Side Kicks.......Good/Bad

[Dragon]

I think a side kick is great in fights. I was at the park when i was 11 and i took on about 5 people. 1 charged at me and i planted a side kick in him and he went flying back. Very effective.

[DokterVet]

One of my favourite techniques is my lead leg side kick as the opponent is approaching.

 

One problem with side kicks I find is that they require a pretty specific distance because if you are too close, you can just be pushed over or otherwise easily taken down.

 

Also, I'm sure many of us have experienced what happens when two people go for a side kick at the same time. The lower one always wins. Rarely side kick above the waist.

[Carson]

i find side kicks my favorite because its the most defensive and offensive kick. i am still working on my sidekicks but right now i can kick well above my head

[karatekid1975]

Me too, with front and roundhouse kicks. But my side kicks are still about shoulder level ..... ggggrrrrrr

[Carson]

i find sidekicks much easier to kick high than roundhouse kicks....but that doesnt mean my roundhouse kicks cant go over my head

[AndrewGreen]

Side kicks require a lot of commitment and are hard to recover from. Depending on who you are fighting and what rules (if any) are involved they can be very useful.

 

However you are sideways it is not hard for someone to slip in behind you and take your back. It is also very hard to sprawl off of one.

 

If they land they're great, but if they miss you're in trouble. They are also not that easy to land against a more experienced fighter.

 

A front kick will do almost the same thing and leave you in a better position for whatever comes next.

[speedkick]

I tend to use my side kick defensively but throw a lunging front arm backfist while recovering.

 

Use the weight of the kick on your opponent to recoil the leg then move into position for the back fist - if you have your balance right the time between the two techniques should be very small and not allow for a counter attack.

 

It has worked OK in the past

 

I trained my side kick by placing a high backed chair about half a meter infront of my leading leg then kick over it. It helps you raise the knee fast enough to get a really good side kick off.

[SaiFightsMS]

Interesting practice technique speedkick. I did a similar thing with a stack of chairs. As my technique became more confident I would add chairs to the stack.

[CheekyMusician]

My side kicks are terrible!

 

I'd to practice them with one of my instructors the other week and every time I kicked him he ended up standing just where he was and I fell over!

 

I don't think its supposed to work that way

 

I think that was probably 'cause I didn't want to hurt him, though, 'cause I kept thinking that if I actually whacked him in the stomach that I would squash his intestines or something and do him damage. And he's an awful nice man...I don't want to squash his internal organs!!

[PhilM1]

side kicks are great. you dont have to balance too much. lots of power. and they are devistating if you do them right. i remember a few times people have ran at me attempting to hit me and i just act really afraid and then when they get close enough i just stick out a side kick and they run right into it and it not only suprises them it knocks the wind out of them.