Check Out These Highly Effective Strategies For Setting Up The Leg Kick With Marlon Moraes
Leg kicks are effective for so many different reasons, and are starting to become more and more popular in modern day MMA. Whether they are used to cause damage and decrease the mobility of your opponent, or to get them focusing on their leg to help you set up a power shot up top, they play a huge part in establishing a well rounded game.
There are many different kinds of leg kicks that are used for all types of different situations. There are both inside and outside leg kicks, switch and roundhouse kicks, and kicks aimed at the thigh or the calf. Each kick has the potential to set up completely different combinations and they also cause damage that affects your opponent in different ways.
One of the most important things to pay attention to when throwing leg kicks is how you set them up with punches. The way you make these kicks more effective is by quick level changes, not giving your opponent the ability to check them. By quickly throwing punches up top and transitioning to low leg kicks and then perhaps finishing with some more punches up top, you will keep your opponent on their toes and make it extremely hard for them to defend.
In this video, Marlon Moraes demonstrates some great strategies and techniques that can be used to set up the most effective leg kicks. Check it out below!
The Technique
The basis of these techniques include 2 punches to set up the leg kick. Pay extra attention to the speed in which Marlon transitions from his punches to the kicks. The general idea is to get your opponent focused on the punches and not even remotely thinking about the kicks.
The seemingly basic but effective setup combination for this technique includes a jab and a cross. Although this technique is focused on setting up the leg kick, it is important that you ensure you are throwing your punches correctly and always making sure you are protected.
When you throw your first punch being a jab in this combination, your right hand should be protecting your chin until your jab completely recoils. As soon as it does and you throw your right cross, your left hand should now be protecting you chin; always making sure you are landing good punches while also keeping yourself safe.
Check Out Marlon’s Savage Switch Kick Instructional! Click Learn More!
Immediately after you land your right cross you are going to throw a switch kick to the inside of your opponent's thigh. It is important to change your speed at this point. Perhaps you throw your punches with good speed, but a little bit slower to make sure they are landing. Then, immediately follow with a much quicker switch kick and leave your opponent no time to defend it.
The reason the 1-2 combination works so well as a setup for this kick is that it demands the attention of your opponent. They are 2 straight punches right up the middle that leave your opponent no choice but to address them. As they are coming right down the middle to his head, he has to work on protecting his chin as a priority rather than being in a good position to defend against a leg kick.
In addition to using the punches to distract your opponent from defending against the kick, you also have to utilize good speed to ensure your opponent cannot counter. If you just start throwing these kicks without setting them up with punches or you aren’t throwing them at a fast speed, it makes it easier for your opponent to start reading your timing, allowing him to defend properly and start to counter.
This is why it is extremely important to set these kicks up with punches and throw them at a quick speed. It gives your opponent too much to think about and it makes your movements unpredictable. You could also choose to set up this kick with a 2 punch combination initially, and then start mixing it up with 1 or 3 punch combinations later on in the fight to make it even harder for your opponent to try to predict what is coming.
The area of the leg that you are aiming to kick is the inside thigh, right above the knee. This spot hurts a ton, and carries a bunch of muscles that will be greatly damaged after taking a few kicks. If you land a handful of these during a fight, you will really start to notice the impact on your opponent with significantly decreased mobility.
This is a really great technique to drill in depth in the gym. Really take your time to focus on your level change, placement of punches, and quick transition to the kick. It is not an extremely difficult technique, but the ultimate goal in a fight is to do everything as effectively as possible. So, taking your time to make sure you do every aspect of this move correctly will definitely pay off in the long run.
About Marlon Moraes
Marlon Moraes is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division in the UFC. He began training Muay Thai at age 7 as well as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at age 15. He saw quick national success early on in his Muay Thai career before making the switch to MMA. As of February 2021, he is ranked #6 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.
His MMA career began in Xtreme Fighting Championships and then World Series of Fighting before he signed with the UFC in 2017. He has fought some of the biggest names in his division and has received the UFC Fight of the Night three tims. Currently, his professional MMA record stands at 23-8.
About Marlon’s Instructional
Marlon has devoted this instructional to savage switch kicks. Included you will find techniques such as using off balancing kicks to set up strikes, setting up the head kick, head kick off the clinch, switch kicks to all areas of the body, and so much more.
Marlon has been training and perfecting his skills in martial arts for the majority of his life. You can tell as he flows through these techniques that he has really put in the time to become great, and his record speaks for itself. Master the switch kick and learn how to use it to dominate from every position, check out his instructional here!