More infighting kicks

"The title is "Explosive Uechi-ryu" and the moderator is Arthur Rabesa. Art will be exploring the power contained in Uechi-ryu that is not appreciated by the average practitioner. Make no mistake - this forum is for the serious martial artist and I wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone who really wants to tap his or her explosive power potential.

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Art Rabesa
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Joined: Fri May 23, 2008 9:25 pm

More infighting kicks

Post by Art Rabesa »

PHOTO#33 to 33D:

The power front kick is on the target in a blink with quite an explosion. As usual, like everything else, this kick is powered by the torquing trunk muscles. The back muscles begin the thrusting motion of the leg and the trunk muscles finish the job. If there is one important thing to keep in mind when practicing this type of front kick it's this.

This is not a kick in the true sense of the word. It's a leg thrust. The ball and socket hip joint does not swing the leg as inmost kicks. The entire leg remains in an arc all the way to impact. Check the photos once again. This leg thrust is powered-in with the shin leading the way. With this arced angle, the shin slices into any unsuspected arm that might be in its path. The foot can still make good contact even when an arm is struck on the way in as in photo #33C. I think of the shin as the real striking section of the leg.

If the foot gets in it's a bonus. I realistically view this baby as an arm punishing strike. If the bad guy can't use his arms, it sort of makes things a little easier doesn't it?

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The thrusting kick I like is the "crescent" kick. This takes the same path as the front thrust kick. The quick turn of the foot is aided by the hip somewhat here. This is far from the "roundhouse" kick that is very familiar to all martial artists.

This crescent leg thrust cannot strike too high. By the anatomical way it is delivered, it becomes impossible to get it very high. The shin can really slice its way in from this angle. The foot impacts to the upper thigh, hip, or side of body depending on the height of the target. Check out photo #33D.

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The heavy bag training for the crescent thrust kick is the same as the front thrust kick. Practice holding the quick turn of the foot, with a slight assist from the hip joint, until the last moment. This crescent thrust kick should appear as a front kick until just before impact. Work torquing your upper body in the opposite direction for a more explosive result and a better balanced foundation. Check the upper body torque in photo #34A.

PHOTOS #34, #34A

I like to keep that old heavy bag right on the floor for front kick training. It remeinds you to keep it low and hard. Your training partner can tell the strong ones from the lazy ones. From this bag position, you can better understand the helping of the correct muscle groupings. Your are able to stick that kick to the bag and feel the power involved much better with the bag on the floor.

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PHOTOS #35 TO 35D

I want to state one very important thing here. The shin thrust is never to be used on an actual leg unless in a real self defense situation. The photo shown here, (35B), is posed. Leg kicks are not the same as this movement. Not even close (35C).

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The shin thrust is very effective in-close. Even in a grappling closeness, this powerful shin thrust can explode. Remember, this is not a kick so it does not need any distance to get going. You can be belly to belly and still deliver this strike. Look at the difference between the two photos (#35B, 35C) again.

The shin is thrust forward without changing the leg's arc at all. Notice in the photos, that the leg is held in the same position all the way to impact. No special stance needed for this blow, everything is right there in front of you.

Photo #35D givesyou alook atone of the shin thrust training aids. The heavy bag is placed on the floor to keep the shin thrust low. With the bag in this position, you get to feel the driving force behind the strike. Your partner can really tell when the power is hitting or missing. If you check photos #35B and #35D, you'll see that the impact positions are pretty much the same.

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Next week, finishing infighting with knee strikes and stomp kicks, also off setting the attack.
Have a good week,
Art
Art Rabesa
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