Issue 077
July 2011
The leg kick, or ‘low-point’, is a powerful weapon with the potential to slow down your opponent’s footwork and kill their ability to shoot in. Expert leg kickers, like Bas Rutten, can even deliver technical knockouts with well-targeted low points.
The most powerful low kicks are delivered from the back leg to the lead leg – but this requires a full rotation of the hips and a total commitment of all your weight to the supporting leg. The inherent danger is an easy double-leg counter or the classic straight-right cross. If the opponent correctly anticipates the low kick and remains in good stance he may skip back, leading you to overcommit, or check with the shin Thai style. For this reason, in MMA even more so than in Muay Thai or kickboxing, low kicks must be used wisely with good set-ups and perfect timing.
FADE AWAY LEFT HOOK TO LOW-POINT
?1 Pete and Jason square off in their stances.
2 Pete (left) cuts an angle on Jason by sliding his trail leg out first. Pete follows his trail leg with the lead leg as he throws a left hook, landing the punch with his bodyweight behind the arm.
3 Pete has cut a 45-degree angle on Jason, and can safely throw the low-point, knowing that Jason cannot throw a good counter from this angle.
STEPPING OUT THE RIGHT CROSS TO LOW-POINT
1 Pete and Jason square off again.
2 Pete slides his lead leg out, stepping diagonally forward. Pete steps up the trail leg and throws the right cross, with the foot connecting to the floor and hand connecting with the target simultaneously.
3 Pete is now off line with Jason’s straight right or double-leg shot so he lets the low kick go, rotating on the lead leg and rotating the hip over.
4 Pete steps out again on the return, forcing Jason to take an extra step to line himself up to counter.
PUSH TO LOW-POINT
1 Pete and Jason square off.
2 Pete throws a Jab.
3 Pete throws a right-cross, then instead of retracting the punch Pete opens his hand and keeps it on Jason’s head.
4 Pete keeps moving forward, pushing Jason back with a stiff arm.
5 Pete runs forward, making Jason move back in order to keep his balance, leaving him unable to check or skip back. Pete releases Jason as he kicks the leg, striking him on the soft flesh on the back of his leg.
