内三日月蹴り（基本型）(Uchi Mikazuki-geri (Kihon-gata))
TraditionalTranslation: standard inside crescent
The Standard Inside Crescent Kick is executed by swinging the kicking leg in a wide arc from the outside toward the centreline, with the leg relatively straight and the foot contacting the target — typically the temple, ear, or jawline — with the sole or flat of the foot. [1] The hip drives the leg through the sweeping path, and the core muscles stabilise the body as the leg crosses the midline. [1],[2] This technique is commonly used in taekwondo sparring as a setup technique or guard-clearing tool. [2],[3]
Standard inside crescent kick. [1]
From TKD/karate. [1]
Used in competition. [1]
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Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
Arcing kick; primarily used for guard manipulation
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text (Gichin Funakoshi, 1935)
Alias sources — [1] Kukkiwon Taekwondo Textbook (Kukkiwon, 2006) [2] Karate-Do Kyohan (Funakoshi, 1935) [3] Dynamic Karate (Nakayama, 1966)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts (Draeger & Smith, 1969)
Official karate technique names (和語/漢語)
Established Japanese martial arts naming convention — native Japanese term (和語/漢語)
Alias sources — [1] Kukkiwon Taekwondo Textbook (Kukkiwon, 2006) [2] Karate-Do Kyohan (Funakoshi, 1935) [3] Dynamic Karate (Nakayama, 1966)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts (Draeger & Smith, 1969)
hip rotation power, rear foot pivot, full kinetic chain coordination
reach advantage, strong hips for power transfer
glutes, obliques, pectorals, triceps, deltoids
Many practitioners fail to rotate their hips fully through the kick, leaving the hip behind instead of carrying it all the way through so the kicking hip ends up in front. Full hip rotation is essential for proper technique and power.
Pause in a "crazy stance" with full hip rotation completed, then bring your foot back to neutral. This gives you control and the ability to advance, retreat, or change angles rather than letting the kick drag you out of position.
Bring your knee up and out at a 45-degree angle, then bring your foot across in a nice arc where it goes out, up, and then back. The movement creates a smooth arc rather than a straight line.
The instructor generally likes to throw a side kick after an inside crescent, using the pause in the crazy stance to set up kicking combinations.
The Standard Inside Crescent Kick is executed by swinging the kicking leg in a wide arc from the outside toward the centreline, with the leg relatively straight and the foot contacting the target — typically the temple, ear, or jawline — with the sole or flat of the foot. The hip drives the leg through the sweeping path, and the core muscles stabilise the body as the leg crosses the midline.
The standard inside crescent kick is a fundamental technique in taekwondo and karate, taught at coloured belt levels and featured in traditional forms and competition sparring. Its dual offensive and defensive utility has kept it in martial arts curricula across multiple styles.
Unified MMA: legal — Legal striking technique; WBC/Boxing: banned — All kicks prohibited in boxing; WKF: legal — Legal, chudan (body) kick scores 2 points, jodan (head) kick scores 3 points; Kyokushin: legal — Legal at full power to body and head; WT: legal — Legal, body kick 2 points, head kick 3 points, spinning body 4 points, spinni…; WAKO: legal — Legal in Full Contact and Low Kick formats; K: legal — 1/GLORY — Legal; IFMA: legal — Legal — kicks are a core Muay Thai technique
Danger rating 5/10. High — arcing kick; primarily used for guard manipulation
The standard setup chain: Assume Fighting Stance → Generate Power → Execute Strike → Recover to Guard.
Standard counters include: Check (Shin Block) — raise the shin to intercept the kick before it lands / Catch and Sweep — catch the kicking leg and sweep the standing leg / Step Inside — close distance inside the kick's effective range to smother it.
Common variants: Standard cross (rear-hand straight punch with full hip rotation); Counter cross (pull counter) (leaning back to avoid the jab, firing the cross as a counter); Step-in cross (stepping forward with the punch for added reach and power); Body cross (targeting the solar plexus or liver with the straight rea…).
Used in competition.
Top errors to watch for: Swinging the leg from the hip without engaging the core — the arc should be powered by the hip and midsection rotation / Letting the kick fade out at the top of the arc without actually hitting anything — it must snap at the target / Turning the back toward the opponent during the inward swing / Landing off-balance after the kick because the momentum carried the body sideways.
The Standard Inside Crescent is also known as Uchi Mikazuki-geri (Kihon-gata), An Bandal Chagi, Mikazuki Geri Uchi, Standard Inward Arc Kick.
