The most effective combination ever

They think they've blocked the punch, then that foot comes sneaking in below their radar. Suckers!

Recently, a very, very experienced regional manager laughingly described to me how he fell for a simple combination not once, but twice against the same opponent. I know that he beat twice World-champion Ben Cunningham at the World Cup, so he's no slouch in the ring. His point was that even at his level, simple things can still catch you out. But with all due credit, I think he under-rated the brilliance of the combination...

The combination was this: head punch with the front hand, head punch with back hand, stomach front kick with the back leg. Simple huh? Any student can learn it if three seconds, yet I think it’s one of the most effective combinations ever.

In the normal run of kumite, simple techniques are the most likely to score. At least 60 percent of all non-contact points are scored with a right-handed reverse punch counter. Most of those are not even part of a combination! In offensive points, basic punch, punch combinations usually win most of the points.

It’s true that those people who can execute more exotic techniques or combinations well have a larger toolkit of effective techniques from which to choose, but even these less common techniques: hooks, sweeps, backhands, side-kicks, etc – still only score relatively infrequently.

So why do I think punch, punch, kick is the best combination ever? Because it’s genius! It has all the elements needed to be great: it’s quick to perform, it’s easy to execute, it’s sneaky, and it’s effective.

You’re probably taught that you shouldn’t generally attack the same place twice consecutively from the same basic angle. Why? Because it takes no more effort to block both attacks than to block one.

Yet here’s the exception to that rule. You launch off with a big visible front hand punch to the face – it works equally well at far or medium range. The purpose of  the first punch is not to score, but simply to draw the opponent’s attention.

You immediately follow with a committed head punch with the back hand. Sometimes this will be enough to score on its own, but if it doesn’t, it certainly keeps their attention high.

As you launch that attack, it swings your hips forwards, simultaneously making up ground (closing on your opponent) and preparing that back leg to kick.

Here’s where you break yet another “rule” because you don’t draw the second punch back right away, you deliver the front kick first. This exponentially increases the likelihood that the front kick will get in.

There are several reasons: first, by leaving the arm out, it keeps the opponent at distance. Secondly the arm continues to hold their attention. But most importantly, the arm also serves to hide what your leg is doing. Because you used the same side leg as the hand that is punching, it’s very hard to see the kick coming. The great thing is, if your opponent is inexperienced, the combination works because they over-commit to each attack, so their hands are too high to move down for the kick. But if they are experienced, they will likely be blocking further away, and then their own guard helps to screen your kick!

It’s an aggressive combination, and it’s ideal for chasing down opponents who retreat just out of your range all the time, because they judge their safety by your hands not your leg. It’s also useful because you can hop forwards as you kick to make up a further couple of feet of distance.

If you ever fight in contact tournaments, it's useful because the hip action adds weight to the kick.

Simple to learn, easy to do, and hellishly effective! Like I said – the best combination ever.