Some Sport Karate/Kickboxing to enjoy.

[Alcatraz]

I don't normally link to Youtube, but I thought I would share the following 2clips with you.

They are from my buddy, Robert Devane who runs the Martial Arts Inc Dojo in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

Rob has been a member of the WKA and WAKO Eire Squads, and has picked up European and World titles in Semi- Contact (Points), and Lght-Contact (Continuous), and (as seen on the second video) he has beat WUKO and WKF 'Traditional' Karate-ka at their own sport as well.

Rob is now a pro-MMA fighter with a record of 2-1, but he still keeps his hand in at the Sport Karate/Kickboxing side of things.

Enjoy.

1.

2.

[joesteph]

Rob is now a pro-MMA fighter with a record of 2-1, but he still keeps his hand in at the Sport Karate/Kickboxing side of things.

Enjoy.

1.

2.

Interesting how so many lead leg strikes, even looking like dueling with the legs as the swords, could be observed. I did note that punches often came after the other fellow would drop his hands, or keep them low while he was kicking.

[Soheir]

Why is their stance like that, sideways?

[DWx]

Why is their stance like that, sideways?

Common stance in kickboxing and TKD. Fight side on to minimise the targets presented and to make it easier to use lead leg side/hook/roundhouse kicks.

[Soheir]

Why is their stance like that, sideways?

Common stance in kickboxing and TKD. Fight side on to minimise the targets presented and to make it easier to use lead leg side/hook/roundhouse kicks.

But doesn't is make it slower to use the back leg? Do they use it seldom, or is there some stradegy for that?

Thanks!

[DWx]

Why is their stance like that, sideways?

Common stance in kickboxing and TKD. Fight side on to minimise the targets presented and to make it easier to use lead leg side/hook/roundhouse kicks.

But doesn't is make it slower to use the back leg? Do they use it seldom, or is there some stradegy for that?

Thanks!

You usually have your power leg back, just like you often keep your power hand back when boxing. Its is slower but you can throw more of the mass and hip into it. The front leg is a jab and when you want to land a more powerful shot you use the back leg. IMO in this set up also makes the reverse kicks (like backkick, spinning heel etc.) more accessible than a forward facing stance as they have to travel the same distance as you would to throw the normal kicks (roundhouse, front kick off of rear leg).

[isshinryu5toforever]

Why is their stance like that, sideways?

Common stance in kickboxing and TKD. Fight side on to minimise the targets presented and to make it easier to use lead leg side/hook/roundhouse kicks.

But doesn't is make it slower to use the back leg? Do they use it seldom, or is there some stradegy for that?

Thanks!

You usually have your power leg back, just like you often keep your power hand back when boxing. Its is slower but you can throw more of the mass and hip into it. The front leg is a jab and when you want to land a more powerful shot you use the back leg. IMO in this set up also makes the reverse kicks (like backkick, spinning heel etc.) more accessible than a forward facing stance as they have to travel the same distance as you would to throw the normal kicks (roundhouse, front kick off of rear leg).

That's 100% correct. The pretty much sideways stance allows you to use the back leg for power shots and for defensive kicking. Although, in that format power shots really aren't necessary. Which is exactly why I dislike sparring that way.

[joesteph]

Why is their stance like that, sideways?

Common stance in kickboxing and TKD. Fight side on to minimise the targets presented and to make it easier to use lead leg side/hook/roundhouse kicks.

I expected what you'd said for TKD, Danielle, as two friends who've been in tournaments regularly said that using the lead leg is a point sparring strategy. I didn't expect that you'd say this about kickboxing.

I understand about the power of the rear leg for a back kick or spinning back kick, but I thought that kickboxers preferred to be careful about turning their back to execute those kicks. I remember a video by Bas Ruten, in which he said he took a stance similar to that of a boxer, although a bit wider, which made him somewhat more of a target, but he needed to be able to kick with that rear leg.

I've tried sideways to help me have the rear leg skip forward, so that I could put power into the lead leg for a side kick or even a back kick. It's also faster than a stepping side kick. I kick low, so if my opponent is taller than I am (I'm 5'6") and it's contact, I have to be careful with this skipping kick. With non-contact, I'm not chancing breaking someone's leg, meaning I can use it. For me, it's practice, in a sense, for an actual altercation.

[DWx]

I expected what you'd said for TKD, Danielle, as two friends who've been in tournaments regularly said that using the lead leg is a point sparring strategy. I didn't expect that you'd say this about kickboxing.

I'm not so sure about what pure kickboxers do but the ones we see coming to open TKD tournaments and just looking at videos of WAKO fights and similar stuff show a preference for side on. Maybe "half facing", between side and full facing would be a better description. That's not to say there aren't fighters who choose full facing; v. occasionally you get TKD fighters who prefer full facing. People will switch depending on the situation anyway; I know I can be anywhere between full and totally side on. Overall though I would guess that strategies are fairly similar, that's why we have no problem competing in kickboxing events and they have no problems competing in ours. (And by "kickboxers" I don't really mean the Muay Thai kickboxers, that's probably slightly different).

There's also the difference between weight categories and contact level. At least in TKD lighter people will more likely to be side on compared to the heavy weights and in higher contact levels more people choose to go full facing than in the lighter levels. So what I'm trying to say is it'll depend on the fighter and situation as to whether they use this front leg jab, rear leg power strategy.

I understand about the power of the rear leg for a back kick or spinning back kick, but I thought that kickboxers preferred to be careful about turning their back to execute those kicks. I remember a video by Bas Ruten, in which he said he took a stance similar to that of a boxer, although a bit wider, which made him somewhat more of a target, but he needed to be able to kick with that rear leg.

Again I don't know exactly what kickboxers like to do as never trained in it myself, but the option is definitely there to spin. Being side on doesn't take the rear leg out of the equation for normal (non-spin) kicks. Whilst the rear leg does means powerful back kick it also means very powerful roundhouse. Get that going well and its like swinging a sledgehammer into someone's ribs or stomach. Very easy to do rear leg front kick / front pushing kicks too. Rear leg axe is great because you can hide it behind the hands. The only ones I would say aren't so good are the rear leg side kick and hook kicks. Just too slow to get the hip over and round.

I've tried sideways to help me have the rear leg skip forward, so that I could put power into the lead leg for a side kick or even a back kick. It's also faster than a stepping side kick. I kick low, so if my opponent is taller than I am (I'm 5'6") and it's contact, I have to be careful with this skipping kick. With non-contact, I'm not chancing breaking someone's leg, meaning I can use it. For me, it's practice, in a sense, for an actual altercation.

As you said, the step-in/skip-in can add a lot of power to the front leg by getting that mass moving. Most people at our tournaments break lead leg side kick this way, by stepping or skipping in. But you don't have to step in for a good kick. You can still get enough power from the speed element to do some damage. Especially useful if your opponent is running in, you catch them by just picking up your front leg and shooting the kick out. Its a more advanced technique but we train to break boards by just using the front leg on its own with no mass just speed.

[bushido_man96]

Bill Wallace had a side-on fighting strategy, and was a huge success in full-contact Kickboxing with that strategy.