Hi Tim,

i have a question about kicks in IMA / CMA. Most of the straight kicks are not pulled back like in Karate as example. Instead they kick and when the leg is expandet, they drop it.

I like it, because you can go faster forward, and it seems to me, that this kicks transfer more momentum. But there is also a little bit more risk, that the leg is catched.

What is the reason for this type of kick? I am just curious.

Peter

Peter,
I think you answered your own question. Many kicks in the IMA are done so that you can transfer the power of the whole body through the foot or leg. Most leg attacks are meant to crash through the opponent and then the body continues moving in, so, there are less "snappy" types of kicks.

Also, the leg that transfers the force is relatively relaxed, allowing the force of the body and its momentum to transfer through the leg into the opponent. Most of the kicks are used in conjunction with hand techniques and are kept relatively low, to make the kicks more difficult to counter or catch.

Thanks Tim,

good answer as always!

Peter

Another thing by transferring the weight through the kick the leg becomes if not harder to catch harder to control. It's hard to hold onto someone's leg when they have most of their weight in it (depending on strength and size differences).

When you follow up on someone offering a rapidly pulled back snap kick their weighting often makes controlling the kicking leg and taking down easier.

Great topic... I use to do Goju Karate. We always pulled the kick back and I was told... do it this way and your leg won't get captured. One, thats not always true. Two, the time spent bringing the leg back is plenty of time for someone to hit you, because you are spending your time bring your leg back. Third, I think it is smarter to kick through the opponent and land your kicking leg down and occupy their center line... that's why I went into Wing Chun and the IMA.