Leg Kicks In Kickboxing
Now that kickboxing is seeing a new revival in Britain, with it seems to have come a new rule. The rule being that the players must be able to execute full power kicks to the legs. Leg kicks have, in the past, been more popular in connection with Thai boxing and some American associations. We, in Britain are now finding they are also featuring largely in many of our promotions.
But are leg kicks GOOD or BAD for kickboxing? Those critics who are against leg kicks, say, that they make the sport 'scrappy' and lessen the number of high and fancy kicks, which most paying spectators like to see. It is also suggested that leg kicks are dangerous for the fighters, who could so easily have their own legs injured or broken. The fact remains, that it is very difficult to throw a high, powerful kick to the head and leg kicks render head kicks impossible to throw. So, if you can kick with sufficient power to the legs, why waste energy kicking to the head. It then follows, by leaving these leg kicks in the sport you abolish the use of head kicks.
Tremendous power can be put into a leg kick and it is an excellent method of self defence, yet its very technique can be so devastating, so, do leg kicks have a place in the ring?
Critics also claim that fighters who use leg kick rules are inevitably going to shorten their career and run the risk of arthritis in later life, after all, a fighter will still require his legs to walk on for at least another few decades after he has retired. It stands to reason then, that the Kickboxing Associations first concern should be to make the sport as safe as possible, for all competitors. Do leg kicks do the sport any good?
Promoters who have leg kicks on the rule sheet say they increase the number of kick knockouts and make the sport more skillful and ferocious. Leg kicks are now being used in most other countries. For Britain not to include them would mean being left behind and make it impossible to be recognised by world associations, such as WKA which is claimed to be the world's largest kickboxing association, and would also leave our fighters out of the world title fights. I decided to ask some top fighters and promoters their own opinions on leg kicks.
CHRIS CHAPPELL
Ex Full-Contact champion - Prof. Dancer & Company Choreographer
Upon being asked my opinion on the relevance of leg kicking in Full-Contact and if they should be banned, there are a few points that should be raised.
1. There are criticisms raised that full-contact fighters who have to throw a minority of 8 kicks above the waist, squander their kicks and proceed to box and or brawl.
2. Leg kicking eliminated the dangers of sloppyness in fighting because leg kicking has been used to keep the opponent at long distance. However, on the other hand this leads to stalking and long pauses of uninteresting stance placements.
Leg kicking I believe will not prove to be the appetizer that audiences really want, or necessarily need. Its images are incongruous with the Western values of a fair sport. The reason I say all this is we live in a Western Society which has its own valid and equally qualifiable martial structure. The question arises from the leg kicking argument of its necessity in our sport (televisual) and media resources.
How much Martial content can you give a sport? I'm not knocking what is popular in the East but use of elbows, knees and leg kicking is a hard combination for the public to take to heart. Thai orientated rules do not necessarily promote competent western boxing skills, because a contest can be fought stratigically at long range. I think that Full Contact (i.e. a synthesis of kicking and punching combined) should take preference as the sport to market to the public.
No one denies the effectiveness of Thai Boxing or Full Contact as under the W.K.A. rules what must be promoted is a sport that is as much identifiable to the Western image of a contact sport as possible. Leg kicking is great for the street, but doesn't show the variety of point scoring mid- height and head kicking skills that attract the public enthusiasm. I refer to Tae-Kwon-do as an official olympic sport - "where does that leave the Karate, Kung Fu men?" Surely semi-contact would be the obvious choice because then all styles can participate. Tae-kwon-do attracted the Olympic committees eye and hence the public full contact people should seriously take a look at long term prospects and not short term pocket fillers (wallet fillers).
DAVE LEA KUNG FU INSTRUCTOR
If a martial artist is fully trained as an all round fighter, then his body should be conditioned to take as much durability as possible. A kickboxer verses a thai boxer (thai gives one leg shot, kick boxer goes down) I think that we should train all round and cover all areas.
FRANK BOWEN KICK BOXING PROMOTER
Leg kicking must be part of any complete system of self defence or Martial arts. Leg kicks used in a l fight can in extreme cases cause blood clots and certainly the fighter for a few days after the fight may have difficulty walking, this can cause problems with jobs etc. Leg kicks are certainly effective, but they can hinder the novice fighter in developing his all round skills. A fighter can constantly hack away with round kicks and head punches, not risking more varied techniques I appreciate that kickboxing fights with leg kicks can bridge the gap between Thai Boxing and Kick Boxing but I feel that fights incorporating leg kicks can hinder the growth of the spectator side of the sport, therefore I am against them.
ARTHUR OLOUGHLIN EX BRITISH CHAMPION
I don't think kicks to the legs are a good idea as they take out the spectacular kicks which the crowd like to see, although low kicks are a devastating technique I feel there is no place for them in kick-boxing.
