Kick an Opponent, get taken down. Any Defence for that?

[Mik_36]

Hi,

Alot of guys, including me, when sparring, play fighting, or even in a real fight, like to start off a fight by kicking to the leg area or to the mid section of your opponent (not very hard when playing).

I find that most of the time, especially when just dealing with your average guy (with no MA training), the guy will react to that by just tackling you.

Some may shoot for your mid section, if they know anything about grappling or basic take downs, but others will just plain tackle you (chest to chest) like a football tackle.

It is hard for me to defend against this when in the postion of having just kicked and trying to bring your leg back in (your on one leg and your somewhat off balance as well). It would be impossible to sprawl or anything else when your opponent tries to take you down in this manner.

Can anyone think of any defence to a takedown in this kind of situation or do you just have to go down and then get him into your guard?

I can't really think of any way to defend against this type of situation, even if you are very quick with your kicks, your going to be vulnarable to a take down for a very short second. Maybe I'm over looking something obvious, I don't know.

Look forward to suggestions,

Mike

[Tony10]

I'll tell you how: don't throw the kick as your lead technique.

I know it sounds pretty effin' simple, but the old adage "fake high, kick low" seems to work for me pretty often.

In other words, indirect attack, attack by drawing... whatever. But event an untrained guy is going to react as you said when you lead off with a kick... they're hard to disguise. So distract him!

Also fun is the fake low side kick (even better when you fix your eyes down there) only to mask the high straight right hand (one of my personal favorites); or the fake low round flowing into head kick, used so beautifully by Mo Smith against Conan.

Through my experience, I find more and more that most techniques work only when they're surprises, as dumb as that sounds...

[Mik_36]

Hi Tony,

But I'm not sure that it has all that much to do with surprise, he doesn't have to know the kick is coming. He just feels it and with alot of guy their immediate reaction to pain is to attack, and with alot of guys that means he is going to try to tackle you, or take you down.

Even with an opponent who knows what he's doing. I've seen this scenario happen to even the best fighters. Bas Rutten vs. Kevin Randleman in UFC. Mind you obviously Randleman is pretty good with take downs regardless of the situation.

Maybe you just have to go down (I don't know), having someone in your guard is far from the end of the world right. I mean despite being on his back the whole fight Rutten won that fight, according to most of the judges and myself anyway.

Or perhaps another answer is that is just the risk of starting off with a kick (even if you try or succeed in surprising him), it may work and really hurt a guy, or he may take you down, or maybe you hurt him and he takes you down, in which case it's probably worth it, right.

I don't know, have other people not observed what I have in street fights, that a leading kick is often answered by a take down. Maybe it is just me, but I've seen it once in a street fight, a couple times in NHB, and multiple times in other places. But I probably haven't witnessed as many "street fights" as some guys here.

[Mik_36]

Hey Tony

Oh ya,

But I think you've definately got a point about the head fakes etc. If you've got a guy's attention (i.e. him thinking about a kick to the side etc.) That leaves him open for the K.O shot to the chin, or a strike somewhere else. I couldn't agree more.

[gungfuhero]

The speed which you can retract your leg after kicking coupled with good footwork (being ready to back peddle or cut to the side after kicking) helps. In my own experience, the harder you nail them with your kick the less likely they are to catch it. If your leg does get caught, Muay Thai and shoot wrestling have good tactics that are a little more aggresive than always falling into guard. Sometimes you have no choice but to go to guard, but there are other things you can do.

[Slider]

hehe howabout dont kick at all!!!!

[E1am]

Damn straight. Take up boxing instead.

[Ryu (non-working password]

I don't necessarily like to kick to the thigh...I know others can get awesome results, but I don't so I don't do it. I'd much rather (as Tony said) go for a short side kick to the knee. You can back up much quicker, and are not committing yourself as much as with the Thai kick. Usually people don't know how to clinch well, and will only just grab onto you to maybe grab behind your head and start punching away. If you have a good base, and the know how to get your hips back you don't have to fall into guard. You can grab them right back, and slam them down yourself.

Ryu

[duchman]

the key is to set up youre kicks.
It's the basic dutch muay thai rule, lead youre kicks in.
First thing that you want to do when learning striking is taking blows and get a great defense
Fighters like hoost are the perfect example, he backs people up with the hands and nails them with kicks

I've spend hours and hours working on punching and kicking combinations.
If you can't do full punches and kicks after each other, fake or faint with youre hands/body.

And if youre opponent graps youre leg kick, fake low and kick high the next time, these are just basic striking rules.
and try to hit beyond youre opponent, think youre opponent is a litter father away then he is, give POWER in youre strikes don't kick or hit sloppy, give power and dedication in every strike

And finish youre opponent if you got the chance, don't play around

[duchman]

RYU,
in most SPORT situations, kicks to knees are not allowed.
but in the streets anything goes.
Like bruce said"use youre sidekick like a boxer uses his jab"
or something like that.
youre right about the clinch mix thai and judo/wrestling for the clinch. and keep that front face lock ready if you go down

[Mako]

Duchman is right on with this one;

If you lead with a kick w/o setting it up you are going to get taken down, or worse.

Here is a combo that works really well, just to give you an idea of how to set your thigh kicks up.

Left jab (make it hard.. if he "buys" it, the kick works.. if he doesn't.. well, he gets hit in the face! Make you're jab count!)

left jab is followed by right cross.. (again, make it count)...

as you put your hip into the right cross, continue that momentum and throw the right outside thight kick. The entire combo just unwinds your hips. (I always end up deep after this kick, which works really well for getting the side clinch/takedown)

Use multiple levels/lines.. punch high, kick low, follow up with more high punches/liver shots.

Hope this helps!

[duchman]

Mako is on the right track, i don't give any combo's because i'm a southpaw.
Keep things simple

[Mik_36]

thanx very much guys, good to know.

[TracyKarate]

Mik_36 I believe I can really help you with your problem as this is my bread and butter. First it is important to keep a low stance because this will give you more balance and make it more difficult for your attacker to take you down. Thin of a really high chair and a low coffe table. Now which one is harder to knock over? Obviously the low coffe table is what you want to be more like. Secondly it is imperitive to be ready with a backup just incase your attacker is quick enough to catch your kick. A claw to the eyes will quickly make your attacker disengage the clinch and make him think twice about continuing the encounter. At this point you can also asses the situation as to wether or not to finish him with a more devastating technique or remove yourself from the situation. Good luck!

[Tony10]

LMAO!

Ahh, I think my favorite troll is on another 3-month tear...