BKA - Episode #29 - The Low Kick (Part 1)
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Low Kick·Bazooka Joe Valtellini
Each week i will be releasing a video which is part of the online Bazooka Kickboxing Academy. It will start with a begin…
Low Kick
SubFamilyローキック(Rō Kikku)
TransliterationTranslation: low kick
Overview
The Low Kick subfamily covers roundhouse kicks targeting the opponent's legs, primarily the outer thigh (quadriceps), inner thigh (adductors), and calf, delivered below the waistline. [1] Low kicks are the workhorse of Muay Thai and kickboxing, used to degrade the opponent's mobility, punish forward movement, and accumulate damage that compounds over rounds as the targeted leg muscles bruise and lose function. [1],[2] While individual low kicks rarely end fights immediately, their cumulative effect can render an opponent unable to stand, move, or generate power in their own techniques, as famously demonstrated in the decline of opponents' mobility in extended kickboxing bouts. [2],[3]
History & Origin
Low kicks are a defining feature of Muay Thai, where attacks to the legs have always been legal and are scored as effective techniques. [1] The Dutch kickboxing school further systematised low kick usage in the 1980s and 1990s, integrating low kicks into boxing combinations and popularising them in European and Japanese kickboxing competition. [1],[2] Rob Kaman, the legendary Dutch Muay Thai fighter, earned the nickname 'Mr. Low Kick' for his devastating use of leg kicks in the 1980s and 1990s. [2],[3]
Effectiveness
Lineage
Low kicks are fundamental in Muay Thai and kickboxing. [1]
Competition Record
Low kicks are one of the most frequently thrown kicks in MMA and Muay Thai competition. [1]
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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
Videos
Fix Your Low Kick Like This
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Low Kick·Gabriel Varga
You can sharpen up your low kick and land it more frequently with these tips. __________________________________________…
2 videos
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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}
— WKF — Kicks below the waist prohibited in sport karate
WKF Competition Rules 2024PDF— WT — Kicks below the waist prohibited
WT Competition Rules 2024PDFLegal
— Unified MMA — Legal striking technique
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDFKyokushin — Legal at full power {src— IKO Kyokushin Tournament Rules}
— WAKO — Legal in Low Kick and K-1 formats
WAKO Competition RulesPDFK-1/GLORY — Legal — low kicks are a core technique {src— K-1/GLORY Kickboxing Rules}
— IFMA — Legal — leg kicks are highly scored in Muay Thai
IFMA Muay Thai RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓Target the thigh (quadriceps or hamstring) or calf with the shin using a shortened roundhouse arc
✓The low kick does not require the same hip turnover as a body or head kick — it is a chopping, downward-angled strike
✓Step slightly off the centre line with the lead foot before kicking to create the angle
✓Low kicks accumulate damage: they deaden the leg, reduce mobility, and compromise the opponent's ability to punch and move
✓In Muay Thai, the low kick is a fundamental weapon used from the opening bell to the final round
✓Check every kick you receive by lifting the shin — this discourages the opponent from continuing to kick low
✓Ernesto Hoost in K-1 demonstrated how systematic low kicks can destroy an opponent's movement over three rounds
Common Mistakes
!Kicking too high on the leg and hitting the hip bone, which hurts the kicker more than the target
!Not angling the kick downward — a flat roundhouse at thigh level is easier to check than a chopping one
!Leaving the guard down after kicking low, inviting the head-punch counter that follows most low kicks
!Standing too close so the knee connects instead of the shin — damaging your own knee
!Only kicking the outside of the leg and never attacking the inside thigh — vary the target
!Throwing low kicks without any setup — a predictable low kick gets checked and damages your own shin
!Not checking the opponent's low kicks — allowing free low kicks compounds damage rapidly and a checked kick discourages repetition
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: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988) [2] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006)
2BookKarate-Do Kyohan (Funakoshi, 1935)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006) [2] Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Rennehan, 2002)
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: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988) [2] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006)
5CitationKarate-Do Kyohan (Funakoshi, 1935)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006) [2] Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Rennehan, 2002)
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
Sub-techniques
Inside Low Kick
GenusThe Inside Low Kick is a roundhouse kick targeting the inside of the opponent's lead or rear leg, striking the inner thigh (adductor muscles) or the inner knee area. [1] The inside low kick attacks a less commonly defended angle, as most fighters train to check low kicks coming from the outside, making the inside angle a tactical surprise. [1,2] Striking the inner thigh can compromise the opponent's stance width and balance, and repeated inside low kicks weaken the adductors, making it painful for the opponent to maintain a stable base. [2,3]
Explore
Outside Low Kick
GenusThe Outside Low Kick is the most commonly thrown low kick in combat sports, targeting the outside of the opponent's lead thigh (vastus lateralis and IT band) with a circular shin strike. [1] The outside low kick attacks the large quadriceps muscle group, causing bruising and progressive loss of leg function that affects the opponent's ability to move, kick, and maintain balance. [1,2] When delivered repeatedly to the same area, outside low kicks produce a cumulative effect that can render the targeted leg nearly immobile, as demonstrated in numerous high-profile fights where leg kick accumulation led to stoppages. [2,3]
2 species·5 techniquesExplore
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I have no power when I throw a low kick standing right in front of my opponent?
Bazooka Joe Valtellini explains that standing directly in front of the target with no footwork or weight transfer kills your power. You need to step into the kick and exit afterward to generate force and actually damage your opponent.
How should my feet be positioned when throwing a low kick?
Step on the ball of your foot with a small gap between your heel and the ground—don't be completely flat-footed. Lengthening your stance gives you more power, similar to loading up for a baseball swing rather than using a short chopping motion.
What's the difference between a setup low kick and a finish low kick?
A setup low kick uses minimal pivot on your front foot to stay defensive and keep your hands ready for combinations. Once you've located the target with setup kicks and know where the leg is, you can step deeper and pivot to deliver a more powerful finish kick.
Should I elevate on my heel when throwing a low kick like I do for body kicks?
No. Gabriel Varga clarifies that for low kicks you should drop your foot flat into the floor by pivoting and dropping your heel or jumping and landing, because you're kicking downward. This drops your weight into the impact and intensifies it, unlike body kicks where you elevate through the heel.
How do I handle punches when throwing a low kick if I'm in punch range?
Gabriel Varga recommends keeping your hands high and swinging across to create a barrier between you and your opponent, so incoming shots go off your gloves or elbows rather than landing clean.
What should I do if my opponent keeps backing up when I try to low kick without setup?
Gabriel Varga suggests you need to close the distance yourself by jumping from your back foot to your front foot on a slight angle. Alternatively, use the low kick as a counter rather than as an aggressive opening, which doesn't require the same setup.
How does the Low Kick work?
The Low Kick subfamily covers roundhouse kicks targeting the opponent's legs, primarily the outer thigh (quadriceps), inner thigh (adductors), and calf, delivered below the waistline. Low kicks are the workhorse of Muay Thai and kickboxing, used to degrade the opponent's mobility, punish forward movement, and accumulate damage that compounds over rounds as the targeted leg muscles bruise and lose function.
Where does the Low Kick come from?
Low kicks are a defining feature of Muay Thai, where attacks to the legs have always been legal and are scored as effective techniques. The Dutch kickboxing school further systematised low kick usage in the 1980s and 1990s, integrating low kicks into boxing combinations and popularising them in European and Japanese kickboxing competition.
Is the Low Kick legal in competition?
Unified MMA: legal — Legal striking technique; WBC/Boxing: banned — All kicks prohibited in boxing; WKF: banned — Kicks below the waist prohibited in sport karate; Kyokushin: legal — Legal at full power; WT: banned — Kicks below the waist prohibited; WAKO: legal — Legal in Low Kick and K-1 formats; K: legal — 1/GLORY — Legal — low kicks are a core technique; IFMA: legal — Legal — leg kicks are highly scored in Muay Thai
How dangerous is the Low 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 Low Kick?
The standard setup chain: Stance and Range → Chamber the Leg → Execute the Kick → Recover.
How do I defend against the Low 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 Low Kick?
Common variants: Standard roundhouse (rear leg) (full hip rotation, shin strikes the target); Lead leg roundhouse (switch kick) (switch-step to generate power from the lead side); Low roundhouse (leg kick) (targeting the thigh to damage the opponent's base); Head kick (high roundhouse targeting the temple or jaw).
How effective is the Low Kick in competition?
Low kicks are one of the most frequently thrown kicks in MMA and Muay Thai competition.
What are common mistakes when doing the Low Kick?
Top errors to watch for: Kicking too high on the leg and hitting the hip bone, which hurts the kicker more than the target / Not angling the kick downward — a flat roundhouse at thigh level is easier to check than a chopping one / Leaving the guard down after kicking low, inviting the head-punch counter that follows most low kicks / Standing too close so the knee connects instead of the shin — damaging your own knee.
What are other names for the Low Kick?
The Low Kick is also known as Rō Kikku, Leg Kick, Low Roundhouse.