Chop Down The Opposition With Melvin Manhoef
Low kicks are a staple strike of Muay Thai. These shots not only score points, but they also hurt a ton, especially if the person taking the kick isn’t used to getting kicked there a lot. Not only do they hurt, but landing a low kick in combat sports is a lot like landing body shots in boxing, as the more you land the more they benefit you. You should think of low kicks and body shots like investments, that will pay off more so later in the fight.
This is because the more low kicks that you land, preferably right on the same part of the leg, the more your opponent's leg is going to be in pain, and they won't be able to put weight on it. Since they won’t be able to put weight on their lead leg, their strikes wont have anywhere near as much power as they would. Your opponent will also have their movement decimated by kicking their legs, once again because they can’t put any weight on that leg without putting it in immense pain.
This means that if you’re fighting one of those annoying guys who just won’t stop moving and you can’t seem to hit them, cutting them off with a few leg kicks is a solid way to make them slow down, especially if you manage to kick their leg as there moving into the strike, which will do a massive amount of damage.
Low kicking them a ton will also make them super fixated on that leg, meaning that they will think that any move you make will be a low kick, which will give you a ton of openings to work off of.
That being said in order to make your low kicks effective, you are going to need to know how to throw them. In this video Striking coach, fromer kickboxing world champion and current Bellator Middleweight fighter Melvin Manhoef, goes over how to throw the low kick and a very basic combination for them.
Manhoef starts off the video with a simple way to set up a low kick. To set up a rear low kick, throw a jab so that you blind your opponent and you get them thinking about your hands and that you are only going to strike to the head. To throw your kick, you are going to want to step out on an angle and move your head off the center-line from where it usually stands. This way you are out of the way of anything counter shots your opponent might throw to catch you on the way in.
Off of that outside step you're going to pivot off that foot that just stepped down so you can throw your hips into the strike. This way you swing your leg across and dig into the thigh of the opponent. Manhoef shows a more dutch style leg kick, less so about doing a ton of damage and more so to continue a combination and set up other strikes.
If you really want to have a well rounded striking arsenal, you are going to want to be able to do both, this way you can keep your opponent guessing and be able to string together more advanced combinations. Check out more Knockout Tips with Melvin's instructional available NOW!