The Axe Kick... Is it ever useful?

[Gerry Seymour]

well yes, its certainly less risky if you do it behind your oppoinent back,

And damnably difficult if you aren't vertical.

 

[drop bear]

Until it isn't.

Then it is stairs.

But they lead to the street.

 

[JR 137]

Then it is stairs.

But they lead to the street.

Which could have potholes

 

[Martial D]

The Axe Kick... Is it ever useful?



Hi everybody! My name is Bee. I'm new here.

My question is this... Is there ever a point to training the axe kick? It seems so impractical. And I can imagine that by the time you raise your leg at the highest point, your opponent would've moved out of the way. I mean, if the guy is down on the floor and you're trying to murder him, I can see how the axe kick would be effective. It's a powerful move. But even then, you can always resort to stomping him to death...

I have fuzzy memories of Mirko Cro Cop (famed fighter in Pride FC, UFC, and K-1) successfully hitting an opponent with an axe kick, but outside of that fuzzy memory, I don't know of any professional martial artist ever using it against anybody ever.

Compare that with a roundhouse kick (Muay Thai style, not that shitty-*** Chuck Norris style) or a front kick, and you make the axe kick into an abomination by comparison. Roundhouse kicks and front kicks, with training, can be delivered with great speed. They are practical and useful both in martial sports and self defense. The axe kick looks sooo clunky it's not even funny. Why on earth was it even invented?

Or am I wrong in thinking it to be useless? What are your thoughts on this?

Thank you.

The thing about the axe kick is it has a built in fake/feint. It's two motions, and looks like a front kick or roundhouse kick off the jump, so it will(at least if you haven't thrown one yet) probably ellicit a high cover or a lowering of guard(depending whether they interpret it as a high kick or low kick). This leaves them open in both cases for the decending heel.

Not a go to, but not a bad wildcard if your opponent is reading all the standard stuff.

 

[oftheherd1]

The axe kick is a high-risk, high-reward technique requiring exceptional attributes and skill level to use effectively. If you have that skill and those attributes it can potentially be useful in certain full contact striking competitions where you have a flat surface, room to move, and an opponent who has the skill set to defend well against more conventional attacks. In that case, you can either land the axe kick when your opponent is expecting a more standard attack or (as Andy Hug more typically did) use the threat of the axe kick to cause the opponent to shift his defense and therefore open up for more standard attacks.

I have a hard time imagining a self defense situation where an axe kick would be the most appropriate option.

About 1986, I saw TV coverage of the (I think if was called the) West Asian TKD matches. A Korean contestant destroyed his West Asian opponent with good axe kicks. I don't think the poor guy had ever seen an axe kick until he was hit by them.

In the Hapkido I studied, we did learn that kick. In our warm up kicks, it was as much a stretch as a kick. We did it both as an outside to in, and as a inside (cross over) to out. Practically, we sometimes used it as a coup de grace when we threw someone on the ground on their back. We anticipated an attempt to get up quickly, and used the axe kick to the sternum or heart plexus to put an end to the fight. That is if you consider the possible consequences an appropriate option.

 

[MI_martialist]

Well, I am sure we can think of other positions and circumstances other than front and behind...we should do this with all applications...

well yes, its certainly less risky if you do it behind your oppoinent back,

 

[marques]

Until it isn't.

Drop bear response style. Short and simple. Just keep it friendly and entertaining like this.

 

[drop bear]

Which could have potholes

Caused by axe kicks.