Top 10 Kicks: Every Fighter Should Know

Great kicking provides an extra layer to martial arts and fighting skills.

Elevate your fighting game with this unique guide to the top ten functional kicks. Good kicking can be used tactically in a wide variety of situations, such as to control range, surprise opponents or setting up further strikes. The training required for kicking provides improved strength, fitness, balance, and flexibility by utilizing the entire body in a powerful and natural way.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced fighter, you’ll gain valuable insights into:

• The ten most effective kicks for real-world martial artists.
• Ways to incorporate new kicks into your fighting style.
• Methods for improving kicking strength, balance, and flexibility.
• Tactical kicking applications in various fighting scenarios.
• Descriptors rating damage, speed, and difficulty levels for each kick.

This book has been written with functionality in mind. It features ten of the most practical and effective kicks drawn from various martial art systems. These kicks come from and can be included in:

• Karate
• Taekwondo
• Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
• Kickboxing
• Kung Fu
• Savate
• Jeet Kun Do (JKD)
• Sanda
• Muay Thai
• Wing Chun
• Krav Maga
• Self-defense

If your goals are fitness and flexibility, training for competition or real-life self-defense scenarios, the kicks in this guide will serve you well.

Written primarily with beginner and intermediate fighters in mind, it can also provide variations and potentially alternative approaches for more seasoned kickers to add to their own repertoire too.

Don’t let weak kicks hold you back. Transform your fighting ability and gain a crucial edge in competition. With clear instruction and expert tips, you’ll become a more well-rounded and formidable fighter.

Augustus John Roe is an author, linguist, and instructor of traditional Vietnamese martial arts. For more than a decade, he has lived and trained in Asia. During this time Augustus has worked on numerous television shows, books, magazines and academic projects documenting local cultures and martial arts practices.

Augustus has a passion for language; he writes fiction, non-fiction and works as a freelance editor. His academic achievements include a master’s degree in martial arts studies and a Cambridge delta qualification in language teaching. Alongside traditional Vietnamese martial arts, Augustus had trained in tae kwon do, wing chun, Brazilian jiu jitsu, arnis, muay thai, boxing, and white crane kung fu. He currently lives with his wife and children in Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi.