Is it viable to duck/bob and weave underneath kicks to dodge them?

[dvcochran]

We've all seen in action movie fight scenes where characters manage to slip and duck underneath kicks the same way a boxer might bob and weave underneath punches. But I've never seen this applied in real life, and I've never had the courage to try it in sparring as I didn't feel I was fast enough.

Is this a viable manner to dodge and avoid head-height kicks? I mostly mean circular kicks such as spin hook kicks or roundhouse kicks, not linear kicks like the front and side kicks. Have any of you managed to do this before?

It is a good question. YES, Slips are done all the time. I think they are done both purposefully and as pure luck or just as a reaction sometimes. Slips are great strategy for high kicks/punches. Most people think they have to move much more than is really necessary to make an attack miss. Yes, slips on circular kicks can be ill advised and the direction of the avoidance is paramount. You can slip a circular kick but you may have to take more of the kicks energy elsewhere than you want.
In a SD/street scenario the odds of an attacker kicking you in the head is pretty low compared to a punch. So ducking would not be a good choice of defense. Slips and bobs are very high percentage when you get them down. One of the best tools you can learn from boxing.
In competition it is not uncommon to need a little time to read your competition (unless you have tape on them). Reading body language is important; not always 100% but important. This will help you know when to slip, bob/weave, or possibly duck. Recovery is always a big part of learning how/when to use them so a duck or a really big movement can put you in trouble if your footwork or balance get off.

FWIW, the lean the fighters are doing in the video is cool as heck to watch but I am guessing they are in the top 10%-20% in their class. That movement is not everyone's cup of tea.

 

[JowGaWolf]

FWIW, the lean the fighters are doing in the video is cool as heck to watch but I am guessing they are in the top 10%-20% in their class.

This is a good point. My guess is that a fighter would either need to be at a higher skill level than his opponent or be in the top 10% -20% of fighters who do it.

What I often notice is that things like leaning back is often done when a fighter believes he's at a higher skill level. When the fighter believes that the skill level is equal then he doesn't take those chances. They become like everyone else and not take any unnecessary risks.

 

[dvcochran]

This is a good point. My guess is that a fighter would either need to be at a higher skill level than his opponent or be in the top 10% -20% of fighters who do it.

What I often notice is that things like leaning back is often done when a fighter believes he's at a higher skill level. When the fighter believes that the skill level is equal then he doesn't take those chances. They become like everyone else and not take any unnecessary risks.

Yeah I think that shows in the videos as well. You can tell the opponent in the 2nd video is gassed.
It is some serious flexibility and strength to pull off a lean as far back as they are doing it. I could never put it in the standard bob/weave/duck category.

 

[Anarax]

We've all seen in action movie fight scenes where characters manage to slip and duck underneath kicks the same way a boxer might bob and weave underneath punches. But I've never seen this applied in real life, and I've never had the courage to try it in sparring as I didn't feel I was fast enough.

Is this a viable manner to dodge and avoid head-height kicks? I mostly mean circular kicks such as spin hook kicks or roundhouse kicks, not linear kicks like the front and side kicks. Have any of you managed to do this before?

One thing to worry about with using body or head movement avoiding kicks is sometime martial artists(including pro fighters) lean or duck into a more powerful trajectory of the kick and worsen the outcome. This is especially true with fighters that chamber their kicks at different angles to throw your timing/reactions off. You can duck/dodge kicks successfully, many do and have done so, but a slight miscalculation can result in a foot/shin to the face.

 

[drop bear]

One thing to worry about with using body or head movement avoiding kicks is sometime martial artists(including pro fighters) lean or duck into a more powerful trajectory of the kick and worsen the outcome. This is especially true with fighters that chamber their kicks at different angles to throw your timing/reactions off. You can duck/dodge kicks successfully, many do and have done so, but a slight miscalculation can result in a foot/shin to the face.

That is more likely for people who duck punches. And you do a same arm, same leg combo.

 

[drop bear]

Saw this the other day. The karate nerd nailed a muay thai champion in the head because he was ducking kicks.

Works for committed kicking doesn't work for when the kicks are doubled up.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

FWIW, the lean the fighters are doing in the video is cool as heck to watch but I am guessing they are in the top 10%-20% in their class. That movement is not everyone's cup of tea.

This is a good point. My guess is that a fighter would either need to be at a higher skill level than his opponent or be in the top 10% -20% of fighters who do it.

The only fighters I know of who regularly pull off that sort of matrix dodge in high level competition, like Saenchai or Lerdsilla, aren't just in the top 10-20%, but more like the top 1/10 of 1% of professional fighters. They get away with it not just because they have the athleticism and body control, but more importantly they know how to read their opponent and time the dodge so that their opponent really expects to land the kick and is thrown off their rhythm when that doesn't happen.

 

[JowGaWolf]

The only fighters I know of who regularly pull off that sort of matrix dodge in high level competition, like Saenchai or Lerdsilla, aren't just in the top 10-20%, but more like the top 1/10 of 1% of professional fighters. They get away with it not just because they have the athleticism and body control, but more importantly they know how to read their opponent and time the dodge so that their opponent really expects to land the kick and is thrown off their rhythm when that doesn't happen.

If that's what it takes to pull it off with minimum risk then, imagine someone not on that level yet trying to do the same thing, when they may not understand what's needed to be successful in using it, such as "reading an opponent."

 

[Tony Dismukes]

If that's what it takes to pull it off with minimum risk then, imagine someone not on that level yet trying to do the same thing, when they may not understand what's needed to be successful in using it, such as "reading an opponent."

Yeah, I absolutely would not recommend using that matrix style dodge in a real fight for anyone who is not an elite level professional fighter.
There are other ways of ducking a kick which are not as difficult or risky, but even those carry some danger. For the average fighter, they would not be my recommended first go-to move in most situations.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

When you use backward floor sweep, your offense is also your defense to dodge a head level high kick. If you have used this sweep a lot, you have no problem to drop low. Also if you have good leg stretching, you are also training TKD spin back hook kick. You have killed 3 birds at the same time.

1. TKD head level spin back hook kick.
2. Kung Fu backward floor sweep.
3. Dodge head level high kick.