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I don't care if I make enemies, I'm going to say it, the kicking I see on the UFC and MMA type of thing is not really kicking. Truth, it is leg swinging, without focus, and it doesn't work. This article is going to tell you why it doesn't work, and what to do about it.
I had a friend, name of Ted, some forty years ago when I was doing Chinese Kenpo. He dressed like a hippie and had long hair, and he happened to have the most amazing kicks. One day he was driving through the rush hour traffic when a fellow cut in front of him, so Ted hit the horn.
The fellow stopped his car and got out and walked back towards Ted, who got out of his car. The fellow was huge, a monster, and he dwarfed Ted, and he said some unpleasant things. Ted backed up, held up his hands palm out, and told the fellow he didn't want to fight.
The fellow swung a punch, and Ted rocked back and planted a beautiful roudhouse kick in the center of the monsters chest. The fellow sat down on the pavement, groaned, then stood up and rushed Ted again. Ted tried to back away, he held up his palms again, and told the fellow he didn't want to fight.
The brute swung, and that was when Ted called on the art. Ted sunk his weight, put his hips and weight into the kick, and roundhouse kicked the fellow on the chin. Bang and the fellow laid down for ten, and Ted went to his car and drove away.
So, putting your body into the kick, throwing the hips are important, even crucial, and some fellows don't it and some fellows do, but the ball of the foot, that was the heart of the matter. Look, when the MMA contestant bashes, he throws his leg like he is swinging a bat, and there is not enough weight behind it. When you use the ball of the foot, the energy goes back along the leg, through the hips, and down into the ground and there is lots of body behind the kick.
Yes, instep kicks are okay, but they spread the strike out over the ankle. The ball of the foot kick concentrates the mass into a smaller striking area. If you want to put a nice, precise hole in a plank of wood, are you going to bash it with a baseball bat, or use a balpeen hammer?
Kicking, like punching, is an art, and the UFC and MMA type of fighters are really doing boxing, not the science of pure martial arts. To understand pure martial arts, one has to study this western thing called physics, and apply it to eastern martial arts, and then the answers and ability will come, and then the art will be resurrected. Art will win over sport, and not just gladiatorial contests, but in life, that is the solution and the way of the true art.
I had a friend, name of Ted, some forty years ago when I was doing Chinese Kenpo. He dressed like a hippie and had long hair, and he happened to have the most amazing kicks. One day he was driving through the rush hour traffic when a fellow cut in front of him, so Ted hit the horn.
The fellow stopped his car and got out and walked back towards Ted, who got out of his car. The fellow was huge, a monster, and he dwarfed Ted, and he said some unpleasant things. Ted backed up, held up his hands palm out, and told the fellow he didn't want to fight.
The fellow swung a punch, and Ted rocked back and planted a beautiful roudhouse kick in the center of the monsters chest. The fellow sat down on the pavement, groaned, then stood up and rushed Ted again. Ted tried to back away, he held up his palms again, and told the fellow he didn't want to fight.
The brute swung, and that was when Ted called on the art. Ted sunk his weight, put his hips and weight into the kick, and roundhouse kicked the fellow on the chin. Bang and the fellow laid down for ten, and Ted went to his car and drove away.
So, putting your body into the kick, throwing the hips are important, even crucial, and some fellows don't it and some fellows do, but the ball of the foot, that was the heart of the matter. Look, when the MMA contestant bashes, he throws his leg like he is swinging a bat, and there is not enough weight behind it. When you use the ball of the foot, the energy goes back along the leg, through the hips, and down into the ground and there is lots of body behind the kick.
Yes, instep kicks are okay, but they spread the strike out over the ankle. The ball of the foot kick concentrates the mass into a smaller striking area. If you want to put a nice, precise hole in a plank of wood, are you going to bash it with a baseball bat, or use a balpeen hammer?
Kicking, like punching, is an art, and the UFC and MMA type of fighters are really doing boxing, not the science of pure martial arts. To understand pure martial arts, one has to study this western thing called physics, and apply it to eastern martial arts, and then the answers and ability will come, and then the art will be resurrected. Art will win over sport, and not just gladiatorial contests, but in life, that is the solution and the way of the true art.
About the Author:
Al Case has researched martial arts for 4O years. A writer and columnist for the magazines since 1981, he is the originator of Matrixing Technology. You can see his work on developing perfect and artistic punches and kicks at Monster Martial Arts. Look around the site for his free ebook on Matrixing.
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