Question Mark Kick Tutorial (Step by step tutorial)
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Question Mark Kick·Ji Martial Arts·Added by Admin
Master the Question Mark Kick | Step-by-Step Tutorial for All Levels 🔥 Want to add a deceptive and powerful technique …
Question Mark Kick
Genusクエスチョンマークキック(Kuesuchon Māku Kikku)
TransliterationTranslation: question mark kick
Overview
The Question Mark Kick is a deceptive head kick that begins with the trajectory of a body kick or front kick before curving upward at the last moment to strike the opponent's jaw or temple, tracing a path resembling a question mark. [1] The initial low or mid-level trajectory causes the opponent to drop their guard to defend the body, and the sudden upward redirection catches the now-exposed head. [1],[2] The question mark kick requires exceptional hip control and the ability to change the leg's trajectory mid-flight through hip rotation and knee adjustment. [2],[3]
History & Origin
The question mark kick is attributed to various martial arts origins, including karate, taekwondo, and Muay Thai, with multiple practitioners claiming to have developed or popularised it. [1] The technique gained widespread recognition in MMA through fighters like Lyoto Machida and Robert Whittaker, and it became a staple of modern kickboxing through fighters like Gokhan Saki and Israel Adesanya. [2],[3]
Effectiveness
Lineage
The question mark kick is associated with Brazilian fighters who developed the technique in kyokushin karate and kickboxing gyms in Brazil, where it became known as the 'Brazilian kick.' [1] The name 'question mark kick' derives from the trajectory of the foot tracing the shape of a question mark. [1]
Competition Record
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Ballistic leg extension or rotation — the shin or foot impacts the target at high velocity
Joints Involved — Hip (flexion/rotation), knee (extension for front kicks, flexion-extension for roundhouse), ankle (stabilised)
Force Vector — Linear (front kick/teep — hip flexion and knee extension) or rotational (roundhouse — hip rotation with shin contact)
Kinetic Chain — Pivot foot rotation → hip turn → femur whip → shin contact — the leg acts as a heavy bat with the hip as the pivot
Position & Entry
From fighting stance (rear leg) — Pivot on the lead foot, swing the rear leg in a circular arc, strike with the shin, rotate the hips fully through the target
From fighting stance (lead leg) — Switch-step or throw directly, shorter arc but faster, used for speed and range management
As counter (after checking) — Check the opponent's kick, plant the foot and immediately return the roundhouse
Variants
Push kick (teep) — pushing the opponent away with the ball of the foot
Snap front kick — snapping the foot to the target and quickly retracting
Side teep — angled teep pushing the opponent laterally
Body teep — driving into the solar plexus or chest for maximum push-back
Videos
1 video
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
6
High6/10
Most common KO kick; generates ~1,000N force to head (Falco et al. 2009)
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Intermediate
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
✓Start the kick as if throwing a body kick — same chamber, same trajectory — then redirect the shin upward to the head at the last moment
✓The deception is the entire point: the opponent drops their guard to check a body kick and the shin comes over the top
✓The redirection happens at the hip: roll the hip over and flick the shin from body-level to head-level
✓The kick traces a path that looks like a question mark when viewed from the front — low to high with a curve
✓Popularised in MMA by fighters like Lyoto Machida and Robert Whittaker
✓Set it up by throwing several genuine body kicks first to condition the opponent to the body-kick pattern
✓The question mark kick is an advanced technique — master the standard body kick and head kick separately before combining them
Common Mistakes
!Not selling the body kick feint convincingly — if the initial trajectory does not look like a real body kick, the redirect is useless
!Redirecting too early, so the kick is clearly heading high from the start — the change must happen late
!Losing power during the redirect because the hip rotation stalls at the transition point
!Leaning too far back when redirecting upward, which reduces the force at head level
!Dropping the guard during the complex motion — the question mark kick takes longer than a standard kick, so exposure time is greater
!Using the question mark kick without ever throwing real body kicks — the opponent has no reason to drop their guard
!Attempting it without sufficient hip flexibility — the late redirect requires excellent range of motion
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Stance and Range — verify correct distance for the kick to land at full extension
2Chamber the Leg — lift the knee to prepare the kicking trajectory
3Execute the Kick — extend the leg through the target with the appropriate striking surface
4Recover — retract the leg and return to fighting stance
Sources & References
Primary Source
Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Yod Ruerngsa, Khun Kao Charuad & James Cartmell, 2002)
1BookMuay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus, 2002)
Alias sources — [1] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006) [2] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006)
2BookKarate-Do Kyohan (Funakoshi, 1935)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006)
3OtherJapanese Combat Sports Katakana Convention
Standard katakana transliteration of Western martial arts terminology (外来語) — used in Japanese MMA, boxing, and BJJ communities
4CitationMuay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus, 2002)
Alias sources — [1] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006) [2] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006)
5CitationKarate-Do Kyohan (Funakoshi, 1935)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006)
Community
Athletics
Requires
hip flexibility, rotational hip power, balance on support leg
Favours
long legs for reach, flexible hips for high kicks
Key muscles
hip flexors, glutes, quadriceps, obliques, calves
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the key to making a question mark kick deceptive?
You want to make your opponent think you're throwing a front kick (tee promotion) and whip it around at the last second. According to Ji Martial Arts, a common mistake is not showing the front kick enough—people whip too early. When you become more advanced, you can literally change from a tee to a question mark kick in the final moment, making it very effective.
How do I generate power in a question mark kick?
Power comes from three key elements: rotating your hips fully so they end up side-facing rather than front-facing, pivoting on the ball of your foot rather than staying flat-footed, and twisting your hips aggressively into the kick. Ji Martial Arts emphasizes that not rotating hips is one of the biggest power mistakes people make.
What's the basic setup and execution for a question mark kick?
Start in a kickboxing stance with 70% weight on your back leg. Pick your back leg up with your knee as high as possible, then throw it out deep as if you're doing a front kick. Finally, whip your hips around and kick to the head as fast as possible from point A to point B. Ji Martial Arts teaches this progression to help students understand the deceptive timing.
Why is foot position important when rotating during a question mark kick?
You cannot stay flat-footed while rotating on your heel—it's dangerous and will hurt you. Pivoting on the ball of your foot enables hip rotation, allows you to throw multiple kicks, and lets you shift and change direction effectively.
How does the Question Mark Kick work?
The Question Mark Kick is a deceptive head kick that begins with the trajectory of a body kick or front kick before curving upward at the last moment to strike the opponent's jaw or temple, tracing a path resembling a question mark. The initial low or mid-level trajectory causes the opponent to drop their guard to defend the body, and the sudden upward redirection catches the now-exposed head.
Where does the Question Mark Kick come from?
The question mark kick is attributed to various martial arts origins, including karate, taekwondo, and Muay Thai, with multiple practitioners claiming to have developed or popularised it. The technique gained widespread recognition in MMA through fighters like Lyoto Machida and Robert Whittaker, and it became a staple of modern kickboxing through fighters like Gokhan Saki and Israel Adesanya.
Is the Question Mark 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 Question Mark Kick?
Danger rating 6/10. High — most common KO kick; generates ~1,000N force to head (Falco et al. 2009)
How do I set up the Question Mark Kick?
The standard setup chain: Stance and Range → Chamber the Leg → Execute the Kick → Recover.
How do I defend against the Question Mark Kick?
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.
What are the variants of the Question Mark Kick?
Common variants: Push kick (teep) (pushing the opponent away with the ball of the foot); Snap front kick (snapping the foot to the target and quickly retracting); Side teep (angled teep pushing the opponent laterally); Body teep (driving into the solar plexus or chest for maximum push-back).
How effective is the Question Mark Kick in competition?
Lyoto Machida used the question mark kick to knock out Randy Couture at UFC 129 (2011), which is one of the most famous uses of the technique in MMA. The technique has been used by numerous Brazilian fighters in UFC competition, including Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva.
What are common mistakes when doing the Question Mark Kick?
Top errors to watch for: Not selling the body kick feint convincingly — if the initial trajectory does not look like a real body kick, the red… / Redirecting too early, so the kick is clearly heading high from the start — the change must happen late / Losing power during the redirect because the hip rotation stalls at the transition point / Leaning too far back when redirecting upward, which reduces the force at head level.
What are other names for the Question Mark Kick?
The Question Mark Kick is also known as Kuesuchon Māku Kikku, Brazilian Kick, Fake Body High Kick.