Do a Tae Kwon Do Kick Take Down

This article will provide basic instruction on how to defend and counter against one of Tae Kwon Do's most popular kicks - the roundhouse kick (also referred to as a turning kick). The information will cover low-, mid- and high-section kicks from the rear leg only. It is assumed that you will already possess some knowledge or experience of performing the aforementioned techniques.

Steps

Defence vs. low-section kick

Closed Stance

  1. Understand that in the closed stance both fighters have the same leg forward.
  2. Know that your opponent's target will be the outer thigh of your front leg, particularly where the nerves 'cutaneous femoris lateralis' and 'femoralis' (rami cutanei anteriores) run. One way to learn the location of this spot is to stand upright and extend your arm along the side of your thigh. The spot will be at the top of your middle finger.
  3. Lift the knee of your front foot as soon as you see your opponent's kick coming. Your knee should be tightly flexed.
  4. Turn your shin outward by rotating your foot to the outside (if your left foot is forward, your toes will be pointing at 9 o'clock; if your right foot is forward, your toes will be pointing at 3 o'clock. For reference, 12 o'clock is directly in front of you and 6 o'clock is behind). The rotation of your foot should begin at the ankle.
  5. Flex your ankle by pulling your toes up. This will contract the muscles of your shin, which will act as shock absorbers when your opponent's kick impacts against your shin bone.
  6. Bend the knee of your supporting leg slightly.
  7. Exhale sharply when your opponent strikes your shin. If you do all of the above correctly, the kick will hurt your opponent more than you. See the "tips" section for advice on how to condition your shins for absorbing impact.

Open Stance

  1. Recognize that in the open stance both fighters have a different leg forward; their navel's will be facing the same direction, effectively a mirror image of each other.
  2. The target will change in this instance from the outer thigh of your front leg to the inner thigh. This is particularly much more sensitive as the muscles in this region (adductor group) have more pain receptors than any other part of the upper leg. The defence will be similar to that for a closed stance attack.
  3. Lift the knee of your front leg to waist height. Flex the knee (i.e. bend it) so that the muscles of your thigh are contracting tightly.
  4. Pull your toes upward. This will contract the muscles of your shin.
  5. Move your knee across your body so that your shin meets with your opponent's kicking foot/leg.
  6. Exhale sharply on impact.

Counter vs. low-section kick

  1. Place your front leg down on the floor as soon as you have blocked your opponent's kick.
  2. Land on the ball of the foot so you can "spring" that same leg up into an immediate counter-attack. Your window of opportunity is small, so you need to act as soon as possible.
  3. Lift your knee straight up, flexed as in the preparatory block described above. This is the chamber for your front kick.
  4. Pull your toes back (you will be striking with the ball of your foot).
  5. Extend you foot forwards, pushing from your hip.
  6. Pull your upper body back slightly to gain more reaction force.
  7. Exhale sharply on impact.
  8. Your target will be anywhere on your opponent from the waist up. Your opponent's balance will be off and their guard lowered after you block their kick, so you will have free reign on any permitted target area that presents itself. The stomach is a good bet because it is relatively harder to miss than the head, and you can strike here as a set-up for a devastating punch combination.

Defence vs. mid-section kick

Closed or Open Stance

  1. Note that your opponent will be aiming for the area on your torso commonly known as the "floating ribs." This is located on either side of your body, roughly one-hand width above your kidneys. It is also known as the oblique section of the abdominal muscle group.
  2. Know that by far the easiest defence against such a technique is to simple lower the elbow for whichever arm is covering that side in your guard.
  3. Keep your elbow tightly flexed. You will either hit your opponent's foot with the point of your elbow (if you time it right - and your opponent will know about it if you do!), or you will absorb the impact on the outer triceps / biceps brachialis. The tighter you flex your elbow, the better your muscles will act as shock absorbers.
  4. Exhale sharply as you absorb the impact.
  5. Alternatively, you can raise your shin to meet the kick if, a) you are flexible enough to lift your knee that high, and b) if your opponent is significantly lighter and slower than you.

Counter vs. mid-section kick

  1. Widen your legs if you absorb the kick with your arm. A wider base will keep you more stable, and will allow you to launch into a counter much quicker than if you had a narrower stance.
  2. Punch your opponent in the head or face with your other hand. Don't bother trying to kick back - your legs will be too busy trying to keep you upright, while your other (free) hand is doing nothing. Make it do something.

Defence vs. high-section kick

Closed or Open Stance

  1. You will block against your opponent's kick with whatever arm is on the same side as the target area (i.e. if your opponent is intending to kick you on the right side of your head, you need to block with your right arm).
  2. If blocking with your rear arm, bring your elbow up as though striking upwards with the point of your elbow; your wrist should be approximately at the outer edge of your ear. Your forearm and upper arm will be covering much of your head and side of your face (and, lest we forget, your neck, which is of equal importance). The block with your front arm will be a much exaggerated version of this.
  3. The action is similar to combing your hand through your hair on the side of your head, stopping when your wrist reaches the outer edge of your ear, as described above. This position offers the best protection to the vital points on your head.
  4. The elbow is kept tightly flexed.

Counter vs. high-section kick

  1. The principles here are similar to defending against a body kick - your legs are busy keeping your standing, so make the whole affair easier on yourself by choosing a simple, effective straight punch to your opponent's face, instead of trying to kick back while you are off balance also.

Tips

  • Blocking is always a last resort. There is a certain order of preference in which a good offence is the best defence. The order goes: hit before you move; move before you block; block before you get hit. You are going to be a very bruised individual if you choose to reverse this order!
  • Timing and distance are your best weapons in any match.
  • The above defence and counters will enable you to move into the appropriate range in order to initiate a take-down. However, the intricacies of even a basic take-down are too numerous to include in this article, and so a new article will be created shortly to cover this subject.
  • Remember this basic rule of blocking: "Cover the area, do not go out to meet the attack." This basically advises you to cover up the area your opponent intends on striking, rather than throwing your limbs out in an attempt to deflect the strike.
  • Do not attempt to "catch" the limb. Most rules-based competitions do not permit the holding of legs or arms. By attempting to catch the kicking leg, you expose much more target areas than if you were trying to block. It is also surprising how quickly even a novice opponent can punch you in the face while you are holding their leg.

Warnings

  • No amount of advice can replace the sound instruction of a quality teacher.

Related Articles

  • Perform an Eye Stab
  • Defend Against a Front Kick
  • Make a Quarter Staff With PVC Pipe
  • Break a Board Using a Round House Kick
  • Do an Upward Facing Hip Flex
  • Do a Reverse in Taekwondo
  • Do Taekwondo
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Do_a_Tae_Kwon_Do_Kick_Take_Down&oldid=291987"