[Muay Thai Angle Kick
Oludare Padilla
When doing a roundhouse kick, is there a rule for what angle the knee should come out at ? My coach says to bring the knee over at straight vertical angle 0 deg, and rotate the leg over while you extend.
In this angle below, the knee is out at a 45 degree right, while he extends the leg. My coach says not to do this. Is there a general rule for kicking? Or is each variation okay? green line below for reference
Is there a proper guideline, maybe with physics or biomechanics angles, what would be the ideal angle for push teep? Or again does it depend on person's style and individual flavor? I am assuming Ramsey is going for a complete push kick below below, while MuayThaiPros and FightTips is more 'stabpoint-push kick'.
Note: I came from Taekwondo / karate background where they really work on Kata, and proper angle positioning etc. Muay thai seems to be more 'free style' which is also nice. Watching these gave me a good idea, although all athletes will slightly deviate.
A forward-leaning or vertical torso enables simultaneous defence (and even offence, in the case of Verhoeven, see 01:20). Conversely, leaning back keeps your upper body safer from high counters and, as user Philp Klcking points out in the comments below, gives your kick greater reach. These benefits can come at the cost of stability if your standing leg is attacked.
Thrusting your hips forward for maximum power also tends to tilt your torso backwards when you're trying to maintain the centre of balance over the standing foot, but a similar degree of power can also be achieved with a vertical torso if you abandon this balance in order to move forward with the kick. The downside to aggressive forward movement is that you become more vulnerable to counters if your kick is caught or evaded or is otherwise ineffective.
What the images do not show is that the shin is typically vertical during the lifting phase. The foot is either angled down, toes towards the ground, which translates into the correct position for a ball-of-the-foot strike during the forward motion, or is held at right angles to the shin, which is better for hard heel strikes (at the cost of reach). A vertical shin also provides for a greater arc of movement, enabling higher velocity to be achieved by the foot at the moment of impact.
Whether or not you desire to execute a snap kick or a push kick, the knee is typically raised to the limit of one's comfortable flexibility before being thrust forward. This results in a roughly 45 degree angle between torso and upper leg. Keeping the leg motion the same for both kicks help makes your intent more difficult to read, although this principle can be discarded if you decide to disguise your strikes. Front kicks can be smuggled in via a roundhouse preparation motion, an axe/circle kick preparation, or even a jumping knee.
How much the leg is bent at the moment of impact depends on how far you are from your opponent. Even if they are close however, it is good practice to thrust your leg towards horizontal, in the same manner as you try to punch 'through' an adversary (if maximum impact is your goal). It's worth remembering though that the longer your leg is extended, the easier it will be for your opponent to trap it, which is never a good feeling, as it typically results in you winding up on the mat.
Samart Payakaroon, provides a good demonstration of the potency of relaxed technique and timing (see 00:33 - 01:30). The whole video, a demonstration of 10 techniques is well worth the watch, but see 05:30 for a demonstration of a front kick disguised as a roundhouse.
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From Coach Jason Webster: As I've opined continually, one of the fundamental problems encountered when learning or improving in Muay Thai is not realizing one's vantage point is skewed. That is, mistakenly associating one thing with another. An easy understood example of this is the Thai knee. Hey, you grab the opponent's neck and pull him or her into one's unstoppable, mill-like knee. Lights out, right? The problem is that the MT knee must have forward pressure to work. Kind of oil and water for most of us....pull as I push? Well...yeah.
But misappropriation of these concepts spans almost every movement. Perhaps the most fundamental misunderstood concept I see continually deals with the angle of the round kick. Perhaps it's that the leg is straight upon (proper) impact or maybe something to do with our affinity toward western boxing style stances, but it's rare to see a western MT exponent kick with the angle of a Thai. Check this short video out of some slow mo footage from Thailand. Pay particular attention to two key things with their kicks that might help unlock the nuance for you to 'take it to the next level.'
Footwork is essential for Muay Thai fighters to find their range, evade shots, and launch attacks from. In an offensive sense, it allows for a fighter to work his way inside and find dominant angles to reach his target. By using slips, feints, and lateral movement, the fighter works his way around the target, eventually gaining access through his guard to land a knockout blow or soften the opponent up.
Without an understanding of how footwork contributes to offense, a fighter will have no frequency of control in the distance between him and his opponent. No distance control leads to uncertainty in attack, which allows an opponent to pressurize and force a fighter back against the ropes. Without a handle on straight, circular, angular, and serpentine movement, the fighter is effectively a predictable target to be manipulated.
Watching two elite Muay Thai fighters attempt to work each other out will teach you everything you need to know about angles. Muay Thai is an art and one which is practiced by many who started exceptionally young. Their offensive prowess can often only be effective once a window has been opened to allow them to get inside.
When combating an evasive fighter, the worst thing you can do is chase him around the ring. If you adopt this approach, you will be in for a very tiring and frustrating night. Likewise, simply charging at him in a straight line is not going to yield the results you want, as the opponent can sidestep and pivot out of striking range. The key to keeping a fighter where you want him is to move sideways to cut the ring off.
When mastering this skill, you will be employing lateral movement in order to keep the fight where you want it. Should your opponent move to the right, you move to the right. If your opponent moves to the left, you should also move to the left. At some point, you will cut off the ring and find your opponent trapped and in a position where you can launch an attack.
Cutting off the ring can also limit the distance between you and your opponent. In order to protect yourself from an attack, you must also be prepared for kicks which come your way. Avoid placing too much weight on the lead foot, as this can lead to being in an awkward position if your opponent throws leg kicks to attempt to move out of range.
Much the same as evasive fighters rely on their reflexes to avoid sustaining damage, an attacker looking to cut the ring off must learn how to deal with incoming strikes from an opponent aiming to avoid being trapped in. Learning how to slip punches, block kicks, and reset are fundamental in this regard.
To the first question, the muay Thai roundhouse kick is so damaging because it uses the whole body in the same way swinging a bat is ultimately a full body motion. When swinging a bat, we move through the ball, using our legs, core, and arms. In a similar sense, our roundhouse kick moves across the opponent by using the rotation of our bodies when kicking. This kick generates superior force by weight transfer and connecting to the ground, versus the snapping motion that many other martial arts kicks use.
Pivot the lead/left leg on the ball of the foot and open up the rear/right hip as you begin your motion. This can be performed by stepping with the lead leg to a 45-degree angle or skip stepping to generate more power.
Note that any time a step is added to a kick sequence it takes time, giving your opponent the opportunity to adjust or counter. When pivoting, the kicker is coming up on the ball of the foot completely to generate maximum speed.
As your hip opens and you swing your rear/right leg, point the rear knee toward opponent as you pivot. As you pivot the lead foot, that heel rotates towards your opponent. Also slightly bending the front knee of your lead/left leg will enable you to generate more torque and power. Power, though, ultimately comes from the hip. Your right hip should fully rotate over the left hip while you swing your body. This means your kicking hip ends up in a parallel position over the hip of your base leg.
For the past seventeen years, Eric Stevens has established himself as a leading fitness professional, consultant, writer, presenter, and television personality. Currently, Eric is the Fitness and Membership Director for the Allegria Spa & Club at Park Hyatt in Avon, Colorado.
In addition to his extensive fitness experience, having managed, coached, and trained in the private health club and non-profit industries, Eric has been a long-time instructor of Western boxing, most recently as boxing coach for the Denver Athletic Club. In 2011, Eric was selected to serve as a trainer in the nationally televised series "I Used to Be Fat" on MTV. Eric is also a published author and regular contributor to Breaking Muscle, Muscle & Performance, and the Whole Life Challenge.
Eric is originally from Portland, Oregon and is a graduate of the University of San Diego. Since 2003, Eric has been a nationally certified personal trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).