The Fundamentals Of Setting Up Your Outside Low Kick By Thiago Alves
Throwing leg kicks in MMA or other combative sports is a very effective weapon, when you're trying to win the stand up battle. A good leg kick comes when you have angled off on your opponent and delivered your shot with power generated through your hips.
There is more going on than just throwing your leg out when you are trying to execute a leg kick. Every concept of striking has its own set of fundamentals which gives structure to your technique. Understanding how to cut angles on your opponent minimises your risk of being counter attacked.
An important step is to set up any leg kicks with punches and fakes. Your opponent will be distracted and it will open up your opportunity to change your angle. You want to aim for your opponent's lead leg, making sure your knee passes your target so that your leg can attack with full snap. Rotating with your hips at the point of impact will enhance your power and have your opponent scared to drive forward off his lead leg.
This is why we have brought in one of the best Mixed Martial Artists in the world! In this video, Thiago Alves shows us his take on setting up your opponent for an outside low kick.
Who Is Thiago Alves?
Thiago Alves is a Brazilian born veteran knockout artist of the UFC earning himself the nickname of “The Pitbull” His professional MMA record is 23 wins and 15 losses with an impressive 13 wins by way of knockout. Thiago is the current Middleweight Bare Knuckle Fighting Champion in the BKFC with a record of 2 wins and no losses. The Pitbull is a highly sought after striking coach, he has been coaching out of American Top Team since 2017.
Learn Hard-Hitting Strikes And Combos From Thiago Alves! Click Learn More!
Setting Up The Outside Low Kick
In this video Thiago explains his fundamentals involved in setting up low kicks, He talks about not throwing kicks when you're fifty fifty to your opponent. He shows us that if you attempt a kick right in front of your opponent then they will have an easy time counter striking.
Cutting the angle on your opponent leaves them briefly unable to counter strike, and leaves them vulnerable to your leg attack. If your opponent is able to counter strike then make sure your hands are up and you are using good head movements so you can evade punches.
The Basics!
You are aiming to kick your opponent's lead leg, so cutting the angle to the side or 45 degrees will give you the perfect platform to attack with your low kick. There are two ways to set up this kick, the first is for when you are attacking from 45 degrees. You step your lead leg to the outside, turning your foot outwards making sure you put plenty of weight into your foot.
The second way is to use a pivot off your toes on your lead leg, and this is more advantageous when you are side on to your opponent. Using the pivot gives you a really good range to rotate your hips when you execute your kick.
So using either of these two set ups, you must make sure that when you throw your kick your knee aims past your target and your hips rotate through the kick. This will ensure that you land your kick with full power and with the full capability of your shin. After you have rotated and landed your leg kick, you must quickly reset your leg back to your stance so that you can be ready to fire it off again on the back of more punch combinations.
Remember it is really important to make sure you distract your opponent with punches that will open up avenues for you to land leg kicks. If you just throw kicks your opponent will easily be able to defend them. Using your combinations and cutting the angle will allow you to mix in devastating leg attacks.
Now you can practice these fundamentals of striking and add them to your repertoire as a fighter.
Learn More From The UFC Veteran Thiago Alves!
If you like this video and you want to learn more from a knockout artist and UFC legend like Thiago Alves then check out his series Explosive Striking by Thiago Alves Available exclusively on Dynamic Striking!