you are compromising your balance. With jump kicks, you are completely off of the ground. If you add spinning, then not only the other factors apply, but you turn your back to your opponent briefly. Conesquently, there is a trade off. These kicks can generate much power and produce a KO, but you are sacrificing stability, which can cost you the fight. The decision is up to the fighter.

Well, i dont recommend it every time you can make a move, but all im saying is that its not a technique to simply toss out of your repertoire. Being risky (i'll admit that) it is however very rewarding when used properly. You risk something for a greater reward, just as in judo where you lose some of your balance to totally unbalance your opponent.

[Sam]

exactly - why leave it out.... might as well have some skill in it - its not as though they're hard to get to grips with.

[TopGun]

I take American Kenpo and as Ed Parker said (not exactly his words) something to the effect that in Kenpo we aren't going to kick to an opponents head while they are standing up, we will take out their knee and when they are at waist level kick to their head. I thought that fit this line of questioning very well as it shows that kicks to the head are devastating but they don't need to be high kicks....

[Sam]

yes, but they can be... and there are occassions where they may be worth while

[makiwaraman]

I was once told these high kick were used to knock samurai off their horses, so are no longer needed or used.

regards maki

[Kaminari]

We were always taught that flying kicks like that were quite effective for combat with someone mounted on a horse .

Yep. You have to remember that the traditional martial arts were created a long time ago, and they were created for situations that came up in battle then. Nowadays, you won't see many of your enemies on horses, but back then they did.

[Menjo]

I cant imagine someone actually knocking someone off their horse witha flyling kick without getting slashed. punched, impaled or a whole whack of other terrible things...