Discover The Martial Arts Most Effective Kick

By Joe Driscoll

If I was to ask you what was the most important kick in the Martial Arts, what would you say? If you’re a fan of flashy kicks or extreme Karate, you’d probably tell me some flashy spin or jump kick.

But the fact is the most important kick you’ll ever have for fighting in the Martial Arts is the lead leg kick. Depending on your style or stance, the lead leg is always the closest leg to your opponent. From a side stance, or point sparring stance, it would be the lead leg side kick. From a Muay Thai or kickboxing stance, it would be the lead leg front kick.

Before you say that’s a simple kick and anyone can do it, let’s go over a few things.

It’s much more the timing, speed and ability to throw this kick from any position on the floor or ring than it is anything else. A great lead leg front kick will allow



you to beat superior opponents.

Why does this kick need to be one of the best in your repertoire?

1.It’s the closest limb to your opponent and therefore can get from point A to point B faster than any other technique

2.It’s a defensive kick that can be used to stifle your opponents techniques

3.It’s an offensive weapon use to beat down your opponent to open up prime striking opportunities later in the fight

Developing the Lead Leg Kick

Whether your lead leg kick is the Side Kick or the Front Kick, rebounds are an excellent way to develop the speed, power and timing needed for this kick.

To do Rebounds, you must use a hanging heavy bag. Stand close enough to the bag to throw a lead leg kick, drop your foot to the ground and spring off the floor into another kick. Start slowly in sets of 2 repetitions, but you can move to as many repetitions as you feel comfortable with.

The closer you stand to the heavy bag, the more resistance you’ll be faced with, and therefore you’ll be training more for strength along with speed and timing.

About the author: Joe Driscoll is a former Martial Arts world champion and the author of "Conditioning and Beyond", “Underground Speed Kicking Secrets” and several other books on fitness, conditioning and Martial Arts Training. Find out more about Joe and his training concepts at:Link text