View Full Version : Martial arts style with low kicks?
I would like to know what styles from any countries have a lot of low kicks as I have a bad knee. My goal is to combine Chin Na with a lot of low kicks for my personal style. In the past I have done kicks to weapons in hands and kicks to ribs, but my knee can't handle that kind of practice anymore.
Thank You!
John Runer
Mark Barlow
06-12-2004, 10:49
Muay Thai has some great low kicks but if your knees are bothering you, I think most any kick will just increase the problem.
Jeff Burger
06-12-2004, 13:03
Checkout Kali.
A good Kali teacher can cover alot of bases, striking, grappling, weapons...
If you cant find a low kick style ask if you can avoid the high kicks in a current style.
Make sure the style does low kicks as they will also have defenses against them.
Jeff
I take that your descrpition earlier training of yours in the way you know that it's not only the height of kick, it's also the way you execute the kick..
The hapkido style I've studied has lots of low kicks, but also some high (and spinning, and jumping ;) ), so recomender with certain reservations.. think that Jeff Burgers idea of avoiding high kicks - or modifying them - on your current style can be good, too..
Anyway, good luck for your search. With respect,
Riku Ylönen
Any kick higher than thigh heigh is a compromising kick ;)
John, I hope you don't mind me asking this: Is the knee problem in your supporting leg or in your kicking leg?
Most people strain the supporting leg's knee when they powerfully rotate into a kick; it doesn't matter if it is a high kick or a low kick. That knee pain/damage is usually caused by not allowing the supporting foot to pivot with the body torque.
Damage to the kicking knee usually results from overextending the leg into the kick; again, this has nothing to do with the height of the kick.
Both of those problems can be mitigated with proper technique.
Can you be more specific as to what happens to your knee when you kick?
Jeff Cook
Wabujitsu
raindown
06-13-2004, 12:03
as far as high kicks and low kicks, neither one of them require that you lock you knee. if someone his having trouble with a high kick it is most likely their thigh they are stretching or their hips. (that is if you are talking about pain in your kicking leg.)
if it is in fact your knee then most likely its your technique that is causing the pain. one of my instructors once told me that "never fully extend a kick or a punch. It will cause permanent damage later. And if you need that extra inch of reach then your too far away in the first place."
I have little cartlidge and some ligament problems in my right knee. I can do low kicks to knee with right leg and low to middle kicks with left leg. My right knee was injured years ago when I was in High school and was tripped landing on concrete on my right knee. My birth defect wich has cause slow but severe osteo arthritis,osteo porosis and straightening of the natural curves in my spine, has caused me to search fro improvised softer style aproaches to martial arts for exercise and self-defense.
When I kick I am very careful not to over extend my legs. I use a cane especially when I am trying to walk my ten thousand steps a day. My cane is my brace for high kicks with my left leg (as my knee does give out, but only rarely). Tai Chi helps with my pain to a point. Realisticly I know I should not do any kicks with right leg but I like to practice right and left techniques favoring low kicks and stomps with my right.
Thank You for your advice!
John Runer
John,
Maybe you should train in some hapkido cane techniques as well, or perhaps www.canemasters.com .
Tai chi might be a good choice for you, IF it is a progressive style that does no damage to the knees. I also highly recommend that you consult with your doctor, if you have not already done so, concerning your training regimen.
Good luck!
Jeff Cook
Wabujitsu
eric hargrove
06-30-2004, 21:24
greetings.
seems to me that kicking is not going to be very effective for you as a main skill. While its good to train I wouldn't emphasize it as a primary skill.
One of my sub-styles I learned is called "Dog Boxing". I mention it because alot of the techniques taught emphasize trips and stomps over kicks. While yes it has kicks above the waist they are not emphasized because they are considered too risky.
Also this style emphasizes loosing one's balance and then having to defend themselves from the ground ie kicks and qin na. Since you use a cane for support, ground defense skills should be of major concern.
styles like wing chun and jiujitsu/hapkido have alot of this skills and would recommend trying them out.
good luck in your search.
you are a motivation for us all.
eric hargrove
ngokfei@juno.com
Again knowing you limits is a great 1st step.
blck_soft_hit_hard
06-30-2004, 23:18
GoJu uses low kicks..
Mike are there any good videos of Goju hand techniques and basic kicking techniques.
Thank You!
John Runer
How about midget kempo? Their kicks must be low! :D
Sorry, but I don't really have any good advice, but this is the first post of today and I'd thought I would be funny since the sun is shinning outside! :t2:
The Nephilim
07-01-2004, 06:17
How about midget kempo? Their kicks must be low! :D
Sorry, but I don't really have any good advice, but this is the first post of today and I'd thought I would be funny since the sun is shinning outside! :t2:
Oi Stan send that sun up north will ya lol
Try Tai Chi. Daft as it may sound, Tai Chi has kicks. I got 3 videos for £1 each and the first long form has kicks, which surprised me as I thought it was all just nice, slow and relaxing movements.
Or maybe taijutsu. We never hick higher than the armpit (See Itcho kata) or to the stomach. I always kick to the ribs but that is after placing an arm rotation and lock onto the elbow first to allow the kick.
But whatever way you go, the best advice I can give is to buy a knee support. It helps a lot.
Oi Stan send that sun up north will ya lol
Ok I shall use my ninja mind powers to send that sunshine north of Watford gap!
...[sounds of a ninja meditating]... :laugh:
I just checked the weather for the weekend in Edinburgh for the kendo embu taikai...
Doesn't look good... Thundery showers!
Souldn't be too bad though, I'll be indoors practicing!
The Nephilim
07-01-2004, 18:11
Ok I shall use my ninja mind powers to send that sunshine north of Watford gap!
...[sounds of a ninja meditating]... :laugh:
I just checked the weather for the weekend in Edinburgh for the kendo embu taikai...
Doesn't look good... Thundery showers!
Souldn't be too bad though, I'll be indoors practicing!
Thats normal Scottish weather that Stan... if it is tartan it is Scottish rain :laugh:
I have some very basic Chen Tai chi knowledge but nobody to locally teach me the self-defenses aspects.
It's almost always sunny here in Nevada, We have lots of refreshing dust storms lol!
John Runer
John go to these sites:
www.taichiproductions.com
and here for videos of taichi including Master Chen. There are two videos that show the martial applications of the forms (Yang and Sun style)
www.taichiamerica.com
It is great for to hear all the different Ideas! I am re-learning to use my cane for support strengthen my good leg a lot more and do light weight exercise with my bad leg. I got some books on Goju and looked a lot at Cane Masters website. Now I am learning to use higher stances and searching for a lot more hand and weapons based selfdefense moves. Anybody no of an art that focuses on manipulating the attackers head and arms at the same time?
Thank You!!!
John Runer
The Nephilim
07-07-2004, 17:16
It is great for to hear all the different Ideas! I am re-learning to use my cane for support strengthen my good leg a lot more and do light weight exercise with my bad leg. I got some books on Goju and looked a lot at Cane Masters website. Now I am learning to use higher stances and searching for a lot more hand and weapons based selfdefense moves. Anybody no of an art that focuses on manipulating the attackers head and arms at the same time?
Thank You!!!
John Runer
CQ Boxing would work. With me being in the booj, it is sometimes used. Even though we do not do high kicks, we can have some techniques that uses the manipulation of the head as well as arm. So it is best to find out what other systems from on here to see what is best.
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