Different Kinds Of Front Kicks With The Machida Brothers
Front kicks are an underused weapon in MMA but one only needs to look at pretty much any Muay Thai, kickboxing or even traditional martial arts fighters to see how effective they can be. Front kicks, especially ones off of the lead leg can be thought off in a similar way to the jab. Front kicks can be used to keep your opponent away, check your distance, set up combination and even to just score points.
The front kick is a great weapon to have in your arsenal but did you know that there are actually multiple kinds of front kicks. To be exact there are two main different types of front kicks, one is the snap kick and the other is known as a push kick or a teep. While these two techniques look pretty similar and can be used in a similar way, it’s important to know the difference between them and train both of them so that you are proficient in both styles.
The place where they distinguish between these two strikes the most is in more traditional martial arts, like Karate. Well luckily we have some of the best Karate style fighters in MMA history here to talk about and show you the difference between front kicks.
In this video, Lyoto and Chinzo Machida go over the difference between front kicks and how best to use each one. Lyoto and Chinzo Machida are some of the best examples of Karate being successful in MMA. The pair were trained basically from birth by their Karate master father. The two then went on to become two of the best strikers in the sport of MMA and Lyoto even became UFC light heavyweight champion. The pair now both compete at the top of Bellator MMA’s leaderboard.
Different Front Kicks For MMA
The video starts off with the pair talking about the differences between the snap kick and the push kick. The snap kick, you bring the kick up to your opponent, going from the bottom up top in a snapping motion. This does more damage. The push kick is the opposite, to push kick you first bring your knee up and then you literally push out to the bottom. This motion gets you more of a pushing effect on your opponent.
Another difference between these two kicks is which part of the foot is landing. With the push kick, you ideally want to push with all of the bottom of your foot. This will help to knock your opponent further back. Meanwhile with the snap kick, You just want to land with the ball of your foot. This means you’re going to need to curl your toes backwards. This creates more of a stabbing impact rather than a pushing one. You can do either of these kicks off of either leg, both lead and back.
Learn More From Chinzo And Lyoto Machida 
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