I don't care if people take exception to what I say here, I'm going to say it anyway, the kicking I see in the UFC and MMA is not really kicking. Truth, it is leg swinging, without focus, and it is sport and not art. the purpose of this writing is to tell you why it doesn't work, and the simple things you can do to put art back into sport.
I had a friend, name of Ted, way back in the late sixties when I was doing Chinese Kenpo. He had long hair and dressed like a hippie, who happened to have the most amazing kicking ability. One day he was driving through the San Jose traffic, and a fellow cut in front of him, so Ted hit the horn.
The fellow stopped his car and got out and walked back towards Ted, who got out of his car. The fellow was huge, a monster, and he dwarfed Ted, and he said some unpleasant things. Ted backed up, held up his hands palm out, and told the fellow he didn't want to fight.
The fellow swung a massive fist, and Ted rocked back and planted a beautiful roundhouse kick in the center of the guys chest. The fellow sat down on the street, looked at his chest in surprise then stood up and rushed Ted again. Ted tried to back away again, and he told the fellow he didn't want to fight.
The brute threw a haymaker, and that was when Ted called on the true art of kicking. Ted sunk his weight, put his weight into the kick, and smacked the fellow on the chin. Bang and fellow laid down for a ten count snooze, and Ted went to his car and drove away.
So, putting your body into the kick, throwing the hips are important, even crucial, and some fellows don't it and some fellows do, but the ball of the foot, that was the heart of the matter. Look, when the MMA contestant bashes, he throws his leg like he is swinging a bat, and there is not enough weight behind it. When you use the ball of the foot, the energy goes back along the leg, through the hips, and down into the ground and there is lots of body behind the kick.
Yes, kicking with the instep can work, and sometimes well, but kicking with the instep spreads the striking area over more surface area. The ball of the foot kick concentrates the the strike into a smaller area, puts more weight in contact with a smaller surface. If you want to put a nice, precise hole in a piece of wood, are you going to let the weight spread out, or are you going to use a tidy, little hammer and focus the weight into a smaller area?
Kicking, like punching, is an art, and the UFC and MMA type of fighters are really doing boxing, not the science of pure martial arts. To understand pure martial arts, one has to study this western thing called physics, and apply it to eastern martial arts, and then the answers and ability will come, and then the art will be resurrected. Art will win over sport, and not just gladiatorial contests, but in life, that is the solution and the way of the true art. - 31497
I had a friend, name of Ted, way back in the late sixties when I was doing Chinese Kenpo. He had long hair and dressed like a hippie, who happened to have the most amazing kicking ability. One day he was driving through the San Jose traffic, and a fellow cut in front of him, so Ted hit the horn.
The fellow stopped his car and got out and walked back towards Ted, who got out of his car. The fellow was huge, a monster, and he dwarfed Ted, and he said some unpleasant things. Ted backed up, held up his hands palm out, and told the fellow he didn't want to fight.
The fellow swung a massive fist, and Ted rocked back and planted a beautiful roundhouse kick in the center of the guys chest. The fellow sat down on the street, looked at his chest in surprise then stood up and rushed Ted again. Ted tried to back away again, and he told the fellow he didn't want to fight.
The brute threw a haymaker, and that was when Ted called on the true art of kicking. Ted sunk his weight, put his weight into the kick, and smacked the fellow on the chin. Bang and fellow laid down for a ten count snooze, and Ted went to his car and drove away.
So, putting your body into the kick, throwing the hips are important, even crucial, and some fellows don't it and some fellows do, but the ball of the foot, that was the heart of the matter. Look, when the MMA contestant bashes, he throws his leg like he is swinging a bat, and there is not enough weight behind it. When you use the ball of the foot, the energy goes back along the leg, through the hips, and down into the ground and there is lots of body behind the kick.
Yes, kicking with the instep can work, and sometimes well, but kicking with the instep spreads the striking area over more surface area. The ball of the foot kick concentrates the the strike into a smaller area, puts more weight in contact with a smaller surface. If you want to put a nice, precise hole in a piece of wood, are you going to let the weight spread out, or are you going to use a tidy, little hammer and focus the weight into a smaller area?
Kicking, like punching, is an art, and the UFC and MMA type of fighters are really doing boxing, not the science of pure martial arts. To understand pure martial arts, one has to study this western thing called physics, and apply it to eastern martial arts, and then the answers and ability will come, and then the art will be resurrected. Art will win over sport, and not just gladiatorial contests, but in life, that is the solution and the way of the true art. - 31497
About the Author:
Al Case has delved into martial arts for 4O+ years. A writer and columnist for the magazines since 1981, he is the originator of Matrixing Technology. You can see his work on developing perfect and artistic punches and kicks at Monster Martial Arts. Look around the site for his free ebook on Matrixing.
