Catching Legs in Sparring

[David Hume]

Ok there's a couple big oafs in the class who just love to kick from a distance. What are some of the better techniques for dealing with these kicks besides just blocking them and waiting for an opening?

Block and move in?
Block or catch the leg then do something nasty?

This is in a Kenpo Karate sparring class.


Thanks,
David

[Szczepankiewicz]

Stay out of kicking distance. Either far away or close in. Then use low kicks to punish the legs or grapple!

[robertlee]

Burst in as they kick take the leg upset the balance. Or parry and enter. Do not retreat much as this lets them reset. Look at there kicks and see how you can enter or evade and enter.

[BellyOfTheBeast]

when you see them about to kick if you can rush in and get in close range then their kicks won't work, like stop hit sort of thing. Or after they kick you when they put their leg down go in for an attack to get them off balance. If that stuff doesn't work you can try destructions with you're elbow but I don't know what types of kicks they are doing on you or if thats allowed in you're class.

[Guest]

Rush in and sweep them. Watch how they smack into the floor. Haw haw haw.

[Szczepankiewicz]

We have two (former) Taekwondoists in our school. One is 2nd Dan black and one is highest brown. They love spinning kicks and kicks to the chest and head. Each of them, while sparring the three brownies of our school, has eaten quite a bit of mat.....

Both of these guys are great at kicking and highly athletic. The school has tried to wean them from the propensity to kick high. Yet, they fall back into old habits when under duress.

While they are kicking me high, I either clear the strike or take the shot and set up a counter using one of several methods:

1) Close the distance to 'trapping' range or even 'grappling' range and use hammerfists to strike the upper body and hook kicks (foreward crescent kick using the ball of the foot) on the shins. I also like to do an ax kick to the back of the ankle (O soto Gari) on the supporting leg when they kick. Ass over Tea Kettle.

2) I will also lengthen the range between myself and the kicker. When they strike, I clear with hammerfists on their shins, ankles and other bony parts of the foot. Even when padded, this causes them much discomfort and frustration.

3) These two guys are athletic and strong and they get their shots in. But I can take shots and counter very well. At times, when their kicks are slow or awkward, I can intercept and contain their leg, opening the door to hammer their leg with strikes or do a simple drop (i.e. o soto gari or low kicks that serve to sweep the supporting leg).

I don't use high kicks, so I rarely, if ever, run into this dilemma for myself.

Spanky

[jesse7]

Im not sure why but I tend to punish the top of the thigh .. just above the knee. If someone goes to kick .. I do a weird side/downwards kick .. with my heal too the top of the thigh. Sometimes slightly too the side depending on what kinda kick they are doing.

For me this works great .. as it stop's their kick .. and oftern because they are raising that part of their leg ... they are sorta like kicking the bottom of my foot with thier thigh .. so I get double the power into their thigh. This hurts and usually makes them think twice about kicking .. it also weakens their kicks.

[Szczepankiewicz]

Right up until someone figures out you do this and intercepts your kick...

[jesse7]

Well .. lots of people know I do this .. the complain about it too me all the time .. yet they never seem to be able to counter it effectively. Maybe Im sparing morons I dunno .. but I recon is pretty hard to counter when you have one leg off the ground.

This is just one way I counter, I dont use it all the time .. its not like every time they go to kick I will counter act with this move, Im not silly and predictable .

[Szczepankiewicz]

Ok, that makes sense, and I can support the idea that you are not predictable, however, the silly part I cannot comment on....

[terry]

These are karate guys, right? Do they do enough damage with their kicks to even react? If so, then block and catch the leg. If not, just take the kick and catch it on the way out. Scoop the heel with your backhand and push him back on his upper torso with your front hand (to prevent him from clinching--which is a good response). Then pull out a bit with the back hand that is on his heel so that it straightens his leg and make sure the heel is pointed down. That is the setup for a downward Thai curve knee to your opponent's extended leg. Hit right through his knee with all your weight. Then pull on the leg again and drop it out to your side about 20 degrees to open the groin and launch a straight knee into his groin. Then use any combination you want, but you may have to have a combination ready to launch from your knees because if you do it right he'll be on the ground by then.

T

[chalambok]

If the guy is kicking above your waist, you can step out and in the direction of the kick a bit, then catch it right at the ankle, twist a little to tweak the ankle, then either knee the inside of the thigh or try a sweep. The Thais do this all the time. Be careful not to come inside too much, you might be the recipient of a snap knee, generally done if he can touch your shoulder with either of his hands being the appropriate distance. The snap knee is done when someone does catch your leg, you simply pivot back to straighten your kicking leg, then repivot your base and thrust your knee into your opponent's stomach/chest. Best if you can grab his neck but not necessary at all. Another VERY effective but dangerous to practice technique is the ancient Krabi-Krabong trick of blocking with the same leg your opponent is kicking with (R to R, L to L), shin to shin, then lifting your block up and in a crescent-kick type of motion step to the ground. Be VERY, VERY careful when practicing this as it is so easy to dislocate a hip, which is why you never see it taught anymore. It is a kind of unwritten rule that you don't injure another fighter's legs and possibly end his career, for he is a fellow fighter and also because you will then be setting yourself up for revenge.

[chalambok]

Sorry, I forgot something

When you try to catch an opponent's kick, if you can secure it to your body with your elbow. I mean, when you are holding his leg your grasping hand should NOT be grasping his leg, you should be about to touch your bellybutton. This is to keep his leg high. and also because your biceps/triceps are much stronger than your forearm/hand. Then it is quite easy to tweak his ankle, merely by twisting your body.

A Filipino technique Guro Inosanto used to show is to move your arm on the blocking side in so your elbow is touching your body, then slide the elbow as far down your thigh as you can, continuously touching with your elbow as you lift your blocking leg. Then you reach across and pull the kick in with your opposite hand, trying to break the instep with your knee and elbow. Timing will dictate which weapon deals the blow, sometimes you will strike more with the elbow, sometimes the knee will hit it up. You keep the attachment of your elbow to your body to prevent a fast kicker from getting under your arm and above your leg and kicking your ribs. Unfortunately another very difficult technique to practice at speed. Wonderfully efficient on the street.

[penguinman000]

Step in and stuff their kick at the same time blast them to their other leg with a kick of your own.. The hard part is getting the timing down.