How many taekwondo kicks are there

This kick generates more power than the regular Ap Chagi Front Kick. The jump front kick is used when the opponent is facing forward and the distance between you and the opponent is longer than your leg reach.

In this case a standard Ap Chagi will not reach the target, therefore a jump forward is added to it in order to land the strike. Also, this technique is applied to reach taller opponents. In this case, instead of jumping forwards, the kick is performed by doing a vertical jump while still going slightly forward. The jump back kick is not a demonstration kick as some might think, this kick has its own purpose which is counter-kicking an advancing opponent while going backwards without losing balance.

Sometimes an opponent might advance with great velocity, throwing a regular back kick could throw you out of balance if the opponent absorbs it and still pushes forward. The flying side kick relies mainly on momentum, so the more momentum you create the more powerful it is. Therefore you have to execute a short run towards the target in order to generate greater momentum and thrust all your weight into the target.

There is another less effective version executed with a crescent kick at the end, this version does not have much power behind it because it does not engage the hips like the one executed with a roundhouse kick. The prerequisite to learning this kick is to master the roundhouse Dollyo Chagi because the turn ends with the exact mechanisms of a roundhouse. In order to perform a tornado kick, you need to adopt a side stance, not a square stance as in Muay Thai and kickboxing.

Always blind your opponent with feints, jabs, non-engaging kicks, etc. Once you are in a side stance and you see an opening throw your kick, you might be surprised of how much damage the tornado kick can do to a human skull.

The tornado move is an extremely advanced move in Taekwondo, do not attempt to use it in a self-defense situation unless you have absolute certainty that you are going to hit your target surgically. This kick, as any other turning kick, is mainly used for countering. But It can also be used rarely as part of an offensive combination of kicks e.

Roundhouse followed by a spinning hook kick then followed by a tornado kick. By throwing all those three kicks in combination, you give less opportunity for the opponent to enter in your leg reach without getting hit with one of these powerful kicks.

Most Taekwondo practitioners, even the advanced ones tend to only master this kick with one leg, depending on if they are right-handed or left-handed. It is recommended to practice and master the kick perfectly with both legs so you can counter every leg your opponent uses accordingly.

The art of Taekwondo has invented a great number of kicks, the ones mentioned above are the most used and the most practical in Taekwondo matches and self-defense. But they are still used in Taekwondo demonstrations as an assertion of the superiority and high level athleticism of Taekwondo as a martial art.

Post category: Taekwondo. This is due to the fact that kicks are the main focus of Taekwondo. Ap Chagi — Front Kick. This is the easiest and first kick you learn in Taekwondo.

Ap chagi is used mainly to target the groin or when the opponent is leaning their head forward. Here are some examples demonstrating the devastating knockout power of an Ap Chagi — Front Kick. Miro Chagi — Front Push Kick. This kick is widely used in Muay Thai under the name of Teep. This video shows how Muay Thai fighters use the push kick. Dollyo Chagi — Roundhouse Kick This kick is the bread and butter of every martial art using kicks in its arsenal.

Dollyo Chagi has two variations depending on the context of use: 1- In Olympic Taekwondo where point scoring is the main goal Dollyo chagi is thrown as a snap kick, relying on speed and explosiveness more than power to score a point. The kick lands with the instep of the foot to gain longer reach. Bandal Chagi This kick is exclusive to taekwondo. Example of use of Bandal chagi in MMA Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida is famous for using this kick to the body as a distracting technique before striking with a strong punch.

Yeop Chagi — Side Kick. This kick has the same function as a front push kick Yeop Chagi is used in competitive matches to push the opponent away in order to create space and reset the distance. Yeop Chagi can be executed with two variations: Yeop Chagi with the rear leg Skipping Yeop chagi with the front leg : This side kick is used in order to travel the distance rapidly towards the opponent while generating more momentum and force into the kick.

Naeryo Chagi — Axe kick The Axe Kick requires a great amount of flexibility in order to be executed correctly. The kick has to land with the heel which is a very solid and dense bone in the human body. How to execute an Axe Kick? Examples of use of Axe kicks. There are two variations of the crescent kick: Outward crescent kick : The motion of the kick has to be from inside to the outside, following a circular path. Fully padded fighters compete to see who can land the most kicks.

The head and body are legitimate targets and all kicks are scored electronically; fighters wear special sensor socks and kicks to their opponent's body protector are recorded only if they are executed with sufficient force, which is calibrated differently for every weight division. For safety reasons, kicks to the head are scored whenever the fighter's foot simply touches the opponent's head guard or face — no force is required.

Punches to the body are allowed, but not to the head. A match consists of three two-minute rounds and will go into a "golden point" round if the score is tied at the end of three rounds. At that point, the first fighter to score — with any technique — wins. Here's a quick guide to taekwondo scoring.

Body shots. Kicks to the body score one point. The difference is that this kick carries more power from the extra momentum, because the practitioner turns further than they would with the back kick.

Obviously, this kick also requires tremendous practice in order to remain fully-balanced during the maneuver. The Crescent kick comes in two variations: the inner and the outer, or sometimes referred to as the inside and the outside crescent kicks. Both start off by raising your kicking leg as high against your body as possible and extending it, as well as placing it slightly across the centerline of your body. From there, if it is an outer kick, you will then sweep outwards from the centerline and connect with the target.

If it is an inside kick, you would sweep towards the inside of the centerline, and connect with the target there. The Hook kick is a relatively modern trend in Taekwondo competitions, but is not common traditionally. It is similar to a Roundhouse kick, but with a backwards sweep once the foot is extended. The intended impact on the opponent with this kick is meant to be the heel of the kicking foot. Like the Hook kick, this kick has a sweep performed to create an impact on the opponent.

The difference here is that the sweep extends further, and the kick is performed with a perfectly-straight leg. As with the Hook kick, the heel connects with the target. The Axe kick is also a relatively modern trend in competitive Taekwondo and other martial arts competitions. To explain this move, think of how you would swing an axe to cut a log. You first have to lift the axe up above the height of your body, then the axe swings down onto the log, impacting it on a slight angle.

The Axe kick works by raising your leg up high towards the target, starting from outside the centerline. Once you have performed the upwards kick as high as possible, you exert downward force with this leg, and keeping the heel of the foot pointed downwards. The intended impact is basically everything above the torso of the opponent, including the head, shoulders, and collar bone. Although not technically a kick, the knees are an essential part of any good kick, but they can also hold a lot of power on their own.

The knee strike has many variations, but they all revolve around raising the knee and impacting the target by either bringing the target into the knee, or pushing the knee towards the target. These types of strikes are particularly common in mixed martial arts MMA , and other martial arts, like Muay Thai. This kick is significantly more advanced, but is often reserved for Taekwondo demonstrations as opposed to competitions or self-defence.

It involves hitting two opponents at once by performing a jump-kick, and using each leg to target a separate opponent. This is an advanced version of both the side kick and the back kick, and is done by getting a running start before performing the kick in mid-air.