How To Properly Throw A Roundhouse Kick With Jake Mainini
The roundhouse kick is probably the most iconic kick in existence. It’s the kick that you see the most in movies, TV shows, video games and even in actual martial arts competitions. The roundhouse kick is popular for a reason, it’s so effective and it can be absolutely devastating if landed properly.
However before you can start to knock people out or break bones with it, you need to have the proper technique behind it. Believe it or not there is more than just one version of the roundhouse kick. There are two main types. You have the Muay Thai style roundhouse kick that relies on external rotation and follow through. This kick is more like a baseball bat and that analogy is commonly used to describe it.
The second is the Karate/Taekwondo style of roundhouse kick also known as the round kick or snap kick. This kick mainly relies on flexibility and the snapping motion of the leg to deal damage. In this way the kick is more like a whip than a baseball bat.
It’s not that important that you need to learn both, however it is important to know the proper technique behind the roundhouse kick that you decide to use. That’s why we’ve brought in one of the best and most active striking coaches around to show you how it's done.
In this video, coach Jake Mainini goes over the basics of the Muay Thai style roundhouse kick.
Who Is Jake Mainini
Jake Mainini is a former Muay Thai fighter and current striking coach operating out of Boston. He owns his own gym in the city simply named Hard Knocks Boston. He’s worked with a ton of top names in the combat sports world across different promotions. Most notably he’s worked with top UFC fighters like Calvin Kattar and Rob Font.
The Technique Behind A Muay Thai Roundhouse Kick
The video starts off with coach Jake going over how much external rotation you need for this style of roundhouse kick. To start with you are going to want to step to the outside on a 45 degree angle. This will help open up your hips for the kicks
He says that when you kick you should post on the ball of your standing foot but that when you rotate you don’t need to turn your heel to face your opponent. You still want to keep that heel off the ground because this will help with really turning over the kick.
When it comes to the upper body and how it moves during this kick, you are going to want to have your chin tucked, as always. When you step out for the kick you also want to load the arm on the kicking leg side to your chest. This way when you actually throw the leg you throw your arm back to help balance yourself. Remember that you don’t want to throw it completely back, you want to have your palms facing the opponent so that you block their vision. This also helps keep your distance between you and your opponent.
You want to bring the other arm to the side of your head to keep it protected, don’t let it fly out all loose like.
From there all you need to do is bend the toes down on the kicking leg to protect your foot and your Muay Thai roundhouse kick is good to go!
Learn More From Jake Mainini
If you like this Muay Thai technique breakdown and want to learn more from Jake Mainini, then you should check out his complete Muay Thai video series “The Fundamental System Of Muay Thai By Jake Mainini'' available exclusively on Dynamic Striking!