The Twisting Kick

The twisting kick 비틀어차기 as it is called in ITF Taekwon-Do is, I believe, an iconic kick of Korean martial arts. It is a prominent kick in ITF Taekwon-Do, practised in Kukki Taekwondo (although much less so in WT Taekwondo*), it is a staple kick in Taekkyeon, and can also be found in Tang Soo Do curricula, with variations of it present in Hapkido as well. It is a kick seldom observed in Japanese and Chinese martial arts, although variations of it is sure to be present in some non-Korean martial arts. I have found it an effective technique to use on non-Korean stylists whom are unfamiliar with this deceptive kick.

Twisting Kick at Middle Height
Photo taken by VS Force ©

The term "twisting" is a translation of the Korean biteul-eo 비틀어, based on the verb biteul-da 비틀다, which means to twist or wring something, for instance wringing water out of a wet towel. In the case of the twisting kick, it denotes the outward corkscrew motion of the kick, and also the twisting motion that occurs throughout the body when kicking; often the torso and arms are twisted in the opposite direction of the turning of the hips and vector of the kick. Not only is the kick surprisingly deceptive because of its uncommon out-curved line trajectory, but with correct training it can also be quite powerful because of the way it accelerates. To get power in the kick, one has to strongly rotate the hip outwards, swinging the knee in an arc towards the target, and finally flicking the lower leg out, all in a smooth whip-like snap. The twisting kick is almost always performed with the ball of the foot in ITF Taekwon-Do, as I demonstrate in the photo above.

The video below is a tutorial for how the kick is usually performed in ITF Taekwon-Do.

You can see a WT / Kukki Taekwondo tutorial of their version of the twisting kick here.

For beginners, I teach the twisting kick in steps: First, lift the knee up as if you are going to do a front kick. Next, drop the knee side-ways, so that your lower leg aims towards the horizontal. Finally, flick the lower leg out, into a snap kick. Now attempt to do these steps fluidly, rather than separately. To do the kick at middle and high heights, the knee should be brought diagonally across (rather than straight up), then the hips should be swung outward so that the kick comes out in a nice C-shape arc toward the target.

High Twisting Kick
Image from ITF Encyclopaedia, Vol. 4

In ITF Taekwon-Do one is usually admonished to keep the standing foot flat at the moment of impact because it ensures a more stable base. However, there are certain kicks, such as this one and the spinning reverse turning kick, where the forces involved in the kick put a lot of strain on the knee-joint of the standing leg. Therefore, especially when the target is at a weird angle, I'm a little lax with the flat-foot rule. I let the tensions in my joints and body indicate if it is "safe" to put my heal flat or not. Generally, when I perform this kick at middle or high sections, I do not have my standing foot flat, but rotate on the ball of the foot. Pictures in the ITF Encyclopaedia also show the heel of the standing foot lifted off the floor at the moment of impact.


At lower heights, the twisting kick is quite effective when targeting the lower shin, side of the knee, the inner thigh, and the groin of an opponent positioned in front of you. The side of the knee can be kicked either on the inside or outside and will cause the opponent's leg to buckle. Be careful, as the knee and supporting tendons can be seriously harmed by such an attack, especially when the leg which is being attacked is bearing much weight.

As a middle section kick, it is ideally used when an opponent stands to the side-front of you. Common targets include the floating ribs, bladder, solar plexus (diaphragm), and kidneys. In ITF Taekwon-Do the ball of the foot is the primary attacking tool. When wearing shoes, the toes (tip of the shoe) is an effective weapon. For a middle twisting kick the instep is not an effective attacking tool and not prescribed in ITF Taekwon-Do. However, an often under utilized option is the knee. The twisting knee kick works very well at a middle height for someone standing close to you and towards your oblique.

High Twisting Kick
Photo taken by VS Force ©

High Twisting Kick
Image from ITF Encyclopaedia, Vol. 4

As a high kick, a flexible practitioner may effectively employ this kick against an opponent standing right next to them, kicking their face. The knock-out point on the side of the chin (acupressure point ST-5, known in Korean as daeyeong 대영) is a good target. In the Korean martial art Taekkyeon the high twisting kick is often used for an opponent in front of you. Using the instep as the attacking tool, the kick targets vital spots on the side of the head, such as the chin, the angle of mandible, or temple.

In Taekkyeon, the twisting kick is known as naechagi 내차기, and is usually used to attack either the lower limb or the head. The low kick targets the ankle or lower shin, inner thigh or inside of the knee; while the high kick is aimed at the head. An attack to the head is called a high (nopeun 노픈) naechagi or a gyeotchigi 곁치기. The video below shows a gyeotchigi.

In Hapkido the slap kick (bitgyeo chagi 빗겨 차기) is reminiscent of a twisting kick. The verb bitgyeo-da suggest a skidding quality. Hapkido's slap kick is similar to an ITF vertical kick, but it hits the target in a diagonal skidding motion, unlike the ITF vertical kick that slaps the target with more of penetrative force, rather than skidding. Hapkido's bitgyeo chagi also uses the instep as the attacking tool, like Taekkyeon's gyeotchigi; whereas ITF's vertical kick employs the footsword.  There is another kick in Hapkido that has a very slight twisting quality to it, namely the center-toe kick, also known as front toe kick or spear foot kick. The Korean jokki jireugi 족기 지르기 translates as toe-stabbing kick. The kick is performed like a front kick with the toes pointed (spear foot), however the extended leg twists outward in the hip-socket at the moment of impact. The most common target is the side of the groin or other sensitive areas and pressure points. I'm not sure if Hapkido's front toe kick really qualifies as a "twisting" kick as the general vector of the kick is not performed in a C-shape arc.

As for the twisting kick in non-Korean martial arts, I have not yet been convinced that it is the same kick. I've been pointed to the uchi mawashi geri and gyaku mawashi geri in the Karate styles. I've looked at several examples of these kicks on YouTube and what I've seen are simply not twisting kicks as I understand it; instead, they are what we in ITF Taekwon-Do may call hooking kick and outward vertical kick, or fan kick (buchae chagi 부채 차기). After more personal research I found a kick in Kyokushin Karate called uchi heisoku geri, which I think may very well be considered a twisting kick. I wonder if the fact that the founder of Kyokushin Karate was a Korean, may be the reason this kick is part of their curriculum. I've been told that there is an equivalent kick in some Chinese martial arts as well as in the Brazilian martial art Capoeira; however, I have not been pointed to specific examples to be able to confirm this.

The twisting kick is one of my favourite kicks. It is a relative short range kick, and is therefore useful in the punching range and because of its unconventional vector, it is quite difficult to notice and defend against. Before practising the twisting kick, I strongly recommend warming up your knees and stretching your groin and hip flexor muscles. Another tip for the kick is to keep your leg relaxed and perform the kick in a whip-like action as this will increase the speed and power of the kick.

...ooOoo...

* While the twisting kick is part of traditional Taekwon-Do curricula, and can therefore be found in some Kukki Taekwondo schools, I think it is seldom practiced in WT Taekwondo schools. It has been my experience that most WT Taekwondo practitioners I have spoken to, don't practice it, and surprisingly, many people don't know about it. I think the reason for this is that the twisting kick was not powerful enough to score a point in full-contact WT Taekwondo competitions, in part because it is often taught with the instep rather than the ball of the foot, in Kukki/WT schools. However, with the new WT rules that allow for points scored to the head with light contact kicks, it is foreseeable that the twisting kick may make a comeback.

Lessons to be learned from an unfortunate death

There is much that can be learned from this incident in which an MMA fighter killed a body builder.

News Report

1. They have now both lost their lives. The MMA guy is sure to go to jail for manslaughter. And for what? An insult? This seemed to have been just an ego fight between two "tough guys". At any point, one of them could have swallowed their pride and walked away. He (the MMA dude or the body builder) may have been taunted as a coward for walking away, but that is nothing compared to the eventual consequences. Now we have a dead tough guy and a jailed tough guy that will probably be incarcerated for most of his life, and the end of both of their athletic careers.

2. The kick -- what we in Taekwon-Do call a reverse turning kick -- is one of our strongest kicks because of the spinning momentum. My instructor has often called it a deadly kick, and it was clearly not hyperbole.

3. The myth that high kicks are not effective in a 'street' fight is simply that; a myth.

4. Size does (not) matter. There is no question that size matters. But a trained fighter (in this case the MMA guy) can still do serious and even lethal harm to an untrained big guy (the bodybuilder).

5. Just because it is a combat sport, doesn't mean it is not effective "on the street". MMA, like other combat sports, can be used effectively against untrained people.

6. But combat sport, and also other forms of combat training, doesn't necessarily make for good, civilian appropriate self-defence. A civilian defense system can sometimes provides alternative and more civil responses than simply breaking someone's skull.

7. Sadly, I suspect with the increased popularity of MMA and UFC, we are likely to see more and more of these "accidents". As more people start to train in fighting techniques with the main goal of gaining a knock out (or "tap out"), and without a moral emphasis and an encouragement of "control", we are likely to see more young, ego-driven, testosterone hyped thugs (a title they probably embrace as part of their tough guy image), beating up (and sometimes killing) other people, for no sensible reason apart from their pride. Even Rickson Gracie, one of the pioneer MMA athletes who retired undefeated from the sport suggested that MMA gives a bad example, an "extreme sport without a code", often lacking humility and respect. Of course, there are exceptions, but as a combat sport, it is ultimately only about winning using violence.

8. The MMA guy's follow up to go beat up his opponent on the floor was clearly inappropriate; however, it was also simply part of his sports training. That is what one does in MMA. If someone falls you follow them to the ground and you continue to beat them up until the referee stops the fight. The lesson here is that one tends to perform how you train. A valuable lesson, albeit a sinister way to for us to see it.

9. One difference between how traditional martial arts (focussing on civilian self-defence) and a combat sport is practiced: in the traditional martial art the practitioner is usually taught to defend and then retreat. Once the assailant has fallen, the "defender" would retreat, away from harm, rather than follow them to the floor to break their skull. This was not an "assailant-defender" situation, but because we usually perform how we train, I hypothesize that a traditional martial artist would have reacted differently once his opponent had fallen. I'm not saying that in traditional martial arts we do not teach to follow up, but there is usually a different emphasis -- one of offensive-defence, rather than only offense.

10. Finally, in traditional martial arts, practitioners are required to practise a level of "control" which puts the moral responsibility on them -- but in full contact combat sport the onus is on the referee so that the practitioner does not have to think about the hassle of "control" and "ethics" and such bothersome moral considerations. There are many ways to differentiate between a traditional martial art and a combat sport or general combat system. One definite difference is that traditional martial arts contemplate ethical considerations beyond simply sports rules and fair play. Good traditional martial arts usually actively teach some form of ethical code based on a particular philosophical worldview. And this incident between professional MMA fighter Anar Ziranovshows and the now deceased power lifter Andrey Drachev shows us why.

The Lyoto Machida Kicking Incident

When Lyoto Machida's knocked out Randy Couture with a step over jumping front kick at UFC 129 a few weeks back, the martial art world went ballistic. The reason is because it is considered common knowledge that kicks above the waist are useless. Well, I, for one, have never been an adherent to that philosophy, and called it once "The High Kick Myth".

A few years back I hosted a "Diversification Seminar" at my dojang in Potchefstroom. Different instructors from different martial arts taught skills from their respective skill sets. I taught Hapkido, a friend taught grappling, another boxing, and my brother taught advanced kicking. One technique he taught was exactly this step over jumping front kick to the face employed by Machida. Some of the attendees didn't seem to convinced about the efficiency of the technique and probably dismissed it. While my brother may not have convinced them of its value, I hope that Machida's performance have.

Further Reading:

• Collin Wee at Traditional Tae Kwon Do Techniques shares 10 Ways to Improve Your Front Kick.
• Dan Djurdjevic at The Way of Least Resistance explains the difference between the front snap kick often practised in traditional martial arts, versus the front push kick often favoured by sport fighters, typified in Muay Thai and MMA.

Side Piercing Kick, Side Thrusting Kick and Side Pushing Kick

What are the differences between the side piercing kick, side thrusting and kick and side pushing kick?


In a previous post dedicated to the side piercing kick, we noticed that this kick reaches its target in a straight line while applying rotational force and hitting the target with the foot sword.

The side thrusting kick is basically a side piercing kick that uses as its attacking tool, not the foot sword, but the ball of the foot. The ball of the foot is kept vertical at the moment of impact. There is slightly less rotational force, but a little more reach and/or penetration. The Korean term for this kick is yobcha ddulgi / 엽차뚫기. The latter part of the term, ddulgi, is based on the verb ddulda / 뚫다, which can be translated as “to penetrade” or “to go through” something. From this we can deduce that the advantage of this technique over the normal side piercing kick is its reach which allows for more penetration.

The side pushing kick works different from the side piercing and side thrusting kick. The Korean name is yobcha milgi / 엽차밀기. Milgi is based on the verb milda / 밀다 which means to push or shove. The ITF Encyclopaedia says that the side pushing kick doesn't employ the same amount of acceleration as used in the side piercing or side thrusting kicks (Volume 4, p. 38). Instead, it relies more on body mass which is used to push an opponent away. The side pushing kick is always done side facing your opponent (i.e. from a parallel, sitting or diagonal stance), and often done with a cross-over step. As your foot touches the opponent be sure to push, using both your stationary leg and kicking leg to press forward. Remember to lean your body mass into the kick as you push your opponent away. The attacking tool is the same as that of the side piercing kick, namely the foot sword, but because the purpose of this kick is not to hurt the opponent, but merely to push the opponent away, a flat foot would not make the push any less effective. Unlike the other two kicks, there is hardly any revolving motion of the leg in the side pushing kick. Since this kick is used for pushing, the “naturally rapid withdrawal of the kicking foot becomes less important” (Volume 4, p. 38).

In summary: The side piercing kick and side thrusting kicks reach their targets in straight lines, with an accelerated revolving motion. The attacking tool for the side piercing kick is the foot sword and for the side thrusting kick the ball of the foot. The latter gives the side thrusting kick somewhat more penetration than the side piercing kick, although the side piercing kick has more rotational force. The side pushing kick uses body mass to push the opponent away by leaning the foot sword into the target while pushing the body mass forward. The purpose of the first two kicks is to seriously hurt your opponent, while the pushing kick merely creates distance between you and your opponent.

Confusing Terminology: Crescent Kick, Vertical Kick, Hooking Kick, Hook Kick

Technique names in ITF Taekwon-Do, especially of some of the kicks, can be very confusing. It also doesn't help that the official terms used in ITF Taekwon-Do are often quite different from certain well known terms that are commonly used in wider martial art circles. For instance, what is known in the greater martial art community as an axe kick, is a downward kick in ITF Taekwon-Do; the commonly used term roundhouse kick, is a turning kick in ITF Taekwon-Do, and so on. Instead of comparing terminology from outside of ITF Taekwon-Do, in this post I will focus chiefly on some confusing terminology within ITF Taekwon-Do. Some common kicks that are confused include the crescent kick and inward vertical kick, and the hooking kick, outward vertical kick and the hook kick, and add to that the reverse turning kick and reverse hook[ing] kick.

The crescent kick [ bandal chagi / 반달 차기 ] and hooking kick [ geolchyeo chagi / 걸쳐 차기 ] are both defensive techniques in ITF Taekwon-Do; in other words, these kicks are used to block an opponent's attack. One would use these blocks for attacks at low or middle section, but usually not for high section. It is better to block a high section attack with your hands / arms, than trying to get your foot up there in time. The motion path for both these kicks is an arc. The crescent kick arcs inward with the foot bend into a “cup” and the foot sole functioning as the blocking tool. The hooking kick arcs outward [Compare: Hooking Block] with the foot sword side instep acting as the blocking tool. Although the foot sole for the crescent kick and the foot sword side instep for the hooking kick are the primary blocking tools, it is possible to also use other parts of the leg, for instance the foot sword in the case of the hooking kick or the knee for either kicks to “wave” an attack out of harms way.

The following points may help to clear up some confusion with regard to these kicks. A crescent kick is always done with an inward arc. There is no such thing as an outward crescent kick. An “outward crescent kick” is basically a hooking kick. Similarly, a hooking kick is always done with an outward arc. The crescent kick and hooking kick are only used as blocking techniques. They are not offensive techniques. The mix-up comes in because these kicks are often confused with vertical kicks.

Vertical kicks are similar to the crescent kick and hooking kick as they also move in a somewhat arc motion. The chief difference is that vertical kicks are offensive techniques; in other words, they are used for attacking and not blocking. The vertical kick [ sewo chagi / 세워 차기 ] gets its name because the foot is held upward, i.e. vertically; although it actually strikes the target in a horizontal fashion. Imagine keeping your hand vertically and then slapping someone horizontally through the face; now translate that image to a kick. The vertical kick can be done in an inward motion, known as an inward vertical kick, or outward motion, known as an outward vertical kick. For the outward vertical kick the foot sword is used as the attacking tool, while the reverse foot sword—that is the area on the inverted side of the foot sword—is used as the attacking tool for the inward vertical kick. Unlike the crescent kick and hooking kick which are usually done low and middle section, the vertical kicks can be done at any height, but usually at middle and high sections. Practitioners often use the vertical kick at high section to attack the opponent's head, slapping them through the face with the foot.

Because “hooking kick” and “hook kick” sound so much the same, it is easy to see why these two kicks are confused. We've already looked at the hooking kick, which is a defensive kick, using the foot sword as the primary blocking tool. Unlike the hooking kick, the hook kick is an offensive kick. The attacking tool of the hook kick is primarily the back heel, but occasionally the ball of the foot can be used for more reach or the flat foot (foot sole) if you wish to lesson the impact of the technique. The heel is more likely the attacking tool of choice in a real fight situation or in heavy contact competitions, while the flat foot is used for semi-contact sparring.

The hook kick was made famous by World Kickboxing Champion Bill “Superfoot” Wallace. You can see him and another kickboxing legend, Joe Lewis, fighting in the YouTube video below.



The really confusing thing is that the actual term “hook kick,” although often used by Taekwon-Do practitioners, is not found in the ITF Encyclopaedia. The correct term is reverse turning kick [ bandae dollyeo chagi / 반대 돌려 차기 ] or reverse hooking kick [ bandae dollyeo goro chagi / 반대 돌려 걸어 차기 ] (depending on the variation of the kick).

Now this might seem quite confusing as you may think that “reverse” here means “spinning,” which is not the case. Again we are faced with a Korean-to-English translation problem. When we look at the Korean terms, it is much clearer. Bandae / 반대 is better translated into English as “opposite” than “reverse.” When we talk about a reverse turning kick, “reverse” refers to the “opposite side” of the foot. As we saw earlier with the inward vertical kick that uses the “reverse foot sword” as the attacking tool, so “reverse” in “reverse turning kick” is referring to the opposite side of the attacking tool and opposite direction of this kick relative to the normal turning kick. The attacking tool for the normal turning kick is the ball of the foot. The attacking tool for the reverse turning kick is the heel (the “reverse” or “opposite” side of the foot). The reverse turning kick can be done either with the front leg or with the back leg. To do it with the back leg, one option is to spin the body around. This spinning motion is what many people incorrectly assume is referred to by “reverse.” (Do not feel bad if this was your assumption, since there are instances where bandae / 반대 can be interpreted as a spinning technique. I will write about this in the future.)

Now, just to make it even more confusing, the ITF Encyclopaedia also refers to a “reverse hooking kick.” It continues to clarify that the reverse hooking kick “is a variation of a reverse turning kick” (ITF Encyclopaedia, Volume 4, p. 72) where the leg is not kept extended during the kicking motion, but the lower leg is bend at the end of the kick to “hook” the opponent. The translation into English may make you think that we are talking about the defensive hooking kick we spoke about earlier; however, the Korean is not using the same terminology when we see “reverse hooking kick” in English. The Korean is bandae dollyeo goro chagi / 반대 돌려 걸어 차기. Goro (better romanized as georo) is based on the verb geolda 걸다, which means to gather something up, to bring something in, to roll something up, or to fold something. In other words, it is a reverse turning kick where the lower leg is folded in. Because the “hooking” in “reverse hooking kick” may make one think of the “hooking kick” used for blocking, myself and many other instructors have opted to refer to this kick by its more public name, “hook kick” instead. I have also distinguished the two by emphasising their combat function: “defensive hooking kick” and “offensive hooking kick.”

To clarify: A reverse turning kick is done with the kicking leg kept straight. A reverse hook[ing] kick is a variation of the reverse turning kick and is done by folding the lower leg in at the end of the kick. Both kicks can be done with “either the front or rear foot” (ITF Encyclopaedia, Volume 4, p. 70). A hooking kick is a block.

In summary, different things cause confusion over technique terminology in ITF Taekwon-Do. One thing is that terms used by the wider martial art community is frequently not the same as the terminology used in ITF Taekwon-Do. Secondly, some techniques look somewhat similar, but have completely different functions, for instance the crescent kick and inward vertical kick. Because of their visual similarity, practitioners may get confused and use different terms erroneously interchangeably. Finally, there is sometimes confusion because of the clumsy original translation of the terminology from Korean to English. In my opinion, one of the best ways to overcome such confusion is to learn the Korean names for these techniques.

ITF Taekwon-Do's Side-Piercing Kick: What's in a Name?

The ITF Taekwon-Do chief instructor, Sabeomnim Kim-Hoon, of The Way Martial Arts Academy of Seoul, the dojang where I practice at in Seoul, Korea, once said an intriguing thing: “The side-piercing kick is Taekwon-Do.” His statement is a shocking one considering that there are over a 100 kicks in ITF Taekwon-Do, probably more hand techniques and supposedly over 3000 technical combinations. Nonetheless, I intuitively felt the truth in his statement. Of all the techniques in ITF Taekwon-Do, there is probably no other technique that exemplifies this style as distinctly as the side-piercing kick.The kick is a wonderful combination of hard and soft, of linear and rotational forces. My first instructor, Sabeomnim Johan Bolton, used to say that it takes one around a decade to master the side-piercing kick. I've been practising it for more than 15 years and will not claim to have mastered it yet -- of course I'm much closer than I was a decade ago.

The first thing one notices about this ITF Taekwon-Do kick is that its name differ from other martial arts' reference to their similar kick. Most martial arts refer to it as a “side kick”. In ITF Taekwon-Do, however, it is called a “side-piercing kick.” Again as is the case with many technical terms translated into English, it is beneficial to look at the actual Korean term to better understand the technique. (See other posts that discuss Korean terms.) What is translated into English as “side-piercing kick” is in Korean yeobchajjireugi 엽차찌르기.

The first part, yeobcha 엽차, is short for yeobchagi 엽차기, which simply means side 엽 kick 차기. It is the rest, jjireugi 찌르기, which is curious. The term jjireugi 찌르기 is often only used in the martial arts and is usually tranlated into “punch” in English. For instance, front fore fist punch would be apjoomeok jjireugi 압주먹 찌르기. Jjireugi 찌르기 literally means to stab or pierce something, but in the Korean martial arts it has a very specific meaning. It refers to the uniquely martial art way of punching with the punching fist's palm facing up at the beginning of the punching motion and rotating on its way towards its target so that by the time the punch is completed the fist's palm is facing down. Laymen often refer to it as a Karate punch. Since it is found in many traditional martial arts we could probably refer to it as the traditional martial art punch or based on its characteristic motion, the rotational fist punch.

Now why would ITF Taekwon-Do's side kick have as part of its name this “piercing” or “rotational punching” part? In fact, when one looks at the term yeobchajjireugi 엽차찌르기, this rotational punching part is the main word, with yeobcha- 엽차- seemingly added as a prefix. From a purely semantic viewpoint it would seem that the most important part of the yeobchajjireugi 엽차찌르기 is the “piercing” / “rotational punching” part.

On another forum I was once asked why this should be the case; why is jjireugi 찌르기, the word always translated in Taekwon-Do as "punching," part of the name for Taekwon-Do's side kick? I can think of three possible answers.

It's just a long name

“Side piercing kick” is just a cumbersome way to say “side kick” and has no special significance.

I'm not an adherent of this theory because the terminology in Taekwon-Do, especially when one reads the Korean, is usually very specific and descriptive of how the technique is performed. General Choi Hong-Hi seemed to be very specific when he named the techniques and actually changed some traditional terms originally from Karate or traditional terms from Chinese into more technically clear terms.

It is a kick with a punch

One theory is that it is a kick with a punch. This theory has some legitimacy to it as anyone that knows ITF Taekwon-Do would know that one characteristic of the side-piercing kick is that the leading arm is often thrust out with the kick, as if one is kicking and punching at the same time. The reason we do that is not merely for the aesthetically pleasing parallel lines, there are functional reasons as well.

When performing a side kick, one's upper body is often left open, which can be exploited by a very tall opponent. This is something I've experienced on occasion while training with my friend Sabeomnim (Dr.) Garnet Ronander. During sparring training I would kick at him with a fully extended leg, yet he'd be able to lean over my kicking leg and still reach my head with a punch. By putting out the leading arm one creates a barrier between your upper body and possible attacks. It could possibly also act as an actual punch were your opponent able to push your kick down, at which point he would be met with your fist.

A second function for “punching” while doing a side kick is that it adds extra forward momentum. When doing a side kick one is often tempted to lean backwards; leaning backwards cause one to be less stable, which means you can be toppled easily if someone were to push hard against your kicking foot. Or because you don't have enough forward momentum your kick might “bounce” of its target. Thrusting out the punching arm helps with leaning your upper body forward more and thus adds more forward momentum, so that your kick have more penetrating force to the target, since more of your body mass is directed forward.

It's a kick that “punches”

Another theory, the one that I adhere to most, is that the side kick is performed like a punch; in other words, the side-piercing kick rotates in a straight line towards it's target in a similar way as a traditional martial arts punch rotates towards its target. The ITF Encyclopaedia explains that the "theory and purpose of this technique [is] similar to those of a punch" and that the "attacking tool must reach the target in a straight line with a revolving motion" (Volume 4, p. 25).

Seen from this point of view one can more easily distinguish between a side kick, as is often performed in Karate, and a side-piercing kick. In the traditional Karate side kick the kicking foot is kept horizontally and is snapped in an arcing fashion towards the target; hence it is often called a side snap kick. The video below shows a Karate side snap kick drill that clearly demonstrates the motion described. You will notice that the kick moves in an arc, not a straight line like a punch, and that the foot does not rotate.



You can see a better example of the Karate side kick in the VideoJug tutorial below. Carefully notice that the foot moves from below towards its target in an upward arc and therefore does not resemble the straight path of a rotational punch.


Martial Art Skills:
Martial Arts: The Side Kick

The Taekwon-Do side-piercing kick works differently.

Kickboxing master John Graden, known for his simplified teaching methods, describes how to perform a step side kick in the following tutorial video. His technique follows the Taekwon-Do method where the kick reaches the target in a straight line. Towards the end of the video he demonstrates part of the rotational force the Taekwon-Do side-piercing kick uses by pivoting the standing foot and so “roll the hip into the target.”



Master Graden's method, although closer to the ITF Taekwon-Do kick still doesn't demonstrate the real punching motion referred to in jjireugi 찌르기, but it does adhere to the "stabbing" or "piercing" idea.

I think the two tutorials below better demonstrate the Taekwon-Do side-piercing kick, particularly when the instructor demonstrates the kicks fast. The kick reaches the target in a relative perpendicular style. Also, when the kick is demonstrated fast, the kicking foot rotates towards the target in a “screwdriver” fashion. This pivoting of the standing foot helps with the rotation of the hip, which contributes rotational power (torque) to the technique.





The following video from a WTF source does a pretty good job at explaining how the kick's path should follow a straight line, and not an upward arc, nor jagged motion where the lower leg swings towards the target like a turning kick. Note that the way the master in this video demonstrates the kick is not how we do it in ITF. His kicks are swung towards the target in a turning kick fashion – the heel is not thrust straight towards the target. The young man in the video demonstrates the kick correctly.



By the way, I own the Revolution of Kicking DVDs from which the above video is sourced and although the kicks are based on WTF techniques, I can still recommend them to ITF practitioners, especially for the different strengthening exercises given for each kick.


In sumary:

The Korean phrase yeobchajjireugi 엽차찌르기, generally translated as side-piercing kick in English, is a combination of “side kick” and “stab” or “rotational punch.” The term probably refers to the way the kick is performed in Taekwon-Do. The kick reaches its target in a straight stabbing or traditional punching fashion. Extra force is provided by pivoting on the standing foot and so rotating the hip to add extra rotational power. In ITF Taekwon-Do the kick is often performed with the leading arm thrust outward in a punch-like action which could be a secondary reason for the name, which literally translates as side kick-stabbing or side kick-punching.

Taekwon-Do Turning Kick Versus Muay Thai Roundhouse Kick

The Muay Thai roundhouse kick is one of the strongest turning kicks one can get. It utilises lots of torque and momentum and hits the opponent with the hard lower shin. Many people think that the difference between the Taekwon-Do turning kick and Muay Thai's roundhouse kick is the attacking tool: Muay Thai uses the shin, while Taekwon-Do uses the instep or ball of the foot. This is not the difference. In Taekwon-Do one can use a variety of attacking tools for the turning kick: the ball of the foot, the instep, the knee, and yes, even the shin. The real difference is actually in the follow through.

In Muay Thai one puts everything into the attack to such a degree that you seriously risk being unbalanced should your kick miss its target. There is no doubt that when one does hit the target with the Muay Thai roundhouse kick, it is extremely effective. However, if you miss you will, at worse, be off-balance, or at least, turn your back to your opponent.



In the tutorial above you will notice how the Muay Thai roundhouse kick is practised against a heavy target -- the practitioner relies on the target to stop his technique. Without the target, the practitioner rides the momentum of the technique and literally has to turn around, you can see this in 1:05 to 1:14 in the video, and again from 2:22 where the narrator admonishes that "when shadowboxing, make sure to kick all the way through."

ITF Taekwon-Do, however, prioritises balance. Maintaining balance (both static and dynamic balance) throughout our techniques are a fundamental principle in Taekwon-Do. To ensure that we maintain balance we actually retract the kicking leg after it penetrated its target. It should go through the target, but not "all the way through," as with the Muay Thai roundhouse kick, and so forcing you to turn your back to your opponent.



Notice how instructor Mark Miller retracts his leg after hitting the target -- even after breaking the tiles. This is quite different from the Muay Thai roundhouse kick.

In ITF Taekwon-Do one would only turn all the way through if you are following your turning kick up with a reverse turning kick (or similar kick) with the other foot.

To summarise, part of the reason we do not kick all the way through, is to ensure that we don't overreach and so lose balance or turn our backs on our opponents as a result. I would agree that it is less powerful than Muay Thai's sacrifice roundhouse kick, but for a self-defence scenario where losing your balance or giving your back is detrimental, a more conservative kick is preferred.

So how about kick-boxing's roundhouse kick? Kicking techniques in kick-boxing was heavily influenced by Taekwon-Do so it ought not to come as a surprise that many kick-boxers also pull the kicking leg back after the kick, instead of potentially sacrificing their balance by over reaching, as world champion Steve Goin demonstrates:



Dan Djurdevic recently wrote a very good article in which he explains the same principle of conservative attacks, rather than sacrifice attacks, in his post, Stopping Strikes at a Predetermined Point, with some videos of fights that illustrate his points.

High Kick Flexibility and Strength Exercises (A YouTube Selection)

Some videos with various lessons and techniques to gain flexibility and strength for higher and stronger kicks.

Taekwondo in the K-1, Muay Thai & Kickboxing Ring

A compilation of Taekwon-Do kicks used in K-1 and kick boxing style tournaments.



Thanks to Master Kim Hoon of The Way Martial Arts Academy of Seoul for making me aware of this video. The video is by YouTuber KwonKicker, who has some good kicking tutorials.

Leg Strengthening and Kicking Exercises

In the video below, Polish Taekwon-Do player Jaroslaw Suska shows a variety of leg strengthening and kicking exercises that are very helpful with mastering ITF Taekwon-Do kicks, which require a lot of control and precision. Of course you do not need to start up with your leg raised as high as Mr Suska; however, it is important to always push yourself. The higher you raise your leg the greater the difficulty of the exercise. As your leg muscles get stronger and as your flexibility improves, you should increase the level of the exercises.

Attacking the Pelvic Circle

A couple of weeks ago I published a post on "Low Section Punching" in martial arts and mentioned how traditional martial artists often target the danjeon -- the centre of the body's Ki. In the video below, featuring a section from National Geographic's Fight Science documentary on self-defence, a less esoteric target is mentioned. The pelvic circle is connected in the front by a piece of cartilage, which is quite weak and can easily fracture compared to the pelvic / hip bones. This cartilage is the weakest point in the pelvic circle and therefore an ideal target.



In the previously mentioned post I referred specifically to the downward angled punch, but there are a number of other Taekwon-Do techniques that are ideally suited for attacking this weak point in the pelvic circle.

The upset fingertip thrust (found in the pattern Toi-Gye, movements #2 and #5), for instance, seems to target that point of the anatomy specifically. Unfortunately this technique requires much finger conditioning.

Another technique that will work quite well is the upset punch. Instead of reaching the target at a downward angle, the upset punch reaches the target perpendicularly and will certainly cause much trauma to the pelvic circle. The upset punch uses a lot of hip rotation, which gives it much intrusive force. This fist in the photo on the right seems quite high, but keep in mind that the practitioner is standing in a fairly deep stance, a walking stance or a long stance, which means that if his opponent is standing in a normal upright posture, the first can easily reach the pelvic circle cartridge.

A similar technique to the open handed strike performed by the individual on the video above is the side fist strike performed, in this case, as an inward strike to the low section. The side fist strike, also known as a hammer-fist strike, is usually performed at high or middle section, but there is in theory no reason why it could not be used to the low section. This technique, with its swinging torque, definitely has the potential to cause much trauma to the pelvic region.The side fist strike is best used when you are not in front of your opponent; rather to his side front, or on his side.

A technique that is also ideal for attacking the pelvic region is the low side front snap kick (e.g. in pattern Joon-Gun, movements #2 and #5). Not only is this kick at the correct height for this target, it is also quite fast with extra thrusting from the kicker's hip, giving the kick so much more forward force. The focussed attacking tool (ball of the foot) is definitely capable of seriously damaging the pelvic bone's connecting cartridge. I've used this kick on the side of the groin (kicking the hip instead of the pelvic cartridge for my training partner's safety) with great effect during training sessions. Knee kicks could also be used to great effect to this target.

Please be careful when practising and performing such techniques on another person.

Images from Sonkal.taekwondo.cz 

Tricking

On Sunday morning I hosted an "Introduction to Tricking Workshop" at The Way Martial Arts Academy of Seoul.

The introduction workshop covered the basic spinning kicking techniques which are the fundamentals for doing tricking. Once these basics were covered we introduced some of the more advanced tricking techniques.

The workshop basically followed the following structure:

1. Warm up and stretching
2. Crescent Kick, Turning Kick (aka Roundhouse Kick), and Heel Hook Kick
3. Spinning Kicks
4. Combination Spinning Kicks
5. Jumping Spinning Kicks
6. Introduction to more advanced tricking techniques: Aerial Kick, 360 Degree Kick, 540 Degree Kick.
7. A Demonstration of Tricking Combinations
8. Cool down and Stretching.

Six people (three Americans, a South African, a Frenchman, and a Korean) attended, each with different martial art backgrounds and levels of experience. I always enjoy how a common interest can bring such different people together.

The video below is of Wesley giving the demonstration of tricking combos and inspiring the rest of us.

The High Kick Myth

I've often heard it said that high kicks are ineffective. I disagree. One of the most common knock outs in MMA is from the "roundhouse kick" (turning kick) to the head. The YouTube-video clip below shows the competitor Mirko performing the roundhouse kick with frequent success.



Of course, a person with lack of flexibility, balance, and speed would be better of not doing high kicks. Still, the idea that high kicks are generally ineffective is a myth perpetuated by those whom are not apt at doing them.

Cartwheel Kick

The Cartwheel Kick above is by Saenchai. 

In the video below you can see a pretty impressive Cartwheel Kick to knock out an opponent during an MMA fight. This is the first time for me to see this kick used during a tournament, and not merely as a fancy technique during a demonstration.



Some of you may remember that we practised the kick on one or two occassions at the Potch Dojang, including the Aerial Kick, which is basically a Cartwheel Kick without your hands touching the floor. The video below is a tutorial that shows the basic cartwheel, as well as aerial.



The tutorial focusses on the technique, but does not put emphasis on these motions as actual kicks. To transform the cartwheel and aerial into a Cartwheel Kick and Aerial Kick you need to focus on the attacking tools, namely the footsword (balkal) and reverse footsword (deung balkal).

While a Carthweel Kick would be illegal during an ITF-tournament because ones hands are touching the floor, an Aerial Kick would technically not be illegal, although I've never seen it performed at a tournament before and I'm sure you'd shock the referee.

Reverse Hook Kick

Taking down a mugger with a reverse hook kick... This video demonstrates the principle of "Reaction Force" in Taekwon-Do's Theory of Power. The mugger's forward momentum clashes with the martial artist's foot and knocks him out. The mugger is knocked out with little effort, not because the martial artist kicked excessively hard, but because the force of the kick plus the mugger's forward (running) momentum are combined and culminates on one vital spot ("Concentration") -- the muggers face.

Most Common Taekwon-Do Kicks

Here's a list of Taekwon-Do's most common kicks. I compiled this list probably about two or three years ago for basic training in the Soo Shim Kwan.


The kicks below are anything from a completed list of Taekwon-Do kicks.

1. Front rising kick (Apcha olligi)
a. Front rising kick – straight up
b. Front rising kick – to opposite shoulder
c. Front rising kick – to outside shoulder
2. Side rising kick (Yobcha olligi)
3. Back rising kick (Dwitcha olligi)
4. Hooking kick (Golcho chagi)
5. Crescent kick (Bandal chagi)
6. Outward vertical kick (Bakuro sewo chagi)
7. Inward vertical kick (Anuro sewo chagi)
8. Front snap kick (Apcha busigi)
9. Side front snap kick (Yobabcha busigi)
10. Turning kick (Dollyo chagi)
11. Side-piercing kick (Yobcha Jirugi)
12. Back-piercing kick (Dwitcha jirugi)
13. Twisting kick (Bituro chagi)
14. Inward downward kick (Anuro naeryo chagi)
15. Outward downward kick (Bakuro naeryo chagi)
16. Pick shape kick (Gokaeng-I chagi)
17. Hook kick (Goro chagi)
18. Reverse side-piercing kick (Bandae yobcha jirugi)
19. Reverse back-piercing kick (Bandae dwitcha jirugi)
20. Reverse vertical kick (Bandae sewo chagi)
21. Reverse hook kick (Bandae goro chagi)
22. Reverse turning kick (Bandae dollyo chagi)
23. Reverse downward kick (Bandae naeryo chagi)
24. Front knee kick (Ap moorup chagi)
25. Turning knee kick (Dollyo moorup chagi
26. Front pushing kick (Apcha milgi)
27. Front checking kick (Apcha momchigi)
28. Sliding front-snap kick (Mikulgi yobcha jirugi)
29. Step over / sliding turning kick (Omgyo didigi / mikulgi dollyo chagi)
30. Step over / sliding side-piercing kick (Omgyo didigi / mikulgi yobcha jirugi)
31. 360° front snap kick
32. 360° turning kick
33. 360° turning kick with step (Tornado turning kick)
34. Flying high rising kick (Twimyo nopi chagi)
35. Jumping front-snap kick (Twigi apcha busigi)
36. Jumping turning kick (Twigi dollyo chagi)
37. Flying side-piercing kick (Twimyo yobcha jirugi)
38. Jumping reverse back-piercing kick (Twigi bandae dwitcha jirugi)
39. Jumping reverse turning kick (Twigi bandae dollyo chagi)
40. Jumping reverse downward kick (Twigi bandae naeryo chagi)

In my dojang here in Seoul we perform numbers 8, 10, 11, 15, and 21/22 every night as part of our warm up with at least five on each leg. As part of the warm up we'd also do some of the jumping kicks. But before these kick, we'd do a number of rising kicks (usually numbers 1 & 2) as part of our dynamic stretching routine. (Dynamic stretching is always done after static stretching.) As part of our general training, we'd do combinations of any number of these (legal) kicks during pad-drills and sparring drills with partners. We never train the "illegal" kicks (i.e. kicks that are not allowed in tournament sparring), such as knee kicks, checking/sweeping kicks and so on, except when I'm teaching the class. Since I'm more into self-defence than tournament sparring, I tend to practise these more practical techniques.