Growing up in America, most of us envision fighting as people cocking back their fists and throwing a fury of punches. The problem is that most people are firing punches back at us, which leads to a lower hit rate, and a absorbing plenty of strikes yourself.
Therefore, I would encourage you to expand your arsenal by including low line kicks. However, this unfortunately creates another vision of karate guys kicking high to the face or spinning and flipping to mimic what we’ve seen on TV or in the movies.
Kicking conversely can be taught much more economically by using rare arts like Panatuken, Panajackman, Savate, Thai Boxing and others, to strike low line targets like the foot, shin, inside thigh, outside thigh and groin.
If you’re someone who has lost your flexibility, you’ll appreciate that these kicks are kept below the belt line, and require minimum flexibility. But I will push you to practice these kicks in rapid succession, much like boxing combinations using jabs, crosses, hooks and uppercuts.
Starting from the bottom, the first is the foot stomp. Many times used in close quarters, or as a follow up after a kick which helps you enter into close quarters, the foot stop used mainly the heel of against someone’s arch. You can use your front and rear foot, but it is obvious to attack the closest opponent’s foot.
Next, the shin kick is sometimes called an “oblique” kick, as you use your back leg foot’s instep to attack the middle of the opponent’s shin which a swift snapping motion. Don’t underestimate this move, as a solid kick the shin can put any man down. You also can injure to a higher degree by stepping through the opponent’s kneecap.
The round house can be used to attack the opponent’s lead leg, targeting either the sciatic area on the outside of the thigh or tender area inside the thigh. Presently, you see many more MMA fighters effectively wearing down their opponent by working either inside or outside thigh kicks. Just make sure you’re making contact with either the top of your foot, or even your shin.
Lastly, moving up the leg, we can use a “scoop” kick to attack the groin by kicking past the scrotum, and pulling back. This is a twist on the common toe led groin kick, and is valuable in closer quarters. The secret is in the “kip” of the kick, as you snap your foot back.
Once again, the point is to find and practice combinations, where you’re attacking several targets all at once. I’ve put together a little video which reviews these kicks, and shows you how to combo them together to create a great overwhelming attack to a line which people are usually not used to defending.
Watch the video here: www.FearlessStreetFighter.com/lowlinekicks
