Thigh Kicks, Shin Blocks!

[Dobbersky]

Thigh Kicks, Shin Blocks!

What do you use in your Dojo, I find that its Muay Thai, Kyokushin, Ashihara, Enshin and other Knockdown styles as well as Okinawan Ryu are the only ones using these very important techniques.

What's you thoughts on them and if you do or don't use them, why or why not

[MasterPain]

I think anyone training for self defense should be using those. With everyone and their grandma being exposed to some amount of MMA training, it is very likely that someone would kick you in the thigh Thai-style in a real situation.

[tallgeese]

I agree with MP, I think a lot of forward thinking places are using them. Literally every school I've seen focused on sd has incorporated them. This is one of those areas where, even if you don't train MT for MT's sake, picking up up this weapon thru cross training is imperative. It's accessible, can fit into just about anyone's fighting pattern, and is likely easier to learn than many kicks in other arts.

[Ueshirokarate]

You guys mind linking a video to illustrate what you are talking about?

[JohnnyB]

mika zuki and fumikomi leg blocks not good enough to counter thigh kicks?

[evergrey]

thigh kicks:

[Kuma]

You guys mind linking a video to illustrate what you are talking about?

By thigh kicks he's referring to gedan mawashi geri, kicking to either the outside of the thigh or the inside of the thigh. Striking surface is usually the shin or the instep/ankle area (right where the ankle bends).

The shin block is misleading in its name as you really don't want to block with the shin if you can help it. It's mostly used as a defense against low kicks. You basically just raise your knee and try to catch your shin against the front of the thigh (best case scenario) or use it to block their lower leg before it builds up a lot of momentum. See 1:25 for quick examples of both.

[Kuma]

mika zuki and fumikomi leg blocks not good enough to counter thigh kicks?

Mikazuki would probably be way too slow and probably wouldn't stop much of the power. If by fumikomi you mean to the thigh as a sort of stop kick it can work but you need excellent timing and speed to pull it off. Sune uke is more of your last line of defense if something like trying a stop kick fails. Footwork should be your first defense. Can't hit something if you're not there anymore.

[moriniuk]

Great technique.

Blocking with the shin bone is strong but without conditioning blocking bone on bone is going to hurt.

The outside or inside of the shin can be used but this is weaker against a strong kick.

Blocking against the thigh is ok for combat sports styles that don't allow head punches and the fighters tend to fight at a closer, toe to toe, range. This is not so easy to apply from a longer range.

Mikazuki geri and fumikomi. I'd say too slow and you need to be very accurate.

Getting out of the way is ok but sometimes limits your counter attacks.

A nice fast front leg push kick defence is nice.

[evergrey]

Toughening the thighs can help too... and turning the front of your thigh, where the thigh bone is, can help protect you against getting that sciatic nerve deadened. It suuuuucks getting kicked right in the sciatic, either the side branch or the back of the leg section. Tense the muscle, turn the thigh toward the strike. Sometimes that's all you have time to do. Inner thigh strikes... try to not leave yourself open to them, if at all possible, heh! Toughen as you can... but those can be even worse!

I like to hook kick with my heel to the sciatic nerve. One instructor has banned me from kicking him there at open sparring events, at least until the end, as it can cause huge knots in the muscles, which takes him out.

Another instructor can handle it, because he's conditioned against it, but... after I did it 4 times to him, he did it back to me.

PAAAAIN!

But it really got me the next day. Everything had tightened up in the night, and when I tried to get out of bed, I just fell, lol! No permanent damage, and I just laid on the floor laughing. Made a point of telling him what had happened. he thought it was pretty funny too.

OSU!