I'm too old for head kicks in general, but when I do still consider it is on the break from the clinch like in your example with the elbow and knee. Using the push as a range finder is a really basic but incredibly valuable trick. This video is a great example of why I really like your content. Your fundamentals are so strong that you can use them as building blocks to be creative without it ever seeming like too much. Like all your vids, this is really well constructed instructional content. Thank you for the bookmarks at each technique.
I generally enjoy this channel and find it informative. However, today I need to address a couple of things. STRETCHING - (Kevin Lee's advice was unfortunately bad.) Stretching before/after exercise risks injury. Both stretching and exercise damage muscle - the muscle has a chance to grow stronger as it repairs, but over-damaging muscle makes this impossible. Instead of getting stronger and more flexible, you just make yourself prone to tearing muscle (or worse; a tendon). You should stretch on off days when you are not training. To get ready for training/exercise, instead of stretching you should just move around to limber/warm up your muscles. Do NOT stretch them then immediately use them. You will be fine until you're not fine - inevitably, you will injure yourself. And even when you don't, it's hampering your fitness. Your muscles as they limber/warm up will naturally stretch enough. You don't want to stretch them further. Not before, not after. THE SET-UPS Context is important when talking about head kicks. Are you kick-boxing? Training for MMA fighting? Self defense? What set-ups are good depends on what rules (or lack of rules) the fight is operating under. You can throw considerably less sound head kicks when you have rules protecting you from some of the natural consequences you'd otherwise face. Several of the shown set-ups are only good in this context. Try them with fewer/no rules in place, and you are taking too much risk. Even an untrained but aggressive person will find the weakness in them, unless your very first head kick lands perfectly and ends the fight on the spot (which does happen... but you can't rely on it). The absolute least sound kick shown is catching a kick under your arm. It's possible to catch a kick and there are actually several sound techniques to do so, but the method shown is unsound. As shown, you easily get several ribs broken and are no longer able to take a deep breath. You may not crumple to the floor immediately, but you are virtually guaranteed to lose the fight even if you do hold onto the leg and then land a head kick. Your head kick at that point isn't going to have any power because of your busted ribs (assuming you can even kick high after that injury). WHAT I LIKED BEST Pushes within the combos are a nice touch, and it's a level that's often missing in combinations. That timed sweep of the front foot to set up a head kick is EXTRA smooth - though I was surprised you didn't show its counterpart, the sweep to the inside that sets up the sweep to the outside where you go for the head kick. But maybe what I liked best was the same-side trap into a head kick. There's a natural rhythm to striking that fighters get used to - left strike into right strike, right strike into left strike. When you use your right hand to strike and then use your right leg to head kick, it messes with that rhythm. Changing the right hand strike to a right hand trap that keeps their blocking arm out of the way is just an extra layer of security in getting that head kick to land cleanly. I don't quite like the footwork shown (it's too slow; you have an extra step in there that doesn't need to be there), but the set-up itself is extremely good - the target's instinct will be to pull their trapped hand toward their body to free it, while throwing a right hand strike that cannot get any power because you've prevented their torso from rotating freely at the shoulder level. Even if they connect, they won't really hurt you much. And if you connect, they are turning their face right into your kick if they don't see it coming up and think you are just stepping in to get position at their shoulder. MY FAVORITE SETUP FOR A HEAD KICK I didn't see it in the video. Full disclosure; I don't throw head kicks at all these days. But they used to be something I did often and was good at landing. What I found lands cleanest/easiest begins with standing in opposite stance - Southpaw if they stand Orthodox, and vice versa. You are looking to get in so close that it looks like you can't kick them to the head. The setup is to look for stance destabilizing knee pushes - either you get outside of their lead leg and put your knee into the side of their knee, or they avoid it and you drive forward with a shuffling in profile double step to put your knee through the inside of theit lead thigh. Either way you break their stance and they will scramble to get a bit of distance from you to recover. As they take that first step to regain their balance and posture, you throw the head kick. It can be with either foot - you just read which one is most likely to fire off quickly from whatever the positions are, and you try to beat their step. Your kick wants to land just as their first step does, because all their weight will be braced on that foot which removes some of the give. Their head absorbs a bit more impact this way, instead of their body crumpling a bit as the kick lands to absorb the shock.
Let me know which one is your favorite! Or if you have your favorite way to set up a head kick, share with us!
I'm too old for head kicks in general, but when I do still consider it is on the break from the clinch like in your example with the elbow and knee. Using the push as a range finder is a really basic but incredibly valuable trick.
This video is a great example of why I really like your content. Your fundamentals are so strong that you can use them as building blocks to be creative without it ever seeming like too much.
Like all your vids, this is really well constructed instructional content. Thank you for the bookmarks at each technique.
Man, I love how flexible you are. I never could do a roundhouse like that.
Of course you can! Keep going!!
All that was pure gold. Could you make a video where you use this at sparring?
Thanks for your content
Yeah! I have that in mind already!
The coach we never asked for. Nor the coach we deserved. but absolutely the coach we needed.
The cross to body to headkick is my favorite. Also good if you are less bendy.
🔥 🔥 sir you always , please teach me elbows, especially spining elbow variation
Great lesson, Kevin! Thanks a lot, pal!
Wonderful, drilling all of these
Nice! Thanks for this. Looks fluid and practical. Oss.
Glad you like it!
Boy do I need to get my flexibility back..... it's been awhile.
yess
Good video!
Thank you!!
great. why you did not wear protection staff on your body?
Excellent!👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Great
Nice vid helpful for ideas
Thank you!!
make such setups with wing chun technique. it is not entirely clear how to attack in the style of winchun.
Dope!
Amazing 👍👍💪💪👊👊🥊🥊🥋🥋
3:03 switch punch feels like GSP superman punch 😂
😁😁😁
How can i get this flexible for highkick ?
Chuck Norris once kicked a horse in the chin... And giraffes were born!
😂😂😂
Leon Edwards probably in the locker room watching this video before the fight...
😂😂
:)
The kick on cover page is certainly not muaythai kick, so it lacks muaythai kick power.
I generally enjoy this channel and find it informative. However, today I need to address a couple of things.
STRETCHING - (Kevin Lee's advice was unfortunately bad.)
Stretching before/after exercise risks injury. Both stretching and exercise damage muscle - the muscle has a chance to grow stronger as it repairs, but over-damaging muscle makes this impossible. Instead of getting stronger and more flexible, you just make yourself prone to tearing muscle (or worse; a tendon). You should stretch on off days when you are not training. To get ready for training/exercise, instead of stretching you should just move around to limber/warm up your muscles. Do NOT stretch them then immediately use them. You will be fine until you're not fine - inevitably, you will injure yourself. And even when you don't, it's hampering your fitness. Your muscles as they limber/warm up will naturally stretch enough. You don't want to stretch them further. Not before, not after.
THE SET-UPS
Context is important when talking about head kicks. Are you kick-boxing? Training for MMA fighting? Self defense? What set-ups are good depends on what rules (or lack of rules) the fight is operating under. You can throw considerably less sound head kicks when you have rules protecting you from some of the natural consequences you'd otherwise face. Several of the shown set-ups are only good in this context. Try them with fewer/no rules in place, and you are taking too much risk. Even an untrained but aggressive person will find the weakness in them, unless your very first head kick lands perfectly and ends the fight on the spot (which does happen... but you can't rely on it).
The absolute least sound kick shown is catching a kick under your arm. It's possible to catch a kick and there are actually several sound techniques to do so, but the method shown is unsound. As shown, you easily get several ribs broken and are no longer able to take a deep breath. You may not crumple to the floor immediately, but you are virtually guaranteed to lose the fight even if you do hold onto the leg and then land a head kick. Your head kick at that point isn't going to have any power because of your busted ribs (assuming you can even kick high after that injury).
WHAT I LIKED BEST
Pushes within the combos are a nice touch, and it's a level that's often missing in combinations. That timed sweep of the front foot to set up a head kick is EXTRA smooth - though I was surprised you didn't show its counterpart, the sweep to the inside that sets up the sweep to the outside where you go for the head kick. But maybe what I liked best was the same-side trap into a head kick. There's a natural rhythm to striking that fighters get used to - left strike into right strike, right strike into left strike. When you use your right hand to strike and then use your right leg to head kick, it messes with that rhythm. Changing the right hand strike to a right hand trap that keeps their blocking arm out of the way is just an extra layer of security in getting that head kick to land cleanly. I don't quite like the footwork shown (it's too slow; you have an extra step in there that doesn't need to be there), but the set-up itself is extremely good - the target's instinct will be to pull their trapped hand toward their body to free it, while throwing a right hand strike that cannot get any power because you've prevented their torso from rotating freely at the shoulder level. Even if they connect, they won't really hurt you much. And if you connect, they are turning their face right into your kick if they don't see it coming up and think you are just stepping in to get position at their shoulder.
MY FAVORITE SETUP FOR A HEAD KICK
I didn't see it in the video. Full disclosure; I don't throw head kicks at all these days. But they used to be something I did often and was good at landing. What I found lands cleanest/easiest begins with standing in opposite stance - Southpaw if they stand Orthodox, and vice versa. You are looking to get in so close that it looks like you can't kick them to the head. The setup is to look for stance destabilizing knee pushes - either you get outside of their lead leg and put your knee into the side of their knee, or they avoid it and you drive forward with a shuffling in profile double step to put your knee through the inside of theit lead thigh. Either way you break their stance and they will scramble to get a bit of distance from you to recover. As they take that first step to regain their balance and posture, you throw the head kick. It can be with either foot - you just read which one is most likely to fire off quickly from whatever the positions are, and you try to beat their step. Your kick wants to land just as their first step does, because all their weight will be braced on that foot which removes some of the give. Their head absorbs a bit more impact this way, instead of their body crumpling a bit as the kick lands to absorb the shock.
Thanks for sharing your tips!
I like Kevin too. Good teacher . But you have made valid and useful points too. Cheers