Kicks in a self-defense situation.

[Justin Treadaway]

Yeah, it doesn't get much more traditional than kung fu..... but i should have rephrased my statement earlier,"Fighting a martial artist differently" would be if i knew he was a martial artist or after the fight started and then he showed he was trained. Then i might change my fighting technique, because if someone is truly trained the basic front snap to the groin will prob get block/parried.

[bushido_man96]

In most fights, I really don't think a situation would last long enough to figure out that the opponent was trained, and then to strange the strategy. It will usually be so fast, and then broken up or over. I would say, just bring your best stuff each time. Fight like they are trained every time.

[Martial_Artist]

I don't think it matters what "style" your opponent is or whether he is "skilled" or "trained". You can only bring to each fight all that you are. The other guy doesn't matter. Whatever he is can't change what you already are. You have to fight as you.

It doesn't matter who you fight, you are still you.

To the original question: Kicks in a self-defense situation.

I believe you use whatever works at the moment it works best.

If that happens to be a kick to the head, then so be it. If not, then so be it. Every single fight is a dynamic exchange between two human beings each bringing the sum of their training, experience, and spirit to the table.

You can only do your best to prepare yourself. There are no magical "cure-all" techniques. Train hard. Train often. Train to be free.

The more mental barriers you create, the harder it will be for you to relax your mind and fight naturally.

You confuse your mind enough, and you will simply resort to your mammillian brain. You either fight or flight.

Train to be free. That's about the best advice for whether or not kicks in self-defense are an option.

Any tool in your toolbox is still a tool. You just have to find the right job for it.

[bushido_man96]

I don't think it matters what "style" your opponent is or whether he is "skilled" or "trained". You can only bring to each fight all that you are. The other guy doesn't matter. Whatever he is can't change what you already are. You have to fight as you.

This is a nice quote. Very well put.

[Salus]

My opinion,

Leave kicks to somebody else,

yeah they're powerful, yes they'll hurt, but so will a good hook punch

kicks are slow (relatively) and easier to block/counter than hands.

In the time it takes for somebody to learn how to exicute a good kick that can actually be used in a self defense situation, without thinking, on instict alone, he could have already learned how to exicute many other techniques that are far simpler and therfore less likely to go wrong when the moment is upon them.

Sticking your thumb halfway into somebodies eye socket is going to stop a fight just as quick if not quicker than a round house kick, that you have to set -up/wait for.

Not to mention its easy to learn and its already instinct.

of course this is just one example and my opinion at that, and it would also depend on what your calling a "self defense" situation everbody has their own interpitation of this phrase.

For me, I'm not going to fight unless it's to the point that I have to rip out a few eyes to settle it, cause other wise its just not worth it, but thats me

[bushido_man96]

You have some good points, Salus. However, I do think that low line kicks can be trained with ease, and can serve a purpose. I do think that higher level kicks can be a bit risky, though, and tend to agree with you there. However, a good swift kick to the common peroneal nerve on the side of the leg can have great results, and this can be achieved from various positions (including the clinch). But, the point at hand being a kick to the body, I think that it would be tougher to pull off, and perhaps not worth the energy, or the risk.

[Salus]

Yeah your right , low slant kicks can be effective and fairly simple to exicute

I also forgot to mention Knees in my last post those can be very effective when used right also

Cheers bushido_man96!

[mmljpp]

used them in self defence and they work just fine

[bushido_man96]

used them in self defence and they work just fine

What target areas did you attack when using them? What kind of set ups did you use, and what were the results?

[NightOwl]

I think it all depends on how good your kicking is. Can you kick fast enough to the point that they are hard to dodge? Can you kick hard enough to actually do damage? For me, the answer is no. I hardly ever use kicks, as I am just not that good with them. There are however, plenty of people who are good with them, and I think that in their case they are all set with kicking.