kicks and street fighting

Kicks can be an effective and useful weapon for fighting, however in street fighting kicking may also be problematic for a number of reasons;

- A good kick requires skill, and skill takes time. Any system, designed to teach the average person how to protect himself, needs to be simple, at least at the foundation of it.

- kicking high with comfortable and flexible pants that were designed for sports, is easy. In the street, while wearing jeans, following a fast sprint, when a person is exhausted, confused and under pressure, kicking high effectively could become a difficult task.

- the combination of fatigue, pressure, and having one leg up in the air, leaving you only with one leg to stand on, can be dangerous. There's a big chance of slipping, or the opponent catching the leg. Falling on the floor in a street fight can end badly

- in many cases there's more then one attacker. When fighting against multiple attackers, one of the key principles is to keep moving. Kicking will force you to stop moving.

Because of all these reasons, in the street, a kick should never be higher then the opponent’s waist. Leaving two main targets; the groin for a front kick, and the knee for a side kick.

Kicking low keeps things simple. A front kick to the groin is highly affective, takes no special flexibility, and very little practice.

Of course, if someone is a professional striker, and an astounding kicker, I won't ask him not to kick high. Kicking is his second nature. However, for people who don't kick for a living, getting the habit of kicking low can be much more effective in reality.

Train smart,

Take care,

Sharir R,

ICCS Head instructor.