Kicking in street fights

[Wey]

Talking with some coworkers of mine brought up the discussion of kicks (mostly high kicks) being a gambit in street fights because of how it throws you off balance, puts you on one leg, etc.. So my question to those of you that have used kicks in street fights is: Was using a kicks helpful or detrimental to you in the fight? Stories would be great.

Thanks in advance.

 

[terryl965]

I have used kicks but they have all been below the waist, it should be that way for SD

 

[Teufel Hunden]

It's really going to depend on each individual encounter and the people involved. A high kick isn't always bad any more than it is always good... just like in sparring or competition.

Generally speaking though, a street fight probably isn't going to give you the opportunity to do much anyway. Nearly every single fight I've ever seen (been involved with only a couple though), one guy tries to tackle the other guy or they both grab each other with punches and elbows and all that going everywhere in a big, ugly spectacle. I've never seen a fight where two guys square off and throw punches and kicks, so the question itself is almost not applicable to your typical fight, as far as that goes.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

If you *must* give in to some sudden, primal need to kick someone in the head--please, please, please have the sense to knock them down first.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

I doubt anyone is stupid enough to try and kick someone in the head in a street fight. I have though , seen a street fight end with a kick to the head but the kicker already had his opponent off balance and just "finished" him with a head kick. It also depends a lot on who it is doing the kicking , I have seen untrained guys attempt a kick in a fight and it gets them in a lot of trouble , I have also seen lightning quick tkd guys kick in a fight and its a different story altogether. Basically , if your going to kick , make sure you know what you are doing.

 

[Stonecold]

in my life i have been forced to defend myself & others many times.
Front kicks to the lower belly have always been effective for me , front leg front kick that is , leg & shin kicks also have worked well, always followed by strong punches, slaps, elbows, knees, stomps, head butts ect...
being ready for and aware of trouble before it starts will give you time & room to set up for it . never have i ever tryed a head kick , even to a downed foe, rib kicks, kicks to the legs while your foe is downed will make it hard for them to get up & follow you & will take the fight out of most.

 

[repz]

I'm not the best, but I have hit people at the dojo who are better trained then me, higher ranked then me, more experienced then me, with a headkick. They expected it, they were trained to block it, actually they can argue they were an expert at blocking them, but I still managed to kick them in the head. If I can slip it past them, I can slip it past someone which probability tells me doesnt know how to react (let alone block) a kick. Chances are hes never seen a kick go to his face (i mean, its an alien concept for a non martial artists to see, let alone experience since kicking someone in the head isnt an easy thing to do) or seen a human leg (that can out-match the speed of a untrained persons best jab) be propelled at a high speed to his face.

But, I wouldnt go for a high kick, which is strange when people ask me about the streets and kicking, since I am a high kicker. Its just not needed, I have jeans on and tim boots. A low roundhouse kick would drop an unconditioned leg in a second, its quick and dirty, and an even odder concept than blocking a head kick for an average person is blocking a kick aimed at your thigh. Now... go back to where it says I wear boots, and you know where I am getting at where its just reasonable for me to do this instead.

 

[David43515]

In some US jurisdictions kicking to the head with a shod foot is considered assult with a deadly weapon.

When I was a young guy and stretched an hour or two each night high kicks were no problem if I wanted to risk being off balance against someone I knew I could beat. Once I hit my mid 20`s I pretty much stopped kicking above the waist. Nowadays I pretty much follow Ark Wong`s advice. Namely, I don`t punch people in the shins, so if I wanna kick someone in the head I knock `em down first.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

I'm not the best, but I have hit people at the dojo who are better trained then me, higher ranked then me, more experienced then me, with a headkick. They expected it, they were trained to block it, actually they can argue they were an expert at blocking them, but I still managed to kick them in the head. If I can slip it past them, I can slip it past someone which probability tells me doesnt know how to react (let alone block) a kick. Chances are hes never seen a kick go to his face (i mean, its an alien concept for a non martial artists to see, let alone experience since kicking someone in the head isnt an easy thing to do) or seen a human leg (that can out-match the speed of a untrained persons best jab) be propelled at a high speed to his face.

But, I wouldnt go for a high kick, which is strange when people ask me about the streets and kicking, since I am a high kicker. Its just not needed, I have jeans on and tim boots. A low roundhouse kick would drop an unconditioned leg in a second, its quick and dirty, and an even odder concept than blocking a head kick for an average person is blocking a kick aimed at your thigh. Now... go back to where it says I wear boots, and you know where I am getting at where its just reasonable for me to do this instead.

Its interesting what you say about untrained people not being prepared for a headkick. A mate of mine recently started training at my club and he has been in his fair share of street fights. On one of his first nights there my instructor got me to spar him, and being tkd, high kicks (in sparring) were being encouraged that night. Anyway, I was amazed how easily I could kick his head , I would stop my kicks at the last second as he is new to the art but basically I could head kick him at will and he had his guard up and can handle himself to some degree. Im certainly not saying I would head kick on the street but it did show me that to the untrained they can come as a bit of a surprise.

 

[searcher]

Though I tend to lean towards being a puncher more than a kicker, I have used kicks on the street with varying success. Most of mine were to the legs or groin.

 

[Wey]

Thanks to you all for the input! I know there are some more testimonies on this forum...

 

[Cirdan]

I`ve used a front kick to the lower stomach once, did not connect but since the guy jumped back I got the distance I needed to retreat. Fortunately he was the leader so his buddy hesitated as well. I was a white belt back then so obviously you don`t need teh deadly skillz to defend yourself either.

I wouldn`t kick to the head unless there was an opening where it made sense. I can punch to the foot too, if this is the best option, but it rarely is.

 

[TigerLove]

I have no practical experience about using kicks in street, but i am sure that only kick i'd ever use in street is front kick. It's fast, safe, strong, and hard you'll miss you target. Targets i would shot for are groin, plexus, or chin.

But that's me, sure there are guys who use kicks effeciently in the street.

 

[seasoned]

Front snip or thrust kicks to their lower body are hard for them to block. It requires you to be closer to them, but that is where most fights will unfold. In a limited amount of times, I have been most successful with groin kicks, that have a tendency to bend them over and places them in a very bad position.

 

[punisher73]

It all depends. It is a skill that has to be trained to be effective just like anything else.

Also, it depends on opportunity. If the opportunity arises and it is a tactical advanatage to do so, why not? But, it seems that when people discuss high kicks there is the assumption that they are not used in conjunction with other set up techniques and that they are somehow the only skill allowed.

I remember an MMA fight where the guy kicked his opponent with a high front snap kick under the chin and knocked his teeth out. It's the only time I have seen a kick like that used, mostly it is always a roundhouse to the head.

A "real life" example. One of my instructors was at a bar and saw two guys getting into it. He knew one of the guys was trained, and the other guy just went around picking bar fights for fun. The trained guy went "Billy Jack" on the other one and kicked the guy upside the head close in and ko'd him in one shot.

An unexpected move is hard to counter if you don't know what it looks like. Is there a time and place? Yep. The next question is with limited training time how do you want to prioritize the skills you want to depend on? Do you want to train and train a high percentage of your time for a low percentage move? Personally, I would spend the time on kicking lower and incorporating it with upper body attacks and movement.

 

[scottie]

I have used kicks but they have all been below the waist, it should be that way for SD

I agree with you. I have used kicks as well stomach and below. although I have not been in many fights.

 

[Touch Of Death]

I doubt anyone is stupid enough to try and kick someone in the head in a street fight.

You should get out more, it occurs to people to kick other people in the head all the time.
Sean

 

[Touch Of Death]

When I was 20 I got into a fight where I did kick I guy in the ribs a couple times, that is above the waist, but I won.
Sean

 

[ralphmcpherson]

You should get out more, it occurs to people to kick other people in the head all the time.
Sean

perhaps I should get out more. Ive seen so many street fights Ive lost count but I can only recall 2 or 3 occasions where a head kick was attempted , funnily enough on 2 of the occasions the head kick was succesful. Ive seen drunken idiots play fighting and throwing head kicks on many occasions , but Im only talking about serious street fights.

 

[repz]

People need to take into account how hard high head kicking is. You can kick high, but your technique suffers or your speed suffers. Being a good kicker is having all those qualities, how can someone tell a high kicker who shoots out a lead kick faster then you can jab that he cant head kick someone in the head on the streets? Or is he an exemption, a rarity, that comments of high kicking is still true? But just not for good kickers? You dont just learn how to high kick, you train hard for hours to high kick.

I been in many schools, and its rare that I found such good kickers, yet they are landing headkicks against other trained fighters anyway.

The chances of you ending up in a fight outside with someone that knows what to do when a headkick is coming up on them, is no where near as far stranger or rare to get into a fight with someone with great headkick speed and technique in the streets.

A couple of years ago people were saying that headkicks were impossible, or out of hollywood, and these were the self defense gurus who cant kick past the waist level anyway whos reality IS that kicking past waist level isnt real, because they cant maintain form, speed, or flexibility etc.. Now, with mma, headkicks are dropping people who make thousands to not to get kicked into the canvas (and who just so happens to be grapplers as well, where the arguement is that a street fighter can grab your leg, yet it doesnt happen so much in mma with pro fighters, but somehow untrained streetfighters have this amazing ability way past bb in bjj and judo to grab kicks), and these comments arent as loud as they were before.

I think people give too much credit to street fighters. Yes, its best to be cautious, because his fighting ability is unknown, but still, dont doubt your ability and make your enemy have all this technique he might not possess. A few seconds of his stance and footwork will reveal what hes about, and then you figure out hes way below your experience that a high head kick will just be overkill.