Is it more practical to keep your kicks low in a fight?

Question

whether in a real life situation or sparring, is it more better to kick your opponent in their legs maybe even their gut rather than trying to knock them out with the kick.

Answer 1

I'm no martial artist, but I'd always heard that kicks were for gut and below...hands were for gut and above.   I've seen some pretty nice head kicks on TV, but I think the rules are different for folks who train everyday than they are for us 'mortals.'    If I found myself in a fight today, I wouldn't dare try to kick high...but I'd be tearing up some shins.

Answer 2

I've never seen a succesful high kick outside of the movies, or performed by an experienced practitioner. To throw a head level kick you need a little distance, and a decent fighter realizes that at a certain distance your opponents only strike in range is a kick. What this translates to is that your foot is going to get caught, and you have just volunteered for a single leg takedown.

Low kicks are harder to catch, can be thrown at a shorter distance, and at worst your kick is going to be blocked. I don't even really throw kicks my self. It takes a bit of practice before you can throw an effective one. Don't get me wrong, they can be real dangerous, but I would just as soon throw a knee.

Answer 3

street scenario

You throw a hi kick at his head he covers and takes it on his arms and guess what he is still moving forward probably charging now and before your kick returns to the ground he has tackled you and you are on your ***.

Street fighters aren;t impressed with that c**p unless they are wusses to begin with and they are not there to spar.

Answer 4

It all depends on your speed, skill, the style you do and the type of fight you are in.

Answer 5

It really depends on your opponent. If you have a shorter opponent then it would be better to kick higher or vice versa for a taller opponent. Kicks are seen on TV as a great knock out moves when used high but in actuallity kicks are better used low for a real life fight. They can be used either way but it moslty depends on the fight/sparring match and how it is conducted.

Answer 6

knee to the gut. foot to the face.

Answer 7

In self defense it is absolutly not practical to throw any kick above stomach level, and I even think that is to high. On the street you will not be on a level clean surface. There can be gravel. liquid, sand, ice depending on where you are at. Any one of these if the kick is thrown with power can make your base leg slide out and down you go.

Kicking high also opens you to more counter's, especially if your opponent is trained. The style I train is Isshin-Ryu karate, which is an Okinawin style that is all practical motion, with no flashy techniques, and our basic kicks and the kicks in our kata are not even thrown above the waist.

Answer 8

Just tor reiterate what the more enlightened people have already said: it depends of the skill level of the fighter, as well as the situation he finds himself in. High kicks are risky in a streetfight but when executed correctly they can be absolutely devastating.

Answer 9

wellit depens whaat situation if you have knocked them off balance or something then kick them in the head to make them drop but mostly i would kick someone in the ribs. maybe a flying side kick in the head or a normal sidekick in the chest.

Answer 10

It depends on a bunch of things. Your height, the height of the opponent, and the type of kick. I'm 6'1, so I can kick just about anybody I want in the head. It's a whole different story if you're 5'6. Also, if you get in a fight with a person that 6'4, then don't even think about it unless you're Gumbi. If they're shorter than you, then go for it.

The type of kicks that work great on the head are crescents. I've hit lots of people in the head with those. Another type that are good for the head are spin kicks since they have so much power and are pretty much a one hit knockout if it lands solid. Be careful with roundhouse and front kicks to the head since it's easy for the opponent to catch or deflect it and throw you or you can completely lose your balance. Hope that helps.

Answer 11

yeeah it should b so they cant really turn your kicks against u (catching your kick)

Answer 12

Most people don't develop their kicking skills to the level that they need to in order to use them effectively to the head and face.  That lack of ability coupled with your opponents experience can make it even more difficult for you to land such techniques and make you more vulnerable to his attacks and you have little balance and no power in your hand techniques when executing them.   Anytime you kick higher than the chest you lose about half your power in your kick.  Body shots and lower are better in that they are more powerful, take less time to execute and give your opponent less time to react, block, parry, jam, or slip and allow you to get your foot back down on the ground and give your body the ability to throw and do things with your hands with much more power, strength, and leverage.  Still an occassional high kick can help create openings and a good fighter will use it at the proper time to set up his hands or a lower, more powerful kick if the situation is right.

Street situations are more complex in that they often times don't last as long and there are no rules or referees to call break, clenches, grappling, and takedowns are not uncommon, and there is no rest period and little opportunity for long term strategy like "a few rounds from now".  The use of knees and elbows become more important as well as finger strikes to the eyes, shots to the groin, ear claps, etc., as well as shear fire power. (who can throw the most, the fastest and the most accurately, to the most vulnerable targets).  Head kicks become even more difficult to execute and leave you even more vulnerable than in just sparring.  The value to sparring is that it helps teach you how to better use your techniques, react, judge your distance, close the gap between you and your opponent, set things up, as well as gets you used to getting hit, taking a shot and then coming back hopefully and giving a better shot back.   High kicks being one of those techniques you might use in sparring but probably not in  a street situation for some of the reasons I mention above.

Answer 13

Given unforeseeable obstacles and conditions in real life situations, it is very practical to keep kicks low in a fight.  Slick surfaces, gravel can cause you to lose your balance.  You also need to take into account the time it takes your foot to get your opponents head versus the time it takes to get to his/her groin, knees, gut.  

If you feel you can kick to the head quickly, you should be able to kick low even quicker since your foot doesn't have to cover a bigger distance.

If you absolutely want to kick to the head, I recommend canceling your opponent's height with kicks to the knees or groin, which will bring his head down.

However, in a controlled sparring situation, kicks to the head are fine.  In point sparring tournaments, head kicks are usually given more points than body kicks.  Head kicks are also demoralizing and embarrassing for the one who gets kicked.

Answer 14

Guess it depends on your speed and skill.

Answer 15

Yep, sure is. Don't know about sparring, but on the street, it would be stupid to try to kick somebody's head off. Throws you off balance and leaves your base leg wide open. Stupid thing to do.

Answer 16

For opponents who have the deft agility and good jumping practice, it won't work well! for those who have the tendency to duck under, yes, this will work! Aim the kick at mid level, till you assess the style of the rival!

Answer 17

Depends, it usually isn't a good idea to kick above the waist, as if you kick is caught your in trouble, however if your opponent is suffering severe pain or disorientation, then a higher kick can come in handy. It also depends on your skill, if someone with know experience tries to land a high kick, then it wouldn't be a surprise if they fail, however if someone with a lot of experience tries they have a chance.