The crescent kick

[Alan Armstrong]

Crescent kicks for me are always handy to have in a dojo on if in a street fight situation. I practice hundreds of them with my exercises on an almost daily basis. I found a little trick that works for me is to use an outside to inside crescent kick with my kicking foot twisted and snapping in to my opponents stomach. Crescent kicks are quick and very easy to do with practice and are a quick and safe way to find out how well equipped or surprised your opponent reacts to them. Crescent kicks can be quickly changed in to an axe kick if needed. Crescent kicks are as handy and as versatile as you practice them to be.

[MAfreak]

crescent kick is for when one isn't flexible enough for round kicks.

an example could be the variations of the "tornado kick":

in wushu its done for show so it should be very high and they do it with a crescent kick.

in taekwondo its done to hit their opponents under their tournament rules and it would be enough at waist height but since its full contact, should hit hard,

and they do it as a round kick, so with more hip movement.

sure the common practitioners of both arts could do the round kick very high, but i feel it that way with my limited flexibility so i hope it could give you an idea of possibilities for the crescent kick.

whatever when to use which kick might also depend on the distance so directly in front of you, maybe grabbing hold on you, crescent kick could do well (but knee or shin strikes would be better here, when just comparing leg techniques).

[JR 137]

crescent kick is for when one isn't flexible enough for round kicks.

an example could be the variations of the "tornado kick":

in wushu its done for show so it should be very high and they do it with a crescent kick.

in taekwondo its done to hit their opponents under their tournament rules and it would be enough at waist height but since its full contact, should hit hard,

and they do it as a round kick, so with more hip movement.

sure the common practitioners of both arts could do the round kick very high, but i feel it that way with my limited flexibility so i hope it could give you an idea of possibilities for the crescent kick.

whatever when to use which kick might also depend on the distance so directly in front of you, maybe grabbing hold on you, crescent kick could do well (but knee or shin strikes would be better here, when just comparing leg techniques).

It's a different flexibility. I can easily front kick and crescent kick head height. I can barely get roundhouse or side kick above belt level. And I can't keep my leg from internally rotating during roundhouse kicks (upon us impact, my foot turns downward about 45 degrees rather than being parallel to the floor).

Funny thing is I have no problem landing hook kicks to the back of people's head; hook kick is essentially the same as a side kick, only you bend your knee and hit with the heel afterward.

[MAfreak]

yeah, exactly what i meant.

i had the same thing with the hook kick like you.

and i just "turned it around".

so for hook kick the knee shows diagonal downwards.

try do do the same with the round kick. knee shows diagonal downwards, not upwards or sideways and the lower leg snaps up then and comes diagonal down to the target, exactly like its going diagonal upwards for the hook kick. this variation is called something like the downward round kick.

in a nutshell: just make the hook kick backwards and you'll get a higher round kick.

[IcemanSK]

The problem I see with a crescent kick is that in an SD situation, a follow up technique is needed, but rarely trained. We often get the idea from the first Billy Jack movie that an outside crescent kick to the head is all one needs. I don't mean to flippant here, but it's most often taught as a stand alone technique. If it is part of a combo, it's often as part of a tornado kick. Old school in my Art used it as a block with a quick follow up. I haven't trained that in many years.

[Spartacus Maximus]

Following up a kick with a punch or other hand strike is a good habit to train. The kick is not guaranteed to connect with the target and without an immediate follow up, the kicker is open and vulnerable to a charging attack for the time both feet are not on the ground.

Kicks are powerful with more muscle, but are secondary weapons most effectively used to set up or support punches or other hand strikes. Perhaps a sporting match could be won with kicks alone, but a strategy using kicks a a stand alone technique is ill suited for dealing with serious situations.

[JR 137]

Following up a kick with a punch or other hand strike is a good habit to train. The kick is not guaranteed to connect with the target and without an immediate follow up, the kicker is open and vulnerable to a charging attack for the time both feet are not on the ground.

Kicks are powerful with more muscle, but are secondary weapons most effectively used to set up or support punches or other hand strikes. Perhaps a sporting match could be won with kicks alone, but a strategy using kicks a a stand alone technique is ill suited for dealing with serious situations.

I agree. Using any technique alone isn't smart. Everything, obviously including crescent kicks, must be used in combination with other things. You never want to be in a situation where you hit an opponent with something, you hit him, nothing happens, and you say "now what?"

I commonly follow and inside out crescent kick with a front kick, and an outside in crescent kick with a side kick.

Both crescent kicks are a bit harder for me to follow up with another attack quickly, hence I've been working on them in combinations on a punching bag a lot.

Nothing should be solely considered a finishing technique IMO. I haven't found any techniques that are guaranteed to stop an opponent every single time. Until I do, I'll keep practicing setups and follow ups on everything.

[brickshooter]

I don't use a head kick that I cannot break 2 inches of wood with. And I have never been able to do it with a crescent kick. And I cannot recall ever seeing anyone doing it either. I think it's taught because it's a very easy kick to learn, and it helps with stretching. I have seen guys land it solid in competitive sparing and it barely stunned the other guy.

For me, head kicking is a finishing technique. It is slower and leaves me very vulnerable it if fails. I won't use a head kick that doesn't have knock out potential.

[Alan Armstrong]

Often use a quick inside to outside cresent kick to the opponent's face, to see what kind of reaction it gets. With an inexperienced fighter it is usually greeted with a surprised look.

As mentioned earlier about In the "Billy Jack" movies that he used cresent kicks.

A Billy Jack quote that went something like this "I can put this side of my foot across this side of your face and there isn't a dame thing you can do about it"

Then he would kick (the bad man) in the face, just the way he said we would, with a cresent kick.

[JR 137]

The crescent kick is like any other kick - it has to be practiced. And not just against the air. When I first started hitting a heavy bag with it, it was my weakest kick. The hook kick wasn't far behind. After a few weeks of really putting in effort with it it became pretty strong. Strong enough to not hesitate using it.

If all you punch is the air and some pads or mitts, you're not going to develop any realistic stopping power. Kicks aren't any different.