Creating Openings For The Calf Kick With Katel Kubis

A lot of newer fighters think that they can just walk forwards and that will be enough to put them into range. This might work if you're facing someone who is new or if you have a physical advantage over your opponents. However once you start to face off against stiffer competition, you’ll just be walking yourself into strikes. 

This will basically turn you into a bull and your opponent into a matador and that’s not a situation that you want to find yourself in. This doesn't mean that you should stop being aggressive and moving forward, not at all. 

What it does mean is that you need to be smart when you’re moving forward to make sure that while you’re closing in on your opponent, you aren’t just staying in front of them. You need to take angles to make sure that you are in a good place to land shots and stop your opponent from hitting you.

This is where lateral footwork comes in but it is harder to learn than moving forwards or backwards. That’s why we’ve brought in one of the best striking coaches in the world to show us how it’s done.

In this video Katel Kubis goes over how to properly put yourself into position to land a calf kick or any other strike for that matter. 

Who Is Katel Kubis? 

Vitelmo Kubis Bandeira, better known as Katel Kubis, is a former MMA fighter from Brazil who now works as a striking coach. He currently works at the legendary MMA camp, American Top Team in Miami, Florida. He’s also worked with a ton of top tier fighters like Anderson Silva and current One Championship Flyweight champion Adriano Moraes. 

Creating Openings With Footwork 

This video goes over a drill that Katel Kubis uses to help develop the sense for distance and angles that is very important, especially if you’re trying to throw kicks.

For this drill you are going to need to have a partner. With your partner you are going to get into a safe distance. This is the distance where neither you nor your opponent can hit each other with any strikes without stepping closer to each other first. 

From this distance either you or your partner are going to move around in front of the other while they stay stationary. For the round the person moving is going to move around, feint and look to get themselves in the proper angle to throw a calf kick. This position is one  where both you and your opponent’s lead foot are facing each other. That is if both of you are in the same stance. 

From there you are going to throw the calf kick. You can choose to throw a more powerful calf kick with follow throw or a flicking calf kick that hurts less but is quicker. Remember to get your practice in but don't try to hurt your partner, rember they will get the chance to kick you as well. 

After throwing the kick, always bring your leg back to your stance quickly, so you can protect yourself against any counters or retaliation stickers from your opponent. 

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