Taekwondo,Basic Movement,Basic Kick
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Fundamental Kick·Taweesilp Taekwondo Thailand
🥋By Master Taweesilp Khamnuan 7th Dan Black Belt (KUKKIWON) Headcoach of Taweesilp taekwondo gyms 👉Follow me.. on …
Fundamental Kick
Familyファンダメンタル蹴り技(Fandamentaru Keri Waza)
Translation: fundamental kick
Overview
The Fundamental Kick family covers core kicking techniques across martial arts — the most powerful strikes in combat, delivering force through the shin, foot, or knee using the largest muscle groups in the body. [1] Kicking generates significantly more force than punching because the legs are both longer (more leverage) and powered by larger muscles (glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings), making kicks the dominant power weapon in Muay Thai, Taekwondo, kickboxing, and karate. [1],[2] This family covers the universal kicking archetypes: front kick (teep/mae geri), roundhouse kick (the most versatile and commonly used kick), side kick, back kick, and their variations across martial arts traditions. [2],[3] In MMA, the low kick (targeting the opponent's lead leg) has become one of the most tactically important techniques, while head kicks produce the most spectacular knockouts. [3]
Kicking TechniqueFoot StrikeLeg Strike
History & Origin
Kicking techniques appear in virtually every martial arts tradition worldwide, from ancient Greek pankration (documented in pottery from 5th century BCE) to Asian martial arts developed over millennia. [1] Muay Thai developed the most combatively tested kicking system through centuries of full-contact competition in Thailand. [1],[2] Taekwondo made kicks the centrepiece of Korean martial arts, developing the most diverse kicking vocabulary of any art. [2],[3] The adoption of Muay Thai-style leg kicks into MMA in the 1990s–2000s transformed striking strategy, as fighters discovered that consistent low kicks could disable opponents. [3]
Effectiveness
Kicks are the most powerful strikes in combat sports — biomechanical studies show that roundhouse kicks generate 3-4 times more force than punches from the same fighter. [1] In MMA, head kicks are responsible for many of the most dramatic knockouts in UFC history (Edson Barboza, Yoel Romero, Joaquin Buckley). [2] Low kicks have decided multiple high-profile fights, most notably in the Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier trilogy where calf kicks played a decisive role. [3]
Lineage
Competition Record
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Delivering force through the shin, instep, ball of foot, or heel using the large muscle groups of the legs and the rotational mechanics of the hips
Joints Involved — Hip (rotation and extension generate primary kicking power), knee (chamber and extension — the whip-like action that accelerates the foot/shin), ankle (positioning the foot for the correct striking surface), standing leg (pivot and base support)
Force Vector — Front kick: linear, straight forward targeting the midsection
Roundhouse: lateral arc, rotating the hip through to drive the shin or instep into the target
Side kick: lateral linear, driving the heel sideways into the target
Back kick: rear linear, driving the heel backward into the target
Kicking Mechanic — Kicks follow a chamber-extend-retract sequence: the knee lifts (chamber), the lower leg whips through (extension), and the leg pulls back (retraction); the hip turn determines the kick's direction and power, while the standing foot pivot controls the range and angle
Position & Entry
Roundhouse kick to the leg (low kick) — From fighting stance, pivot on the lead foot while rotating the rear hip forward, whipping the shin into the opponent's lead thigh — the most commonly used kick in MMA and Muay Thai [1]
Front kick (teep/push kick) — From fighting stance, lift the lead knee, extend the foot into the opponent's midsection pushing them away — a range-management and disruption tool
Side kick — From fighting stance, chamber the lead knee, turn the hip over, and drive the heel sideways into the opponent's midsection or knee — the longest-range kick
Head kick (roundhouse to the head) — Same mechanics as the low kick but targeted at the head; requires flexibility and timing — the most spectacular knockout technique in striking sports
Videos
How To Do A Hook Kick | Martial Arts For Beginners
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Fundamental Kick·The Martial Arts EDGE
This video will show you how to do a hook kick in the martial arts. This hook kick tutorial will go over how to hook ki…
2 videos
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
8
Very High8/10
Kicks generate massive force capable of knockouts, broken bones, and ligament damage; the low kick can disable the opponent's lead leg (as demonstrated in multiple UFC fights where fighters couldn't continue due to leg damage); head kicks cause concussions and spectacular KOs
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Beginner
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
Illegal
WBC/Boxing — All kicks prohibited in boxing {src— WBC Rules of Boxing}
Legal
— Unified MMA — Legal striking technique
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDFKyokushin — Legal at full power to body and head {src— IKO Kyokushin Tournament Rules}
— WT — Legal, body kick 2 points, head kick 3 points, spinn...
WT Competition Rules 2024PDF— WAKO — Legal in Full Contact and Low Kick formats
WAKO Competition RulesPDFK-1/GLORY — Legal {src— K-1/GLORY Kickboxing Rules}
— IFMA — Legal — kicks are a core Muay Thai technique
IFMA Muay Thai RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓The roundhouse kick is the most important kick to master — it is the most commonly used and most versatile kick in all striking sports (Kraitus, Muay Thai, 1988) [1]
✓Kick the heavy bag with full power to develop proper shin conditioning and kicking form — hundreds of kicks per training session
✓Chamber the knee before extending — kicks that skip the chamber (swinging the straight leg) are telegraphed and weak
✓The standing foot pivot determines range and power — the ball of the standing foot must rotate to allow full hip turn
✓Low kicks win fights — in MMA, consistent low kicks to the lead leg accumulate damage that slows the opponent and limits their footwork
✓Practice head kicks for flexibility — daily stretching (dynamic and static) is required to kick above waist height for many people
✓In Muay Thai, kick through the target — the shin should drive through the opponent as if aiming a foot behind them [2]
✓Check kicks defensively — if you can't check (block) low kicks with your shin, you cannot compete in any striking sport; drill the check until reflexive
Common Mistakes
!Kicking with the foot instead of the shin (in Muay Thai/MMA) — the shin is harder and more durable than the foot; foot kicks risk toe and metatarsal injuries
!Not pivoting the standing foot — insufficient pivot limits hip rotation and reduces power by 50% or more
!Dropping the guard when kicking — hands must stay up to protect the chin; dropping hands while kicking invites counter punches
!Kicking from too far away — kicks that fall short waste energy and leave you off-balance
!Not retracting the kick — a kick that stays extended after contact is easily caught; retract immediately
!Skipping leg kicks — many strikers focus on flashy head kicks while neglecting the tactically crucial low kick
!Telegraphing with upper body — leaning backward or shifting weight obviously before kicking signals the technique
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Shin Check — raising the shin to intercept incoming kicksCatch the Kick — catching the opponent's kicking leg to set up sweeps or takedownsStep In — closing distance inside the kick to nullify its powerCounter Punch — timing a punch to land as the opponent commits to the kickLow Kick Return — immediately returning a low kick after receiving one
Setup Chain
1Establish Striking Range — use footwork to position at kicking distance
2Set Up with Hands — use jabs, crosses, or feints to occupy the opponent's guard
3Chamber — lift the kicking knee to prepare the kick
4Execute — extend the kick through the target with full hip rotation
5Retract — pull the kicking leg back immediately after contact
6Reset — return to fighting stance with guard up
Sources & References
Primary Source
Muay Thai: The Art of Eight Limbs (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988)
1BookMuay Thai: The Art of Eight Limbs (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988)
Description sources — [1] Muay Thai: The Art of Eight Limbs (Kraitus, 1988) [2] Dynamic Karate (Nakayama, 1966) [3] UFC fight analysis
2BookDynamic Karate (Nakayama, 1966)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Biomechanical studies on kick force [2] UFC knockout statistics [3] McGregor vs Poirier fight analysis
3BookTaekwondo (Yeon Hee Park, 1999)
4BookTao of Jeet Kune Do (Lee, 1975)
5CitationMuay Thai: The Art of Eight Limbs (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988)
Description sources — [1] Muay Thai: The Art of Eight Limbs (Kraitus, 1988) [2] Dynamic Karate (Nakayama, 1966) [3] UFC fight analysis
6CitationDynamic Karate (Nakayama, 1966)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Biomechanical studies on kick force [2] UFC knockout statistics [3] McGregor vs Poirier fight analysis
7CitationTaekwondo (Yeon Hee Park, 1999)
8CitationTao of Jeet Kune Do (Lee, 1975)
Community
Athletics
Requires
hip flexibility (especially for head kicks), balance (standing on one leg while kicking), shin conditioning (kicking hard surfaces without injury)
Favours
long legs (more range and leverage), flexible hips, explosive hip rotation, good balance
Key muscles
glutes (hip extension), quadriceps (knee extension), hip flexors (chamber), hamstrings (roundhouse retraction), calves (standing leg pivot), core (balance and power transfer)
Sub-techniques
Foot Stomp
SubFamilyThe Foot Stomp is a close-range stomping strike delivered onto the top of the opponent's foot, typically executed from the clinch position against the cage in MMA, used to create pain, disrupt the opponent's base, and force positional changes. [1] The technique is deceptively simple — the fighter lifts one foot and drives the heel downward onto the opponent's instep or toes — but its tactical value in MMA's cage-clinch exchanges is significant: the acute pain from the heel crushing the small metatarsal bones of the foot forces the opponent to shift their weight, creating openings for takedowns, clinch breaks, and positional improvements. [1] BJ Penn documented the Foot Stomp in The Book of Knowledge (2007) as one of the 'dirty' clinch techniques used when pinned against the cage — a category of low-glamour, high-utility techniques that don't produce highlight-reel finishes but accumulate damage and create tactical advantages through persistent discomfort. [1] The Foot Stomp is one of the most commonly used techniques in UFC cage-clinch exchanges: fighters including Daniel Cormier, Colby Covington, and Jon Jones have used foot stomps extensively during cage-wall wrestling sequences, sometimes delivering 10-20 stomps per round to gradually degrade the opponent's comfort and willingness to maintain clinch positions. [2] The technique's value is CUMULATIVE rather than fight-ending: a single foot stomp rarely produces significant damage, but repeated stomps over multiple rounds cause metatarsal bruising, swelling, and pain that progressively impairs the opponent's footwork, stance stability, and willingness to plant their feet for power techniques. [1,2] In self-defence, the foot stomp is taught as a fundamental close-range response to being grabbed or held — stomping on the attacker's instep with the heel creates instant pain and frequently breaks the attacker's grip. [1]
Explore
Heel Stomp from Shell
SubFamilyThe Heel Stomp from Shell drives the heel downward from the shell position onto a grounded or crouching opponent. [1]
Explore
Punt Kick to Face
SubFamilyThe Punt Kick to Face is a soccer-style kicking motion directed at a grounded opponent's head, delivering the instep in a wide swinging arc identical to a football punt — one of the most devastating and controversial techniques in MMA's history. [1] The technique is executed while the opponent is on the ground (on their back, on all fours, or sitting up) and the attacker is standing: the attacker takes a running or stepping approach and swings the foot in a full arc into the opponent's face, using the same mechanics a footballer uses to punt a ball. [1] The Punt Kick was a legal and commonly used technique in early MMA (PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan, Vale Tudo in Brazil, early UFC events before the Unified Rules) and remains legal in some current rulesets (ONE Championship allows soccer kicks to grounded opponents). [1,2] Under the Unified Rules of MMA (used by the UFC, Bellator, and most American MMA organizations), the Punt Kick is ILLEGAL when the opponent has anything other than the soles of their feet on the ground — a fighter cannot kick a 'grounded' opponent's head. [2] BJ Penn documented the technique in The Book of Knowledge (2007) for its MMA application, noting that understanding the Punt Kick is important even where it is illegal, because fighters competing under rulesets that permit it (PRIDE, ONE Championship) must know both how to deliver and how to defend it. [1] The Punt Kick is one of the most fight-ending techniques in combat sports when permitted: PRIDE FC saw numerous fights ended by devastating soccer kicks to downed opponents, most notably Wanderlei Silva's brutal finishes that became synonymous with the PRIDE era. [2,3] The technique's prohibition under the Unified Rules was one of the most significant regulatory decisions in MMA history, fundamentally changing how fighters approach ground-and-pound and significantly reducing the danger of being knocked down. [2]
Explore
Spring Stomp Kick
SubFamilyThe Spring Stomp Kick is a stomping kick delivered by springing upward and driving the foot down onto a grounded opponent. [1] The upward spring generates additional downward force through the stomp. [1]
Explore
Up-Kick from Shell
SubFamilyThe Up-Kick from Shell is a powerful upward kick delivered from the defensive shell position on the ground, targeting a standing opponent's face or body as they attempt to enter the guard. [1]
Explore
Notes
Kicking is the most extensively documented striking category in our corpus — 'front kick' (1,891 hits), 'roundhouse' (2,901), 'side kick' (1,773), and 'back kick' (574) collectively appear in nearly every martial arts book. The kick is the longest-range empty-hand weapon and generates the most force due to the mass and length of the leg. (200+ books; De Bremaeker & Faige, Essential Book of Martial Arts Kicks)
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I kick with my toes pointed or pulled back?
It depends on your target and desired effect. According to The Martial Arts EDGE, pointing your toes and hitting with the bottom of your foot creates a slapping motion, while pulling your toes back and striking with your heel turns it into a hammer strike with more power.
Why is it important to pull my leg down quickly after kicking?
The Martial Arts EDGE emphasizes that you must pull your leg down as fast as possible after the kick lands, because leaving your knee up in the air leaves you off-balance and vulnerable to being knocked over. Speed on the return is just as critical as speed on the way up.
Is a hook kick to the head as effective as one to the body?
According to The Martial Arts EDGE, while a head-level hook kick looks flashy and impressive, it becomes slower because the increased distance to the target slows delivery. A midsection kick is more practical and effective because the shorter distance allows for greater speed.
What's the best drill to practice accuracy with the hook kick?
The Martial Arts EDGE recommends using a small target on a heavy bag or wave master and practicing hitting only the small target without hitting the larger bag itself. This develops the fine motor control needed to hit your intended target accurately in real situations.
How does the Fundamental Kick work?
The Fundamental Kick family covers core kicking techniques across martial arts — the most powerful strikes in combat, delivering force through the shin, foot, or knee using the largest muscle groups in the body. Kicking generates significantly more force than punching because the legs are both longer (more leverage) and powered by larger muscles (glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings), making kicks the dominant power weapon in Muay Thai, Taekwondo, kickboxing, and karate.
Where does the Fundamental Kick come from?
Kicking techniques appear in virtually every martial arts tradition worldwide, from ancient Greek pankration (documented in pottery from 5th century BCE) to Asian martial arts developed over millennia. Muay Thai developed the most combatively tested kicking system through centuries of full-contact competition in Thailand.
Is the Fundamental Kick legal in competition?
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
How dangerous is the Fundamental Kick?
Danger rating 8/10. High — kicks generate massive force capable of knockouts, broken bones, and ligament damage; the low kick can disable the opponent's lead leg (as demonstrated in multiple UFC fights where fighters couldn't continue due to leg damage); head kicks cause concussions and spectacular KOs
How do I set up the Fundamental Kick?
The standard setup chain: Establish Striking Range → Set Up with Hands → Chamber → Execute → Retract → Reset.
How do I defend against the Fundamental Kick?
Standard counters include: Shin Check — raising the shin to intercept incoming kicks / Catch the Kick — catching the opponent's kicking leg to set up sweeps or takedowns / Step In — closing distance inside the kick to nullify its power / Counter Punch — timing a punch to land as the opponent commits to the kick.
What are the variants of the Fundamental Kick?
Common variants: Roundhouse kick (the most versatile kick) (rotating arc kick that can target legs, body, or head; st…); Front kick (teep/mae geri) (straight push kick for range management and damage; Ander…); Side kick (yoko geri) (lateral kick driving the heel sideways; longest range kick); Back kick (ushiro geri) (turning and driving the heel backward; extremely powerful); Axe kick (naeryeo chagi) (raising the leg high and bringing it down on the opponent…); Spinning heel kick (rotating 360 degrees and delivering a heel kick; devastat…); Low kick (leg kick) (roundhouse kick targeting the opponent's thigh; a fight-c…); Oblique kick (push kick to the knee) (straight kick targeting the opponent's lead knee; controv…).
How effective is the Fundamental Kick in competition?
Kicks account for the majority of scoring actions in Taekwondo and a significant portion of knockouts in MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing. The low kick has become one of the most tactically important techniques in MMA.
What are common mistakes when doing the Fundamental Kick?
Top errors to watch for: Kicking with the foot instead of the shin (in Muay Thai/MMA) — the shin is harder and more durable than the foot; foo… / Not pivoting the standing foot — insufficient pivot limits hip rotation and reduces power by 50% or more / Dropping the guard when kicking — hands must stay up to protect the chin; dropping hands while kicking invites counte… / Kicking from too far away — kicks that fall short waste energy and leave you off-balance.
What are other names for the Fundamental Kick?
The Fundamental Kick is also known as Fandamentaru Keri Waza, Kicking Technique, Foot Strike, Leg Strike.