The best kick for self defense

[guird]

I may disagree regarding kicks to the thighs. They're powerful, but to the thighs it will not stop your attacker. after two or three of those kicks they will start to slow down, but when you're defending yourself you don't have time for that. you need something that will drop them.

any kick that makes it to the groin is good (provided the situation is dire enough), and using the low roundhouse a little more diagonally allows it to strike the groin.

a low side kick could be useful to the knee (again, if there is enough at stake).

Another one to the knee, probably preferable to the side kick is the 'monkey kick'. (that is what my friend, who showed me the kick called it). it may be what you guys mean by a low front kick.

The only kick higher than the waist that I would recommend is a Mai geri to the solar plexus, preferably while your attacker is moving in for the attack, or when they're retreating and covering their head after a flurry of punches. You may prefer a side kick due to the longer range, but I find it doesn't work as well to the solar plexus because the striking surface is different, and it's easier to get put of balance or have your leg grabbed.

[JusticeZero]

I pressed him and just as I pressed close...WHAM...WHAM...WHAM directly into my right shin bone as fast as he could. HE WAS WEARING STEEL TOE BOOTS!!!!!!!! OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steel toes are a weapon that I highly encourage students to look into and train with, even if to my knowledge nobody has. Ponteira and a snappy martelo form that i'd been taught are very similar to savate versions of those kicks and are very good at getting reach and penetration with toe strikes with work boots. Alas, I can't wear them on account of the fact that I wear absurdly wide specialty shoes and bulge the toes out on them.

There are a number of steel toed shoes out there that are styled to not look anything like a work boot, given the number of people who work in professions where they are usually in an office and dress clothes but who might be expected to walk onto a construction floor at any moment. As such, they are very concealable and practical to have.

Any time that your hands won't be available to manipulate a target is a good space to train a kick. People have mentioned low kicks, but techniques which pair a kick with a grab would also count (the hands are being used as part of the technique), as do floor techniques where your hands are busy being used as feet, and your head is away from the target to grant more range. (This is one of our main specialties.)

[Harkon72]

I agree, the steel toed Hi-Teck Magnum is my favorite stomping weapon!

[tallgeese]

I may disagree regarding kicks to the thighs. They're powerful, but to the thighs it will not stop your attacker. after two or three of those kicks they will start to slow down, but when you're defending yourself you don't have time for that. you need something that will drop them.

 

any kick that makes it to the groin is good (provided the situation is dire enough), and using the low roundhouse a little more diagonally allows it to strike the groin.

a low side kick could be useful to the knee (again, if there is enough at stake).

Another one to the knee, probably preferable to the side kick is the 'monkey kick'. (that is what my friend, who showed me the kick called it). it may be what you guys mean by a low front kick.

The only kick higher than the waist that I would recommend is a Mai geri to the solar plexus, preferably while your attacker is moving in for the attack, or when they're retreating and covering their head after a flurry of punches. You may prefer a side kick due to the longer range, but I find it doesn't work as well to the solar plexus because the striking surface is different, and it's easier to get put of balance or have your leg grabbed.

Strikes aren't always to stop. Not even the groin kick stops attackers every time. There's no more guarantee that a strike to the groin will drop an attacker any more or less than a quad shot while everyone is under the effect of an adrenaline dump.

The strike to the quad has more to it than just damage. A well placed quad kick can turn an opponents body and manipulate their body to give you a position of advantage. A groin kick can do the same, but it's important to understand the mechanics of striking and what it does for you. Not just the surface issue of damage.

[JusticeZero]

Right. Damage is actually secondary in my eyes. The point is to get out of danger, not to rack up the top score. If you were being attacked by an animated car (don't ask why, is an analogy), you would be better off flattening the tires than shedding the roof. The roof might be more damage, but the tires get you away. You really shouldn't ever try to do damage it just happens as a consequence of stopping the violence. ,

[guird]

following an incident in a moshpit that left me limping for a while, I've changed my mind about the low roundhouse. If your attacker is not trained to take it, it will hurt them enough for a follow up, and slow them enough for a getaway. if they are, you're in for a long fight anyway, may as well start wearing them down.

[MasterPain]

following an incident in a moshpit that left me limping for a while, I've changed my mind about the low roundhouse. If your attacker is not trained to take it, it will hurt them enough for a follow up, and slow them enough for a getaway. if they are, you're in for a long fight anyway, may as well start wearing them down.

If the low round kick is thrown with proper penetration and with intent against someone who doesn't know how to defend it, it can knock the ball out of the socket of the hip.

[yamesu]

I may disagree regarding kicks to the thighs. They're powerful, but to the thighs it will not stop your attacker. after two or three of those kicks they will start to slow down, but when you're defending yourself you don't have time for that. you need something that will drop them.

 

any kick that makes it to the groin is good (provided the situation is dire enough), and using the low roundhouse a little more diagonally allows it to strike the groin.

a low side kick could be useful to the knee (again, if there is enough at stake).

Another one to the knee, probably preferable to the side kick is the 'monkey kick'. (that is what my friend, who showed me the kick called it). it may be what you guys mean by a low front kick.

The only kick higher than the waist that I would recommend is a Mai geri to the solar plexus, preferably while your attacker is moving in for the attack, or when they're retreating and covering their head after a flurry of punches. You may prefer a side kick due to the longer range, but I find it doesn't work as well to the solar plexus because the striking surface is different, and it's easier to get put of balance or have your leg grabbed.

Strikes aren't always to stop. Not even the groin kick stops attackers every time. There's no more guarantee that a strike to the groin will drop an attacker any more or less than a quad shot while everyone is under the effect of an adrenaline dump.

The strike to the quad has more to it than just damage. A well placed quad kick can turn an opponents body and manipulate their body to give you a position of advantage. A groin kick can do the same, but it's important to understand the mechanics of striking and what it does for you. Not just the surface issue of damage.

While I agree that thigh kicks (roundhouse in particular) may not "stop" all people, it will definitely have a large effect on those not akin to receiving them!

With more and more people training in MA and MMA, perhaps this is becoming more of an issue, but its still a staple kick I believe.

As for it being caught - I dont think thats an issue at all. Ive never once had a kick caught, nor do you readily see it in cage fighting or other full contact tournaments often.

I would certainly feel comfortable utilising the roundhouse to the thigh in confrontation. As Tallgeese has noted, even if it does not drop someone, it can knock people off centre, and puts me in a better position to follow up with a secondary strike using follow-through momentum - such as a right cross or elbow.

One thing I noticed has not been mentioned in this thread is kicking to the hip. I find that a mae geri (front snap), or pushing teep style kick to the hip facing frontwards is a great distance gainer, and can be seriously off-putting to someone not versed in receiving lower body strikes. It also has the benefit of connecting with the sole of the shoe (heel or ball of foot, you choose) minimising damage to me.

Best case (for them) on contact, it knocks the attacker off centre. Worst case (for them) it tears flexors or even does damage to ligaments/muscle running down the femur. This in itself is enough to inhibit mobility from then on through the ensuing altercation.

Additionally, the hip kick is being directed at a large target close to me, and can be fired off from a front off position, making it great for follow up blocking/striking. It also benefits from creating distance through using a body part longer than the arm, so you can (if it is possible and time is there to react prior to first blood so-to-speak) stay out of punching range and control the distance in the initial moments, allowing greater chances for your own follow up.

Just my observations and experiences.

[Luther unleashed]

I use the theory of "push vs swing". I have always, and now teach, with an emphasis on linear attacks. My opinion is that a swinging strike doesn't have the potential to push them in the direction I want them. A side kick can be used as a push OR a strike. A front snap kick can be used as a push or a striking kick also. A roundhoyse, we'll it's a strike and I can't see much use aside from that.

My answer, side kick. Low not high, in learning jkd I learned the "stop kick" witch is essentially a side kick to the front of the thigh, knee, or shin. I also use front snap kicks to the hip often, for distance control but the side kick is IMHO the best self defense kick.

[Spartacus Maximus]

As a general rule, any kick aimed at a low target is both effective, difficult to counter or avoid and safer for the kicker. A low side kick to the outside of the knee is very effective. A low roundhouse aimed at the side of the leg just above the ankle can fracture or break the leg.

There are many more, but kicking is more effective if it is used as a strategy in combination with hand strikes. Kicks should be used like artillery in that they support and are immediately followed by strikes using the hands. Relying on kicking alone is not a good idea.