Muay Thai kick techniques are one of the most powerful weapons in the Muay Thai arsenal. Throw it with the right technique and you might give your opponent a knock out in one shot. It is also the reason why kicks are highly scored in Muay Thai fights as they can inflict considerably more damage than any other strikes.
In Muay Thai, kicks can land at any area on the opponent from the thigh to the head, except the groin. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the types of kicks that you need to know as a Muay Thai fighter.
1. Roundhouse Kick
Roundhouse kick is arguably one of the most famous and commonly used kicking techniques in Muay Thai. This kick draws its power from the rotation of the hips as you swing your leg and land it to your opponent.
To perform a roundhouse Muay Thai kick, rotate on the front foot, and use your hips to swing the back leg around. Roundhouse kicks are using the shin as the striking surface instead of the foot, which differentiates it from the round kicks of other martial arts. This kick can be thrown to the head, body, or legs of your opponent.
2. Push Kick
Push or teep kick is mainly known as a defensive weapon that’s utilized to keep aggressive opponents at bay. It’s similar to how a lot of fighters use the jab to help fend off attacks. However, push kick is also a great offensive weapon in its own right.
Push kick is a straight foot-thrust that you can aim at the hips, solar plexus, abs, or the head of your opponent. To execute the push kick, shift your body’s weight to your rear leg to lighten your lead leg and raise your knee up towards your chest. Push out your foot by thrusting your hips towards your opponent.
You can also add a jump to your push kick, which is called the kradot teep. The jump adds power to the kick while also allowing you to strike a higher target.
3. Low Kick
Low kicks or leg kicks are designed to weaken the opponents legs, making them less likely to generate power in their strikes and defend effectively. It can be targeted at the inside, outside, top or back of the thigh, or even just above the knee to damage the opponent’s knee joint.
Low kicks are thrown like a usual roundhouse, with a pivoting of the lead foot and the twisting of the hips. The shin is thrown similar to how a baseball bat is swung.
4. Switch Kick
The switch kick is a variation of the roundhouse kick, but with switching stances before you throw a kick with your lead leg. This kicking technique can be used to trick the opponent through movement and footwork. Timing and speed are playing an important role in delivering this strike successfully.
To perform this technique, Use a short, quick hop to swap the positions of your lead and rear leg, bringing your lead to the back, and rear to the front. After your stance is switched, now you can simply throw a roundhouse kick from the other side.
5. Jumping Kick
This kicking technique is relatively difficult to execute. That is why you won’t see it performed often in Muay Thai competition.
There are two methods to execute Muay Thai jumping kicks. The first one is to jump straight up from your stance and throw the kick in the air. The second is to raise your knee first and scissor the legs in the air, and kicking with the opposite leg.
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