How To Throw A Side Kick With Jérôme Le Banner
The sidekick is probably one of the most famous kicks in all of martial arts, made famous by the man, the myth, the legend himself, Bruce Lee. Despite how popular it is in media like movies and video games, we don’t see the side kick too much in modern combat sports.
This includes MMA, Kickboxing and Muay Thai, where you do see a few fighters use it consistently but for the vast majority of fighters it is a technique that they never use. This is due to a few reasons, the main one being the stance that people take, especially in MMA, which makes throwing the side kick a challenge from the very beginning.
The thing is that this issue can be fixed with some practice and for a lot of fighters it is well worth the work.
So just how can you throw a side kick in MMA or in Kickboxing? Well we have one of the best kickboxers in history to show you how.
In this video, Jerome Le Banner shows you how to throw a proper side kick for combat sports
Who Is Jerome Le Banner?
Jérôme Le Banner is a French Kickboxing and MMA fighter who spent most of his combat sports career in the prestigious K-1 kickboxing promotion. Le Banner is a two time K-1 Grand Prix champion and holds notable wins over big names like Mark Hunt, Peter Aerts , Tyrone Spong, Rick Roufus and Ernesto Hoost.
How To Throw A Side Kick In MMA
The video starts off with Jerome stating that you need to change your stance if you want to throw a lead leg side kick in MMA. You want to be in something kind of like a fencing stance or a traditional Taekwondo stance. This will also get your leg up fast and at a better angle. Try to think about both legs being on one straight vertical line.
From this new stance you can push forward off of your back leg and shoot off your side kick. If you aren’t really flexible just aim for the body. This is because if you aren’t used to throwing the kick, you will have some balance and coordination.
When it comes to actually throwing the side kick, there are a few things you need to do. The first thing you need to do is chamber your kick. This means that you bring your leg up first before actually firing your kick, like chambering a bullet in a gun.
From the chambered position is where you fire the kick. After landing the kick you want to bring your leg back to the chambered position and then place it down.
Try to land with the entirety of the ball of your foot when throwing the side kick as well to get more pushing force. Think of this kick kind of like a push kick or even a jab in that you use it to maintain distance and even to set up other strikes.
Make sure that you go back to your normal stance after landing the kick, as this new stance leaves you exposed to takedowns and low kicks, especially if you don’t have experience working in it.
Learn More From Jerome Le Banner
If you liked this technique tutorial and want to learn more from Jérôme Le Banner then check out his complete video series “Complete Kickboxing Basics By Jérôme Le Banner” available exclusively on Dynamic Striking!