3 sets, 15 reps — both front legs
3 sets, 15 reps — both rear legs
From your on-guard position (1), lift your leg into a slanted chamber (2) and launch the angled front kick (3).
Movement Continued
Movement Continued
Push Kick
This is an important kick that I never considered until I began watching full-contact fighters, especially Muay Thai competitors. As the name implies, the kick is a pushing action as opposed to a thrusting one. Although it can hurt your opponent, it’s mostly used to keep him off you or to set him up for a second technique. If you are quick and your opponent is slow, the push kick can be used to jam his hip as he chambers it.
Kick with the entire bottom of your foot or with just the ball. Use the bottom if you just want to push your opponent away or to stop him from advancing on you. If you have time to add a shot of pain to the push, use the ball of your foot and aim at his groin, thigh, or knee. You can use your rear foot, though most full-contact fighters use the lead since it’s closer and quicker. When using the front leg, shift your weight to your rear leg, bend your rear knee a little and push your front leg into the target. If you want to move forward as you push, move your rear foot up to the heel of your lead foot and then execute the push kick with your front leg.
Practice against a swinging heavy bag. As it comes towards you, push it away.
3 sets, 10 reps — each leg
Upside Down Front Kick
I learned this weird kick years ago from a kajukenbo fighter. He called it “cobra kick,” which is fairly descriptive as to how it looks when it strikes an opponent in the face or chest. I doubt its usefulness as a street technique, but it’s fun to sneak in when sparring and when practicing drills with a partner. Besides being a tricky kick, it’s a great exercise because it works the front kick muscles at a different angle. Here is how you do it.
Get in a left-leg-forward fighting stance. To chamber the kick, flip your lower, left leg outward while keeping your knee pointing downward (the position of your knee makes it difficult for an opponent to counter kick you to the groin). The chamber is complete when your foot, which is tucked as close to your rear as you can get it, is upside down and pointing at the target. To kick, simply thrust the ball of your foot into the target.
Air: 3 sets, 15 reps – both sides
Applying broken rhythm: Here is how you can use broken rhythm to set it up (“Broken Rhythm,” page 165). Throw two or three lead-leg roundhouses at your opponent, allowing him to block them. This establishes a rhythm and an expectation in his mind that when he sees your leg chamber, you are going to throw a circular kick. The next time, bring your chamber up as if you were going to roundhouse kick, but continue to swing your lower leg up until your knee is pointing downward and the bottom of your kicking foot is pointing at the ceiling. Since you have established an expectation in him, he will probably begin to block outward toward what he thinks is going to be a roundhouse. But you are too tricky and thrust your upside down front kick on a straight line right into his breadbasket.
Air: 3 sets, 15 reps –both sides
When escaping: It also works great when moving away from an opponent. Assume a left-leg- forward fighting stance. As your opponent moves toward you, retreat in your usual fashion by moving your right foot back to your left and then moving your left foot back. The next time he advances, do it again, establishing a rhythm in his mind. The third time he comes in, lean back to create an illusion that you are again moving away, but when he is in range, fire the kick in for the score. Ha,ha.
Air: 3 sets, 10 reps – both sides
Practice the upside down front kick in the air and on the bag. It’s a deceptive kick when sparring and, as an exercise, it’s a fun break from pounding out rep after rep of the standard front kick.
Heavy bag: 3 sets, 15 reps – both sides
Seated Front Kicks
Practicing your front kicks while seated is a good exercise as well as an excellent offensive move that you should know how to do. As an exercise, it places a great deal of stress on your upper thigh and hip because you cannot lean back when throwing the kick. As an offensive or defensive technique, front kicking from a seated position can be quite surprising to an assailant.
Sit in an armless chair and grab the sides of your seat (the chair’s seat, not yours). Slowly chamber your front kick and extend your leg as high as you are able. Hold it there for a second and take masochistic joy in the burning and knotting sensation that is happening in your leg muscles. Rechamber and return your foot to the floor. Do slow reps to develop strength, and fast reps to work your fast twitch muscles.
Slow reps: 1 set, 10 reps — each leg
Fast reps: 2 set, 10 reps — each leg
Extra credit: Make up a few self-defense scenarios and see what you can and cannot do from the chair. For example, block an imaginary attacker’s punch, front kick him, get to your feet quickly and finish him off. Consider grabbing the back of the chair and using it to block and hit with.
Hold onto the sides of the chair’s seat and chamber your front kick. Extend your kick as high as you are able and hold it for one second.
Movement Continued
Squat Kicks
If you want to know which muscles this exercise affects, do several sets of high reps your first time and see if you can get out of bed the next day. If you manage to get up, the front of your thighs and knees will scream and buckle with your every step. For sure, this exercise gets right to heart of the front kick and, when done systematically, will help develop explosiveness. Here is how you do it.
Keep both arms in an on-guard position and your feet together as you squat down until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Now, drive yourself up as fast as you are able and launch a left front kick. Immediately snap it back and drop back down into your low squat. Spring right back up again, but this time launch a right front kick. Immediately snap it back and return to your deep squat. Be sure to keep your back straight throughout your reps and be cautious not to bounce at the bottom of the squat as this defeats the purpose of the exercise and can injure your knees.
Two variations:
1. To work on strength and explosiveness, push yourself up fast, kick fast, but lower yourself slowly back to the squat.
2. If you want to train for endurance and explosiveness, do as many reps as you can in 60 seconds, alternating your legs each kick.
Be kind to yourself with this exercise and don’t overdo it your first workout. Even if you are in good condition, it’s a good idea to start with one set and progress slowly over several weeks to three sets.
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