Muay Thai Sangha Lower Hand Outside and Inside techniques
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Standard Outside Low·Sangha Muay Thai Thailand
Pedro Solana Villalobos shows 8 hand counter techniques for the jab and the cross with the rear and lower hand. Muay Cha…
Standard Outside Low
Speciesスタンダード外ロー(Sutandādo Soto Rō)
HybridTranslation: standard outside low
Overview
The Standard Outside Low Kick is the fundamental outside leg kick, executed by pivoting on the lead foot, rotating the hips, and driving the lower shin into the outside of the opponent's lead thigh. [1] The kick targets the quadriceps and IT band area with the hard bone of the shin, and the kicker follows through the target with full hip rotation. [1],[2] This is the most frequently thrown kick in Muay Thai and kickboxing, serving as a constant attritive weapon throughout a fight. [2],[3]
History & Origin
The standard outside low kick is the foundational leg kick technique taught in every Muay Thai and kickboxing gym, representing the most basic and commonly used leg attack in combat sports. [1] Its effectiveness has been demonstrated in thousands of professional bouts across multiple combat sports. [2],[3]
Effectiveness
The standard outside low kick targets the outer thigh. [1]
Lineage
A fundamental Muay Thai low kick. [1]
Competition Record
Used in Muay Thai and MMA. [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
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
✓From fighting stance, step the lead foot slightly forward and to the outside
✓Rotate the rear hip over as the rear shin strikes the opponent's outer thigh in a downward chopping arc
✓The impact point should be the middle of the shin against the outer quadriceps, approximately four inches above the knee
✓The support foot pivots so the toes point away, though less rotation is needed than for body or head kicks
✓The arms counterbalance: lead arm swings slightly, rear hand stays at the chin
✓Return the kicking leg along the same path or step through to reset at an angle
✓This is the bread-and-butter low kick used in every round of Muay Thai competition
Common Mistakes
!Kicking straight across instead of at a downward angle — the chopping angle is what makes the kick punishing
!Not stepping forward before kicking and falling short, connecting only with the instep
!Keeping the support leg completely straight, which makes you unstable and easy to sweep
!Over-rotating the hip as if throwing a body kick — the low kick needs less rotation and more downward angle
!Not returning to guard immediately — the low kick recovery must be fast to avoid the counter right hand
!Planting the foot forward after the kick instead of returning to stance, leaving you in a bladed, extended position
!Throwing the low kick without any hand combination first — jab-cross-low kick is the fundamental sequence
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Assume Fighting Stance — begin from a balanced position with guard up
2Generate Power — use hip rotation and weight transfer for maximum force
3Execute Strike — deliver the technique to the target with correct form
4Recover to Guard — return immediately to defensive position
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: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988) [3] WBC Muay Thai Rules (2014)
2BookKarate-Do Kyohan (Funakoshi, 1935)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006)
3OtherJapanese Martial Arts Hybrid Terminology
Mixed Japanese-Western terminology — combines traditional Japanese terms with katakana loanwords
4CitationMuay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus, 2002)
Alias sources — [1] Muay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006) [2] Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988) [3] WBC Muay Thai Rules (2014)
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
Sub-techniques
Calf Kick
VarietyThe Calf Kick is a low roundhouse kick that specifically targets the opponent's calf muscle (gastrocnemius and soleus) and the peroneal nerve on the lower leg, rather than the traditional thigh target. [1] The calf kick impacts below the knee on the fleshy posterior portion of the lower leg, where the musculature is thinner and the peroneal nerve is more exposed, causing sharp pain and rapid loss of leg function. [1,2] The calf kick gained enormous popularity in MMA beginning around 2020, with fighters discovering that targeting the calf produced faster accumulation of damage than traditional thigh kicks. [2,3]
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Chopping Low Kick
VarietyThe Chopping Low Kick is an outside low kick variation delivered with a steep downward angle, where the shin chops into the opponent's thigh from above rather than sweeping across horizontally. [1] The chopping trajectory concentrates force into a smaller impact area and drives the shin into the muscle at an angle that compresses it against the femur bone, producing more intense localised damage. [1,2] The chopping low kick is effective against opponents who attempt to absorb leg kicks by flexing their quadriceps, as the downward angle bypasses the muscular resistance. [2,3]
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Dutch Low Kick
VarietyThe Dutch Low Kick is the distinctive outside low kick as developed and refined by the Dutch kickboxing school, characterised by a deeper pivot, more committed hip rotation, and integration within boxing combinations (typically following a cross or hook). [1] The Dutch low kick is often set up with punches that draw the opponent's attention high before the kick sweeps their lead leg, and it is thrown with the intention of full power on every repetition rather than as a range-finding tool. [1,2] Dutch kickboxers traditionally emphasise devastating leg kicks as a primary strategy, aiming to compromise the opponent's mobility within the first two rounds. [2,3]
Explore
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Standard Outside Low work?
The Standard Outside Low Kick is the fundamental outside leg kick, executed by pivoting on the lead foot, rotating the hips, and driving the lower shin into the outside of the opponent's lead thigh. The kick targets the quadriceps and IT band area with the hard bone of the shin, and the kicker follows through the target with full hip rotation.
Where does the Standard Outside Low come from?
The standard outside low kick is the foundational leg kick technique taught in every Muay Thai and kickboxing gym, representing the most basic and commonly used leg attack in combat sports. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated in thousands of professional bouts across multiple combat sports.
Is the Standard Outside Low 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 Standard Outside Low?
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 Standard Outside Low?
The standard setup chain: Assume Fighting Stance → Generate Power → Execute Strike → Recover to Guard.
How do I defend against the Standard Outside Low?
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 Standard Outside Low?
Common variants: Standard variation (primary execution of the strike from the most common stance); Power variation (modified mechanics for maximum force generation); Speed variation (minimised telegraph for a faster, harder-to-read attack); Counter variation (timed to exploit the opponent's offensive commitment).
How effective is the Standard Outside Low in competition?
Used in Muay Thai and MMA.
What are common mistakes when doing the Standard Outside Low?
Top errors to watch for: Kicking straight across instead of at a downward angle — the chopping angle is what makes the kick punishing / Not stepping forward before kicking and falling short, connecting only with the instep / Keeping the support leg completely straight, which makes you unstable and easy to sweep / Over-rotating the hip as if throwing a body kick — the low kick needs less rotation and more downward angle.
What are other names for the Standard Outside Low?
The Standard Outside Low is also known as Sutandādo Soto Rō, Standard Leg Kick, Standard Low Round Kick, Tee Tad Nok.