enough to change it to a side kick without your foot touching the floor. The switch is easy to do, but it takes training to do it with speed, which you need to get the side kick into the opening that was made by his roundhouse block.
Let’s say you do the sacrifice roundhouse and you roll it nicely into the side kick. But your opponent is having a good day and blocks or jams your second kick, too. Instead of setting your leg down and cursing under your breath, roll your leg right back into a roundhouse chamber and pop another roundhouse into his ribs. Ha, ha on him. This works because you are kicking at different angles: You start with a circular kick, abruptly change it to a linear one and then back to a circular one. Your opponent’s eyes will be rolling in their sockets like a cartoon character’s.
To reiterate, if you don’t have the flexibility, speed and strength right now to do this as well as you would like, don’t worry about it. You will develop those attributes by doing repetitions, lots of them.
Here are a few other combinations using the roundhouse kick that are good exercises because they develop hip and leg strength, flexibility and the ability to change directions of force quickly. Be sure to do all the kicks before returning your foot to the floor. Work them hard as an exercise and soon you will be using them against an opponent.
Roundhouse kick, side kick, roundhouse kick
Roundhouse kick, front kick, roundhouse kick
Roundhouse kick low, roundhouse kick high
Roundhouse kick, hook kick, side kick
Roundhouse kick, side kick, hook kick
Air reps: 3 sets, 10 reps -- both sides, each combination
Superset roundhouse drill This is a simple but effective two-part exercise I’ve been using since I read an article about it written by Black Belt Hall of Fame member Jon Valera in the March 2000 issue of “Martial arts Training” magazine. Though simple, it’s a tough one that when done consistently will develop power, endurance and explosiveness in your roundhouse.
Part one: Assume a left-leg-forward fighting stance in front of a heavy, hanging bag. Whip a right roundhouse kick into the bag and then retract it all the way back to its starting position. Repeat for one minute and then switch your stance and kick with your other leg for one minute. Don’t stroll in the park here, but go all out for as many reps as you can squeeze into 60 seconds.
Part two: Now, without pausing, you are ready for the second part of the superset: roundhouse kicking with the front leg. So that you begin this set with a relatively fresh right leg, assume a right-leg-forward fighting stance. Whip out as many hard and fast lead-leg roundhouse kicks as you are able in one minute. Switch stances and do the same with your left leg.
Here is how the superset looks:
Rear-leg roundhouse kicks: 1 set, 60 seconds —each leg
Front-leg roundhouse kicks: 1 set, 60 seconds —each leg
Free of charge, I’m including five of my favorite kicks that are sort of out of the norm but have always served me well. Although many fighting systems incorporate them, there are many more that don’t. I encourage you to include them in your fighting repertoire because they are sneaky, versatile and they can be combined easily with other techniques to make effective combinations.
Here is how you do them and how you can practice them on your own.
Funny Kick
I learned this technique from a friend who studies and teaches kajukenbo, an eclectic system developed in the late 1940s by five instructors from five different arts, specifically, Korean karate, jujitsu, judo, kenpo and kung fu. The funny kick was designed by them because they wanted a fast, deceptive and hard-to-block kick that required little flexibility and could be delivered with minimum telegraphing. The funny kick does all this while looking sort of odd in the process.
This is because your foot moves toward the target on a circular path and connects with the outside edge (the little-toe side) of your foot.
Assume a left-leg-forward stance and make a sharp twist of your upper body to your right as you “flip out” your lower leg using the hinge action of your knee. The knee actually points down throughout the motion, which provides several advantages. Your upper leg is in the way, so your all-important groin is protected against your opponent’s counter kick, which is not the case with the standard roundhouse that also travels on a circular path. There is a minimum of telegraphing since you don’t have to lift the leg prior to kicking, which makes it an effective kick against strong counter punchers. Although the lack of telegraphing makes it a great kick for the street, it can be hard for tournament judges to see since the delivery is different than the usual roundhouse kick. Try shouting as you kick to draw their attention to it.
It’s also a good street technique because you can flip it easily into an assailant’s groin even when you are wearing tight pants (I once tore the crotch out of my pants in a street scuffle when I threw a head-high roundhouse kick). Since the motion of the funny kick comes from the hinge action of your knee as opposed to body momentum, its impact is not as great as other kicks. While kicking an opponent in the stomach, chest or head will get you points in competition, it’s doubtful it would stop an enraged person or a drug-sopped street creep. When using it in a real fight, you will have greater success kicking to the groin and then following up with hard punches.
If you have not practiced the funny kick before, go easy at first. It’s quite stressful on the knee joint. Be kind to your knees and go easy the first few workouts. Trust me on this. I have had many students limp into Wednesday’s class after going too hard with the funny kick in Monday’s class. It’s also wise not do it on the bag for several workouts until your knees get use to the motion.
First two weeks (Go easy)
Air: 2 sets, 10 reps — each leg, 2 times a week
After first two weeks (Pick up the pace but watch for knee pain)
3 sets, 15 reps — each leg, 2 times a week
After 3-4 weeks
Heavy bag: 2 sets, 15 reps —each leg, 2 times a week
From your on-guard position, twist your upper body hard to your right as you flip out the lower portion of your led leg, striking with the little-toe side of your foot.
Movement Continued
Groin Slap with a Hook
As if slapping your foot up into an assailant’s groin isn’t bad enough, the little added bonus I offer here will make his experience even more miserable. As the old saying goes: Don’t pick on me if you don’t want to get your groin kicked into the dirt. (Actually, I just made that up.)
The slap kick is done with either the front or rear foot; it’s faster with the front and stronger with the rear. You don’t have to take time to chamber your leg, since it’s already bent from crouching in whatever stance you are in. When the assailant is close enough, all you have to do is straighten your leg and it snaps right up into the target. If he is out of range, close the distance by stepping up with your rear foot to the heel of your front foot, and then kick with your front foot into the target (this is the replacement step discussed on page 92, “Five Basic Ways to Step.”). As you probably know, it doesn’t take a lot of force against the