We have all been faced with an opponent who favors the leg kick over everything else; it seems to be a common phase amongst many fighters! There is no denying that when used effectively, a good leg kick can be a formidable weapon, with the ability to unbalance and destabilize the opponent, allowing the upper hand to win. This power, and the apparent popularity of the move, means that it is crucial to have a solution up your sleeve, enabling you to counter any unwanted leg kicks.
The top 5 ways to counter a leg kick are:
- Check the kick
- Use the kick
- Evade the kick
- Jab counter combo
- Low kick destroyer
- Check The Kick
One of the most important ways to counter any leg kick is to make sure you check the attack before it has a chance to land. The key elements here are to make sure your foot is turned out, as opposed to trying to meet the blow straight on; this will only throw you off balance, and allow your opponent to gain the upper hand, moving under the leg to sweep the back leg out from underneath you. Instead, turn the leg to the side and flex the shin; this blocks the kick very effectively, creating a solid, unmovable force which can seriously destabilise your opponent.
Remember not to step forward, as this will unbalance you and place you at a disadvantage; instead, shift your weight slightly to your back foot to ensure a solid, secure foundation from which to work. Lift your leg, and make sure your foot is turned out and flexed up – this increases the strength of the shin, offering greater protection to the leg. This also ensures that the force of the kick is absorbed through the hips, helping you to retain your balance effectively.
- Use The Kick
Once you have successfully checked the kick, you can also take the chance to use it to your full advantage to deliver a double blow, and this can come straight from your check. Once you are in position – leg out, foot turned and flex, take the opportunity to throw a punch with your right hand, stepping left foot forward into the space vacated by your opponent, and using this to throw your weight forward into a right hook. From this position, you will be perfectly primed to follow this with an immediate left hook to the body, offering a great chance to stun your opponent. This can then be followed through by delivering a kick of your own. Once you have delivered the left hook, stay low and take a quick step to the left; this places you in the perfect position to deliver a low kick of your own, while staying well out of the way of any incoming attacks. If you have delivered your combination of punches with enough power, your opponent will still be dazed and trying to recover, making this a perfect chance to sweep their leg from beneath them, and get them on the mat. This takes speed and agility, but with enough practice, can be a deadly way to turn an incoming leg kick to your full advantage.
- Evade The Kick
Evasion is often seen as a ‘simple’ solution, but it can actually be tricky to get right. When many fighters attempt to evade a leg kick, they make one key mistake: leaping right back out of range to protect themselves from the attack. While this is one way to make sure that you avoid the kick, it comes with its own major disadvantage: you are now out of range to continue the fight. Not only does this slow you down, but it also offers an opening for a faster opponent who realises there is a window, and may just be fast enough to take it.
To avoid this, and use the low kick to your advantage, there is one clear change to make in your evasion technique. Instead of jumping back with your whole body – taking you out of range – the goal is to keep your upper body in place, and simply move your lover body (usually from the hips down) back and out of reach. This can be tricky; there is a temptation to move with our whole body which can be hard to resist, but enough practice will help you get used to the sensation, and instill this as an instinctive reaction. By leaving your upper body in place, you are ready to carry on with minimal disruption, and have one significant advantage; as the opponent’s kicking leg returns to the floor, it is typically wide open, allowing you to go in with a low kick. The other fighter’s balance is likely to be off as a result of swinging and missing, and this can be the opportunity you need to really gain the upper hand.
- Jab Counter Combo
Using the kick to your advantage is always helpful; the momentum and weight of the opponent will do most of the work for you, allowing you to maximise results with minimal effort on your end. There is a great combo which can help you gain the upper hand, and leave your opponent reeling and unlikely to try another kick. As the kick comes in, shield and step forward with your outside leg, aiming a jab to the head. Follow this up with a fast cross, and then a left hook to the head – this is great for seriously disorienting your enemy. As a final blow, go in with a right knee to the body; if timed correctly, this will catch the opponent perfectly, winding them and causing them to pause, even if only temporarily. With enough force, this could be the advantage you need.
- Low Kick Destroyer
One of the most effective ways to prevent the leg kick is to make it extremely unpleasant for your opponent – the goal is to ensure that you are causing them far more pain than they could cause you. This reduces the appeal of the kick, and makes them far more likely to stop attempting the move – everybody would rather reduce the pain they receive if possible. The low kick destroyer is a great way to achieve this, and can be easily delivered simply by building on the basic check move we discussed earlier, which sees you meeting your opponents kick with a turning of the lower leg, ensuring that their blow makes contact with your shin – an unpleasant enough experience they will be keen to avoid.
With a regular check, you will block the low kick using your shin, lifting your leg and turning it slightly to the side, feet out and flexed. The low kick destroyer takes this one step further, using your knee to block the kick and gain the advantage. This is a very simple adaptation; when the low kick comes in, you simply lift your leg, tucking the lower leg beneath you slightly so that the kick makes full contact with your knee. Remember, the opponent is the one with momentum here, and this will continue until they hit the surface with full force, causing a greater amount of pain and damage, and reducing the likelihood that they will strike again. As an added bonus, the low kick destroyer requires minimal movement on your part; you simply have to lift and bend your leg, and this leaves the remainder of the body free to move and strike, taking advantage of a loss of balance from the enemy.
Timing and trajectory are crucial with this block; the surface area you are targeting is small, and so you need to be able to hit it with deadly accuracy in order to have the desired effect on your opponent. Remember however, that this can cause a lot of pain, so take care when training – this is a technique best practiced under controlled conditions, to improve accuracY rather than focusing on power.
Things to Remember
Low kicks are fast and effective, designed to take out an opponent in a quick, clean way, before there is a chance to react. That means you will need a few skills onside to help boost your chances of success, and provide you with enough time to react effectively.
- Speed
Kicks are speedy, and you have to match this; make sure you are ready to react as soon as you suspect a kick is coming, and can leap to turn a defense into an offense.
- Agility
Many of the techniques we explored here require great balance and fast movement, so make sure you are comfortable moving quickly around the ring, changing balance, adn altering your centre of gravity.
- Weight manipulation
Used effectively, many techniques can allow you to use the weight of the opponent to your advantage; not only does this mean you are exerting less energy, but it can also increase the effectiveness and power of the move; any momentum or movement will immediately be detrimental, and this is good news for you if they put a lot of force behind their attack.