The Back, or "Mule" Kick of TKD

[Jonathan Randall]

The Back, or "Mule" Kick of TKD.

This is an extremely versatile and powerful technique that is easy to learn and stay well practiced with - and also doesn't require you to be in a dobak and stretched out to use even at a high range. It is also, IMO, great for self-defence. Thoughts?

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

Yup, it's a very good counter-attack move. I've used it plenty when sparring.

 

[Jonathan Randall]

Yup, it's a very good counter-attack move. I've used it plenty when sparring.

Yes, it does excel out the counter-attack! Forgot to mention that. It has much less commitment involved than a sidekick yet most of the power of one. I never saw it much used below red or black belt, though.

 

[shesulsa]

Now see, I really don't like that kick. I feel I have much more power with my hip turn out when pulling my leg up and rotating it inward as I extend the leg so that my end result is toes and knee down, heel up.

 

[exile]

I think it's a tricky kick to maintain. It's true that it can be delivered with tremendous power, it's deceptive and (if executed properly) fairly safe; but what I find is, it's much harder to deliver accurately than any kind of side kick, or a turning kick. Whether performing it with a marked chamber or straight up from the floor, it seems much harder to control than the others, so far as nailing the target is concerned...

 

[K31]

We started including this in our drills. I'm not too good at it. I keep getting yelled at ("Be sure you can see your target before you kick") by the instructor.

I think I have two problems. One is that because of arthritis in my neck and shoulders I can't turn my head very well. The second is that because the mat we practice on is something like foam, I can't twist my stationary foot 180 deg. in one motion.

I have gotten better though and gotten a good bit of power out of it. I'm still worried about accuracy though because either the next belt test or the one after, I'll have to use that kick for a break. I pity the guys that have to hold that board.

I don't quite understand the comment someone made about high kicks with this technique. It seems like you would have to bow at the waist to get more than a waist level impact.

 

[The Kidd]

It is a great sparring technique, turn play like your retreating have your opponent chase you and POW! thats all she wrote, suprise. To get height on it you have to jump, we have jump back kicks in our upper belt requirements.

 

[bluekey88]

Back kick is one of my favorite techniques personally. I fell in love with it when I started trying to use it as a counter to the back-leg roundhouse (from open stance). It really just flowed fror me.

Now, I notice as I coach our kids on the comp team that while they do well int he drills where we work the back kick as a counter...they won't use it. Not really sure why, but I think it's a psychological thing.

I think it might have to do with turning your back on your opponent to execute the technique. Unlike a spinning technique where you might have your back to your opponenet for a second, but where the kick is usually executed when facing the target. The mechanics of the kick are such that you HAVE to execute the kick to the rear. This is actually a farily safe position when done right...but I think it's hard for some to get past that. Hell, with the kids on comp team, I don;t even think they are aware of this...then again, I could be totally wrong

Maybe I'll talk to our coach about this and see if we can work some drills to help our kids overcome their relcutance to back kick

Peace,
Erik

 

[Kacey]

I like back kick, personally; most people haven't trained it enough to be fast enough with the turn, but it's easy enough to cover if you pivot in the direction the kick is going to go - both in sparring and in self-defense - because it's easy to make it look like you're about to run, and then kick instead.

 

[Flying Crane]

I love the back kick, we use it in kenpo a lot. I don't know about using it in a sparring situation, but it's great for a self defense situation if someone is directly behind you. You only need to turn your head enough to see them in your peripheral vision. Fire the foot straight back and you will hit a groin or knee or something equally effective. It's simple, powerful, doesn't require flexibility, i like it a lot.

 

[exile]

I agree with all that's been said, I like the kick too. I just wish I could aim it better... probably I'm not training it hard enough from that point of view. In the end, it's always the training, eh?

 

[bluekey88]

This is going to sound counter-intuitive. I find I don't worry to much about aiming the back kick (compared to my other kicks). It is a difficult kick to be precise with. I find that i tend to set it up and throw the kick when I've got the opening...where the kick lands tends to become more irrelevant (not totally).

Typically, I like to throw it as a counter to the roundhouse or some other back legt kick that leaves the torso wide open. If the kick goes high, I tend to get the solar plexus area...a good show stopper. I usually aim for the ribs. If I'm low, I tend to hit at the belt line around the hips. This tends to hurt the opponent and upset balance/move them back. I can then follow up with other stuff. I suppose better precision will come with time and practice...but I tend just to throw it and not worry too much.

I was given some good advice from an Olympic TKD guy on how to speed up the back kick and improve accuracy. He drilled us on getting a fast pivot (without trying to lift the leg to the side and make it a weak hook kick). From there he told us to make sure that our knees brushed each other as we threw the kick. By doing this, you improve the alignment of the kick and eliminate unnecessary motion. That was the single best tip I ever learned and it improved my back kick tremendously...make sure the knees brush.

Peace,
Erik

 

[exile]

This is going to sound counter-intuitive. I find I don't worry to much about aiming the back kick (compared to my other kicks). It is a difficult kick to be precise with.

Glad that I'm not the only one who finds that!

I find that i tend to set it up and throw the kick when I've got the opening...where the kick lands tends to become more irrelevant (not totally).

Typically, I like to throw it as a counter to the roundhouse or some other back legt kick that leaves the torso wide open. If the kick goes high, I tend to get the solar plexus area...a good show stopper. I usually aim for the ribs. If I'm low, I tend to hit at the belt line around the hips. This tends to hurt the opponent and upset balance/move them back. I can then follow up with other stuff. I suppose better precision will come with time and practice...but I tend just to throw it and not worry too much.

I was given some good advice from an Olympic TKD guy on how to speed up the back kick and improve accuracy. He drilled us on getting a fast pivot (without trying to lift the leg to the side and make it a weak hook kick). From there he told us to make sure that our knees brushed each other as we threw the kick. By doing this, you improve the alignment of the kick and eliminate unnecessary motion. That was the single best tip I ever learned and it improved my back kick tremendously...make sure the knees brush.

Peace,
Erik

Very good observation... definitely that goes into my little black mental book of TKD technique!

 

[Flying Crane]

I agree with all that's been said, I like the kick too. I just wish I could aim it better... probably I'm not training it hard enough from that point of view. In the end, it's always the training, eh?

Yeah, we sort of feel that rudimentary aiming is really all you need for it. If the guy is directly behind you, and you can see him in your peripheral vision, that is really all you need. You can fire it "semi-blind" and still have great accuracy and hit your target.

 

[exile]

Yeah, we sort of feel that rudimentary aiming is really all you need for it. If the guy is directly behind you, and you can see him in your peripheral vision, that is really all you need. You can fire it "semi-blind" and still have great accuracy and hit your target.

OK, then I think what I need to do is start training it on the heavy bag. I've found that kicking into a heavy bag yields an all-around major improvement in the quality of the kick in general. Sigh... one more thing to add to the list!

 

[terryl965]

The back kick when done properly is a great tool for anybody the problem with it though most people do not feel comfortable to turn the back on there opponite even for a second. I have alway try and use the sidekick in the same manner as the back kick.

 

[crushing]

The Back, or "Mule" Kick of TKD.

This is an extremely versatile and powerful technique that is easy to learn and stay well practiced with - and also doesn't require you to be in a dobak and stretched out to use even at a high range. It is also, IMO, great for self-defence. Thoughts?

I definitely agree. I didn't care at all for the back kick when I first started TKD, but I'm growing to like it more and more. I feel I get even more power into it if I manage to immediately follow a roundhouse kick with it. They flow together well for me. I don't know that I would use such a combo in a self-defence situation though.

 

[Flying Crane]

OK, then I think what I need to do is start training it on the heavy bag. I've found that kicking into a heavy bag yields an all-around major improvement in the quality of the kick in general. Sigh... one more thing to add to the list!

Definitely.

Of course I am operating on the assumption that it is a self defense situation, and the bad guy came up behind you. I'm not suggesting this way is best for tournament sparring, or something like that.

 

[exile]

Definitely.

Of course I am operating on the assumption that it is a self defense situation, and the bad guy came up behind you. I'm not suggesting this way is best for tournament sparring, or something like that.

Right, but you know me: I'm not worried about sparring, but SD applications are BIG on my list of priorities. I've probably been a bit lax about training these kicks—it's true, they really do have a helluva surprise factor, and it's not hard to get them to deliver a lot of force.

 

[Flying Crane]

Right, but you know me: I'm not worried about sparring, but SD applications are BIG on my list of priorities. I've probably been a bit lax about training these kicks—it's true, they really do have a helluva surprise factor, and it's not hard to get them to deliver a lot of force.

And they can come in low under the radar, SLAM into the front of the knee or groin, even if the guy is pretty close up behind you. Probably he won't even see it coming.

Make sure your hips stay squared and that kick rises up to chamber and fires straight back, striking with the bottom of the heel, toes pointed down and pulled back to keep the heel extended. Then retract the foot to the chamber position and plant it down next to the other foot, right where it started. Make the plant with a bit of authority, to make sure you stabilize yourself and you aren't tottering off balance or something. That is a good basic way to practice the technique.

If you turn your body too far to look, then you rotate your hips and it becomes closer to a side kick. I also love a side kick, but in this case, the back kick is more powerful and the position of the hips is more stable. Literally, you should only peek over your shoulder and just see him in your peripheral vision. If you look to see him fully, you are turning your body too much and it becomes a side kick.