Muay thai leg kicks

The Leg Kick
Your guide to using the shin kick in the ring or the cage.

by

Wim Demeere

Picture: Rob Kaman scoring a leg kick on Carmichael. Courtesy of www.fightingmaster.com

Go to http://www.wimsblog.com/ for more info

Copyright Wim Demeere 2009

Introduction
I remember the first muay Thai video I bought: The most anticipated fight of that time, Rob
Kaman against Ernesto Hoost. Kaman had been a champion for a while then and Hoost was a rising star. Many people thought Kaman was getting old and Hoost would make mincemeat out of him.
As it turned out, Kaman KOed Ernesto after five rounds of some of the most intense fighting I’d ever seen in a ring. But what impressed me most was Kaman’s trademark move, the leg kick. He used it to punish Hoost and even lift him off his feet with it, forcing Hoost into a perfect face plant on the canvas. Pure, raw power in a single kick. What’s not to be impressed about?
I went on to see more of Kaman’s fights and it became even more clear: he was an expert at using the leg kick. Even though his opponents knew full well they should be wary of it, Rob always found a way to surprise them and slam his shins into their upper legs. He was so effective with his shin kicks that he knocked out many opponents with it; they just couldn’t get up anymore. Sometimes he only needed to land a handful of his “hammer kicks” before they were left sprawling on the floor, wondering what the heck just happened.
Seeing Kaman in action started me on a quest to learn more about that particular technique. On the surface, it looks easy: swing your leg around like a baseball bat and the other guy grimaces in pain on impact. In reality, it’s one of the most difficult techniques to perform correctly while avoiding injuring yourself or being countered. The technical aspects require much more attention to detail that you might expect when you see a fighter throw a successful leg kick. And the strategy and tactics to use it with