How do you guys prefer to kick to the head?
How do you guys prefer to kick to the head?
Personally, I prefer not to.
Only time I will is if it is set up with a feint. Brazilian kicks work particularly well, ime.
It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand. - Apache Proverb
i like inside crescent kick myself. i generally dont kick to head but if i do i like to set up for a inside crescent. most people probably like the roundhouse, with a crescent you basically dont altar from 'on guard' structure except for being on one leg...which i dont like being on one leg at all unless i fight a striker only,,,,too many wrestler will take instant advantage...
For whoso comes amongst many shall one day find that no one man is by so far the mightiest of all.
No matter how good your higth kick may be when you were young, your high kick will not be good when you get older. The head kick is not some skill that you can keep for the rest of your life.
Will it be bettter to have some skill that you can still use when you are 80 years old?
Kicking to the head requires and demonstrates a high degree of kicking skill. It's rare that someone who has truly developed their kick properly would not be able to kick at or above their own head height. It's just an expression of a well-trained kicking game not the extent of.
IMO, the best way to develop any kick is to practice it high as improving strength and dynamic flexibility. It's hard to imagine that someone has a highly trained kick and couldn't throw a decent high kick.
Also, if it won't work when your 80 so don't do it is the rationale. Just buy a gun and practice with that and avoid wasting time with martial arts. I doubt that many of us will have the ability to defend against a 17 year old when we are ourselves 80.
Last edited by HumbleWCGuy; 06-24-2011 at 03:58 PM.
I don't know about this brazilian kick. It seems to me like it should just be a standard karate-style round house. When I see demonstrations of it though, it is usually just seems to be something with some additional movements that cause undue hip and knee stress. I am not convinced that the Brazilian kick is a real kick.
Well it isn't really a "new" kick. It's called that because of the brazilian kyokushin guys I believe. Perhaps SR can shed some light on it.
And you're right about the stress on the joints. You've got to have some flexible knees and hips for sure.
Essentially it is just a transition from a front to round kick. You chamber it like a front kick and then bring it around.
It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand. - Apache Proverb
I think that it is just an incorrectly done kick that some people with unusual hip flexibility can do. I taught some college kids for a time. out of a group of 6, one developed a "Brazilian" head kick. He has very slender legs and flexible hips. I let him work with the other students on the kick while I went to the car. When I came back in the other students were trying to use his method and pulling up lame after the kick. I have worked it myself for experimentation's sake and I don't see it as a sound option that can be taught in mass.
Last edited by HumbleWCGuy; 06-24-2011 at 04:12 PM.
For whoso comes amongst many shall one day find that no one man is by so far the mightiest of all.
crescent kicks are funny things. When beginners first start they use the crescent kick alot, because it's relatively easy. Then at intermediate level, they start using side kicks, hook kicks, roundhouses, and drop the crescent kick. I was sparring a guy years back and he nearly nailed me with an inside crescent. I hadn't used it in so long, I forgot what it was like when it came at me. If thrown correctly (and this guy did) it comes from outside your peripheral vision and you can't see it coming.
Needless to say, after that, I started throwing crescents again.
I do Hung Kuen and SPM, and we don't throw alot of kicks, but I got my start in Northern and Korean style, so I developed good legs. I teach my students alot of kicks as well. Tool development. If you don't throw them, then how can you defend against someone who can?
I'm 54 (this July) and I can kick the head no problem.
"Arms like legs, legs like arms"
"My Gung-Fu may not be Your Gung-Fu.
Gwok-Si, Gwok-Faht"
"I will not be part of the generation
that killed Kung-Fu."
....step.
I prefer the outside crescent over the inside crescent. I remember in the past, some "American karate" fighters used to say that crescent kicks weren't effective, but I caught people with the outside crescent to the head all the time. People really don't expect it, as it comes from a blind spot and with little telltale sign it's coming. It's also good after a feint, or as an end technique. The closest to the outside crescent most people expect are the axe or hook kicks.