Develop Strong Leg Kicks With Jake Mainini
If you are reading this there is a very good chance you like watching fights. If not, you might be on the wrong web page. If you are person one great! Move on to the next paragraph. If you are the latter just hang on and hear what I have to say, because it might just change your perspective.
Kickboxing, Boxing and MMA all have a world wide following, but why? If it that Animal instinct to prove dominance over another one of our own species? Is it the money? Is it the fame? There are many reasons why people fight. Yet why do people follow fighting?
I think in the case of MMA, it is the old school yard argument about who would win in a fist fight. Which Style is best? Can the wrestlers survive the boxer’s punishment on the way in. Can the Thai Fighter survive the JiuJitsu fighters attempts to take down and strangle? MMA is the proving ground that destroys all theory and mystery. Notice how not many of these no touch knock out guys are showing up to MMA fights!
In Boxing it is my belief that it is a two-part spectacle. The first is the prefight shows and the outlandish walk outs, flashing lights and robes. The other part is what many refer to as “The Sweet Science” quick movements and perry’s and hard counters. The classic story of David vs Goliath or the Storybook rags to riches opportunity playing out in the squared circle.
Kickboxing is the beast of the three sports when it comes to fans. As of the past few years Muay Thai, and K1 style boxing has become more popular it is still not the juggernaut that Boxing and MMA are. What draws people to watch Kickboxing is brutality. There is no other sport that has more devastating knockouts than Kickboxing.
The action is always pushed in kickboxing. This comes from the Muay Thai Roots. Fighters are not allowed to just stand around and wait, the action is forced. If you are a dull fighter, you wont be booked again. You have to bring pressure and power.
This is not saying other sports do not have powerful kicks and punches, but other sports that allow kicking do not have the large gloves to deaden the blow. So to counter act the defensive gloves Kickboxers have to throw everything they got into the kick.
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This includes using the whole body to try and kick through the other fighter. It is not uncommon to see poorly blocked kicks yield a broken arm. Sometimes a good check to a kick will cause a fighter to break their own leg.
Although the broken leg is often attributed to lazy kicking when the attacking fighter does not turn their hips over all the way they end up kicking with the side of the calf (Tibula and Fibula bones) and they are not designed to sustain forces in that direction, so they give way. Moral of the story is don’t be a lazy kicker.
Of all Kickboxing styles it is a unanimous amongst fighters that Muay Thai has the hardest kicks. It is their primary weapon. In contrast to the 1980’s fad of American Kickboxing that used mostly boxing and kicks to the upper body, Thai fighters make the effort at “Chopping The tree” at its base. Or Leg kicks, Lots and lots of devastating leg kicks.
So how do they do it? How do they harness an entire bodies power into a kick? Let Pro Thai Fighter Jake Mainini show you how to properly generate a strong kick.
Listen to that CRACK! Imagine that driving into your short ribs? It would not tickle that is for sure!
Key points to hard kicking.
- Step out 45 degrees (Increasing power)
- Up on your post legs toes
- Chamber Kicking leg while kicking
- BREATHE OUT! While striking
- Keep your Chin TUCKED (Don’t get knocked out)
- Use Proper arm mechanics!
As a note to keep in mind. Shins do require conditioning. So Start slow and higher up on a heavy bag. Kicking the bottom of a heavy bag off the bat is going to sting a lot. The only way to condition ones shins is to kick the back but it cannot be rushed. It will time several months if not years to acquire those movie star like shins.
If you are looking to add Thai Boxing into your routine at the gym, or are looking to start in the Kickboxing world, you are going to need good solid fundamentals.
No better place to start for fundamentals is with Jake Mainini’s instructional series on the fundamentals of Muay Thai. Jake has fought all over the world and faced some of the biggest names in the sport. There is no better teacher to learn from than him in the USA.
Check out his series on the Basics of Muay Thai Here!