Throwing a low kick mawashi geri?

[immaterial]

Is there such a thing given the wide arc of the kick?

[sensei8]

Depending on the style...yes!! In Shindokan we do execute low roundhouse kicks quite a lot. This is mainly because all of our kicks are stomach and lower; no middle or high kicks whatsoever.

[JR 137]

Define low. Below the belt? Below the knee?

Either way, the answer is absolutely. Watch some Kyokushin competition videos on YouTube and the like. You’ll see plenty of low roundhouse kicks, aka gedan mawashi geri. Better yet, watch Hajime Kazumi in Kyokushin competition. He threw the gedan mawashi geri like no one else; seemingly everything was was started with it. Outside the thigh and inside the thigh.

[Wado Heretic]

It does require an element of hip flexibility that makes it rarer to see in comparison to the Muay Thai Te Tat, even in Knock-Down Karate, but yes: the Mawashi Geri can be and is used, as a Low-Kick. Hajime Kazumi is a solid example, and he used the skill to win Five All-Japan Championships.

It is rarer to see in Kick-Boxing or Free-Fighting due to the Maai, which makes it more difficult to deliver without getting caught with a counter-punch or caught up in the clinch. In comparison to Knock-Down Karate, where arm's length is the ideal range to connect with a Mawashi Geri to the leg.

Edit: To make the low Mawashi Geri as effective as possible, you do need to cut down with the kick, and that is where the hip flexibility becomes an issue.

[Bulltahr]

MMMMMMmmmmmmm thigh smash..............

Downwards as mentioned above is the mosr effective, lower shin not foot.

[immaterial]

Define low. Below the belt? Below the knee?

Either way, the answer is absolutely. Watch some Kyokushin competition videos on YouTube and the like. You’ll see plenty of low roundhouse kicks, aka gedan mawashi geri. Better yet, watch Hajime Kazumi in Kyokushin competition. He threw the gedan mawashi geri like no one else; seemingly everything was was started with it. Outside the thigh and inside the thigh.

Yeah but Kyokushin was heavily influenced by Muay Thai (their roundhouses are a hybrid between a Thai and Karate kick).

I was thinking about styles like Shotokan? Do they throw the mawashi geri low kicks (knee and below) or do they just sweep?

[immaterial]

It does require an element of hip flexibility that makes it rarer to see in comparison to the Muay Thai Te Tat, even in Knock-Down Karate, but yes: the Mawashi Geri can be and is used, as a Low-Kick. Hajime Kazumi is a solid example, and he used the skill to win Five All-Japan Championships.

It is rarer to see in Kick-Boxing or Free-Fighting due to the Maai, which makes it more difficult to deliver without getting caught with a counter-punch or caught up in the clinch. In comparison to Knock-Down Karate, where arm's length is the ideal range to connect with a Mawashi Geri to the leg.

Edit: To make the low Mawashi Geri as effective as possible, you do need to cut down with the kick, and that is where the hip flexibility becomes an issue.

Huh? Low kicks are very prevalent in knockdown karate

[Wado Heretic]

The Muay Thai Te Tat is a low kick, and it's the type you see most often used, even in Knock-Down. If you watch Knock-Down, outside a few examples, most use a low kick more similar to the body twist version we see in Muay Thai and Kick-Boxing

The classical Mawashi Geri, with the opening of the hips, and the swing round, is not often seen as a low kick. There are exceptions, but they are the exceptions that demonstrate the rule. The problem, as mentioned prior, is the hip flexibility to make it effective is difficult to achieve even with training: and then you have to develop the hip strength.

Ultimately, the classic Mawashi Geri also swings wide which for a low kick is a problem when you might wish to strike the inside of the leg. You are also more likely to inadvertently connect with the foot, rather than your shin, which is dangerous in a full-contact context.

Edit: It also ultimately depends on the organisation, the dojo, and the individual. Many schools that engage in full-contact have been influenced by Muay Thai and Kick-Boxing, and thus the Muay Thai Round Kick (Te Tat) is popular. If you do see low Mawashi Geri, it is usually for the purpose of training or an idiosyncrasy of that particular instructor.

With regards to traditional systems, unless it was a dojo focused on full-contact, I would be surprised to see the practice of leg kicks beside sweeps.

[immaterial]

The Muay Thai Te Tat is a low kick, and it's the type you see most often used, even in Knock-Down. If you watch Knock-Down, outside a few examples, most use a low kick more similar to the body twist version we see in Muay Thai and Kick-Boxing

The classical Mawashi Geri, with the opening of the hips, and the swing round, is not often seen as a low kick. There are exceptions, but they are the exceptions that demonstrate the rule. The problem, as mentioned prior, is the hip flexibility to make it effective is difficult to achieve even with training: and then you have to develop the hip strength.

Ultimately, the classic Mawashi Geri also swings wide which for a low kick is a problem when you might wish to strike the inside of the leg. You are also more likely to inadvertently connect with the foot, rather than your shin, which is dangerous in a full-contact context.

Edit: It also ultimately depends on the organisation, the dojo, and the individual. Many schools that engage in full-contact have been influenced by Muay Thai and Kick-Boxing, and thus the Muay Thai Round Kick (Te Tat) is popular. If you do see low Mawashi Geri, it is usually for the purpose of training or an idiosyncrasy of that particular instructor.

With regards to traditional systems, unless it was a dojo focused on full-contact, I would be surprised to see the practice of leg kicks beside sweeps.

Yeah but the classical mawashi geri doesn't exist at all in Kyokushin, at least not in any instructional footage I've come across so far.

[immaterial]

If you watch Kyokushin mawashi geri, it looks nothing like the Shotokan one, which most people associate with the Japanese Karate roundhouse kick.