Overview
A front kick can be a devastatingly powerful technique, capable of lifting an opponent off their feet and launching them ten feet across a room, or it can be delivered as a quick, light strike, much like a snap punch, used to distract whilst you follow up with a more powerful technique. The two forms are called keage and kekomi - snapping and thrusting. Illustrated above is the thrusting version.
Front kicks are really useful because most people have a blind spot to techniques that rise from the ground in front of them. Better yet, most opponent's guard positions tend to get in the way, concealing the kick until it's too late to react. Even when people do react with plenty of time, you'll often find that a snapping version will rise up behind the guard, striking people who thought that they were protected. For those opponents who are light on their feet and prefer to skip backwards out of range, they will often be caught completely by surprise by the great range that the thrusting version gives you, especially when your hips are fully extended.
Front kicks are not particularly difficult to do, nor do you need great flexibility to perform them. If you can't reach your opponent's stomach, a groin is even more effective, and if you can't reach that, then the knee or shin is still a great choice, and even harder to guard.
Depending on your target area, front kicks can be delivered using the top of the instep (ideal for groin strikes), or the ball of the foot.
Used in these katas
2nd kata
Saifa
Sepai
Sanseru
Technique
Start in parallel stance with your guard in front of you. Keeping your hips above your ankles, swing your right knee upwards as high as it will go, keeping your right foot close to your left knee or higher. Do not dangle your foot down - keep it up, with your toes curled up so that your foot is already in striking position. Thus if an opponent moves forwards unexpectedly, you are still able to use the ball of your foot.
As your knee reaches its highest position, swing your foot outwards towards your target. If you are performing a snapping kick, do not move your hips forwards. Instead strike upwards towards your target, delivering a quick flick. If you are performing a thrusting kick, then you should thrust your hips forwards as your leg reaches full extension. Your toes should be curled back, and you should move your foot forwards in a spear-like motion, striking with the ball of your foot.
After the kick has struck, retract your foot back towards your other knee, maintaining your balance, in case you wish to deliver a second kick. If you do not, then place your foot back on the ground.
If you use a snapping kick, you should attempt to pull your leg back at least as quickly as you swung it out, thus preventing an opponent from grabbing your foot.
If you use a thrusting kick, you depend on the power of the kick disabling an opponent or pushing them so far away that they will be unable to grab your leg.
Whichever type of kick you use, keep control of your arms. Wildly flapping arms widen the area that you must balance on your other leg, and make it harder to maintain balance. Speaking of which, you should slightly bend your supporting leg at the knee to improve your balance. It also helps if you focus your eyes on a fixed point in front of you. Although opinions vary on what to do with your arms whilst doing a front kick, most successful tournament fighters say that the arm on the same side as the kicking leg, should extend out in front in time with the leg, offering a quick tool for parrying any unexpected counters. The other arm should remain bent in a guard, with the elbow tight against the hip. This arm motion aids balance and reminds you to keep your stomach tight. Martial artists from kickboxing disiplines prefer to drop one or both arms down and behind them to act as a counterbalance to the forward motion of the kick, especially when doing a thrusting kick. They point out that when performing such a long reaching kick, you don't need to guard, and the counterbalance provides more power. The only weakness in this approach is if your leg is caught and pulled, or your opponent steps in aggressively performing tai sabaki, your hands are in the wrong place to block or counter.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake of all, is trying to kick without first lifting your knee. If you do a straight-leg kick, you lose all power and dramatically decrease your speed.
The lower you lift your knee, the lower your subsequent kick, Get in the habit of lifting your knee high during practice.
Remember, the striking surface for your kick is either the top of the instep, in the case of a groin or head kick, or the ball of the foot. Many beginners strike with the sole of the foot, which is a valid kick (a stamping kick), but is not the one that you are practicing. The ball of the foot is more difficult, yet has more destructive penetrating power, and that's why we use it.
