Question on spinning side kick and spinning hook kicks.

Ironbear24

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I find that I often don't find an opportunity to use these when sparring with others. The reason why is my sparring opponent normally is always very close and is too close to throw any form of useful kick, this means I only get to use my hands which is ok, but I would love to able to use these kicks more often. Is there any preferable method for solving this issue or do I just have to use mostly my upper body when sparring with this individual?
 

Touch Of Death

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Ok, I lied. There is one thing. You throw punches of your back band and really look like you are reaching. When they relax and move in, stick them with a front kick off the front leg, then spin away. :)
 

Dirty Dog

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You can throw kicks when in hand range... For example, if you both have your left foot forward, try getting their attention on your hands with a few punches to the face, and then throw an inside crescent kick with your right leg. Difficult to block, especially since it's coming from their back side.
Knees work really well when in close.
You can also create distance. A strong thrust kick can do so, as can evading their attacks and moving around them.
You can also simply slide back out of their range, and then throw your kick as they try to move back in close.
 

drop bear

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What style do you do?

And a tkd style kick is generally a bit quicker. So you might want to look into that if your time and space as a bit limited.
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Dirty Dog

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Don't forget jumps. You can jump backwards while executing a spinning kick. That tends to reduce the power of the back/side kick, for obvious reasons, but the spinning hook kick is less affected.
 

WaterGal

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Like Dirty Dog says, you need to create distance. I recommend that you practice sliding, switching or stepping back and then kicking. You can do this with a punching bag - just start out at punching distance, and then practicing moving back quickly until you're at the right distance to do the kick.
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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While you can use spinning kicks in kenpo and it's part of most curriculums, in general, kenpo doesn't lend itself to 'flashy' kicks, and a lot of practitioners will actually state that the only useful kicks in the style are low kicks.

That said, after cross training, I discovered the power of spinning kicks when they were used against me, and forced myself to get good with them..they're fun :D
 

RTKDCMB

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If you can't find the opportunity to use them but still want to then you have to create the opportunity. Distract them first. A jab can do the trick and if they step back then you can do the spinning kick. I wouldn't recommend doing a spinning kick without the distraction first unless the position you are in (such as a side kick that has been blocked on the calf) allows it with a minimum of risk. You can also do spinning kicks in a combination after another kick such as a side kick that forces them back. I find a good combination is a skipping side kick and when they side step to your back turn around and get them with the back kick.
 

Skullpunch

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If your sparring partners are able to force an in-fight with you at will it means their ability to cut you off > your lateral movement and the only way to change that is to practice your movement and get better. Also, if you're good at catching them while they're coming in it will make them think twice about rushing to close the gap.
 

JP3

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In the O/P it sounds as if Iron Bear's opponent is jamming/crowding, intentionally attempting to limit your options, which as you said is OK if your inside punching/striking skillset is sound. Generally with Kenpo people I've found it to be so. As stated above, movement is key to open these other technique options up to you. It breaks down to one of two concepts, either get away from them or get them away from you. You could blast them backwards perhaps if you catch them with a strike to mid-body, maybe, immediately step down and initiate spin, right? That's one example, and works well in sparring though not necessarily "fighting" situations. Another idea to consider is diagonal movement, which if you have practiced the footwork can get you off the line of an inbound attack and put you on-line for your own turning/spinning technique.

A simple example could be: Initiate jab, cross round kick combo (if you are fighting southpaw as I like to do sometimes, it'd be R-jab, L-cross and L-kick[on the kick it's what's your pleasure, I worked on this combo a lot when I was in my Muay Thai phase so for me it was a leg kick, but could be whatever you like]. In my example this clockwise-rotation would move me in and to the right a bit, and if one steps out to the right to the correct distance, the step-down and turn right into the R-leg back, or reverse side or hook kick is right there. It's a natural flow and you are going around your opponent forcing them to turn and change distance as you do it.

The issue is making sure that the L-kick lands and causes movement, distraction or reaction, so that while you spin he/she has no opportunity to attack your back. Just like with any such event when you expose your back, which is usually not a good idea in a "fight," but in sport, it's a different thing. Game vs life, as it were.
 
OP
Ironbear24

Ironbear24

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I did it guys. I took a hit to my clavicle as I was turning for the kick, and my kick got planted into my sparring opponents chest. He got pushed back several feet and was knocked on his ***. After that I tried some of the diagonal movement, it didn't help me with the kicks but it helped me capitalize better on my opponents mistakes.

He would go in with jabs and since I moved in time diagonally he was essentially just punching the air. This gave me the chance to grab him and toss him to the floor. Thanks for the advice, I will practice all of it and practice my footwork/movement more, it really is so vital to any form of martial art.
 

Buka

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Good for you, bro, keep at it!

Another thing you might want to explore is a shorter distance mindset and field of play. We all tend to think of kicking as only a long range weapon. Look at Dirty Dog's post again (jump kicks) and really think about it. It's not just a physical thing, it's an entire way of thinking about what ranges of kicking you have. And even if those kicks mentioned aren't for you, you might very well run right into a few of them if you don't explore that range.

I asked Bill Wallace a long time ago what he did that was different than anyone else. He said "I use shorter distances". He went on to explain that when people throw front leg hook kicks they tend to do so from further away than they should, which makes them easier to see coming and to counter.

You can take any one of your favorite kicks and drill it with a partner. Take your optimum distance - then work forward/shorter an inch at a time. Every inch, or half inch, whatever, increases the options of where you can kick a person from.

And also keep in mind what the best way to deal with a kicker is. Jam him. Jam him all day long. Stay right in his kitchen and smother his kicks. Work against that by kicking at shorter and shorter ranges. (Not as a replacement for what you do, but as an addition to what you do)
 

Kenpoguy123

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One thing I've been told is to never throw a spinning kick on it's own as it's easy to see coming and puts you off balance. The best way is to use it after another kick preferably a roundhouse kick when you throw the roundhouse kick if you miss you're momentum will already be beginning to spin so follow on after the roundhouse with the spinning kick
 

JP3

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Buka, Superfoot's close-in kicking ability is awesome, but remember how flexible he was able to train himself to be as well. I completely agree with the training methodology you put out there, and would recommend youtubing (verb form) Bill Wallace's PKA fights so you can see what the finished product can look like.

My only issue with it is that it's a sport-based solution. I'll go with a (probably soon to be attacked, and rightly so) general globalization: It is usually not a good idea to be standing on one foot in a fight.

But, man... it feels Good to land a spin-heel to the head on someone as they are charging in... as long as the power is enough to toss them, rather than you!
 

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