I landed sidekicks on my buddy who has won MMA fights!

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 7/14/2007 2:09pm

I just returned from sparring class...I sparred an mma guy, Jay (just won a mma fight at club Lido in Revere,ma) and had the most success I've ever had with my sidekick....It was almost cartoony how many times I landed it. He's strong in the middle, so didn't go down...and I didn't snap them much. four (or five) times he got past it and got to punch/kick me, in two rounds.....the rest of the time...he'd come in, and I'd kick him in the stomach area. At the beginning of the first round, he punched me a bit, then I got into a lefty stance, with my good (right) leg in the front. I'd throw out teaser jabs, and watch for the space between his waist and underarm area, and time he'd commit to engage, and extend his arm/arms his odds of eating the kick, and having to start over were about 12-1 or worse...I wasn't counting, I have **** cardio, I was trying not to collapse from fatigue.

When I did get hit, it hurt...because he was frustrated, and loading up... still, I'd rather strike than be struck, so I kept going with the sidekicks.

Anyone else like to use many sidekicks as a counter/stop kick?....can you make them work??? what do you visualize? (I just look for the curve their torso and arms make as they punch or reach out to paw, and time the charge to have them come into my power)

In fairness to him, we were only doing hands and feet...and he'd spent months training in mma, for his fight (which he won by submission) so his arms are a little far apart sometimes, with the elbows slightly out...I only do kickboxing..so I was in my element.

who else likes feeding em sidekicks? talk to me you badasses.

**Khun Kao** · Posted On: 7/14/2007 2:40pm

One of the most frustrating sparring matches I ever had was against a TKD guy who also an experienced full contact kickboxer. Any time I moved, it seemed I would eat a side kick. His distance & timing was impeccable! I can only think of one instance where I got past his side kick and landed a MuayThai round kick. I landed a lead leg round kick to his ribs and knocked him aside a few paces.

He complimented me on the increcible power my kick packed, but you can bet he never let me get in range for that again! LOL!

In my experience, the side kick can is a great tool, but it seems to work better against certain individuals, much in the same way with push kicks. When I spar, there are certain people I can seemingly hit "at will" with a push kick. Then there are others that as much as I try, I can't seem to catch them. There are a variety of reasons. It might be the way certain people stand that puts them at a good angle for your kicks. Or maybe you pick up their timing really well. Or maybe their defense....

In any event, its good that you were able to find a way to use your side kick like that. Its a great tool if you can get it to work, but you need to be prepared to switch tactics if its not working for you.....

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 7/14/2007 3:49pm

right, I only use it on shorter opponents, or taller one's who keep their elbows apart...but I only throw it on someone coming in at me punching or roundkicking with the back leg. I'm lanky enough they can't land anything more than a tap on the kick...and they're being forced back by the proximity to the hip...I throw them to the belly/and sometimes hip, not the chest or head.

some guys eat me up, and so I throw more low rounds, and combos. It only works for me as a stop kick to the body.

**Emevas** · Posted On: 7/14/2007 6:41pm

I haven't had good luck with throwing side kicks (although I like to throw them off a missed roundhouse), but I have had a lot of luck catching them, dragging the person in, slamming an uppercut in their gut and then suplexing them. I used to have a video of that very technique =P

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 7/14/2007 6:51pm

Originally Posted by Emevas

I haven't had good luck with throwing side kicks (although I like to throw them off a missed roundhouse), but I have had a lot of luck catching them, dragging the person in, slamming an uppercut in their gut and then suplexing them. I used to have a video of that very technique =P

I didn't before....but now I work that more than anything these days, it seems. I do the Buakow front leg bounce, that he turns into a stamp kick...but I do it right leg foreward, and the sidekick is easier for me. Today was the best I'd ever worked it. My timing was on...without the timing...it makes the kicker very vunerable. He asked my teacher for advice inbetween rounds, saying he couldn't catch it...he was told to come around it and fight inside...but I was still frustrating him after that...just not as much.

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 7/14/2007 7:10pm

Originally Posted by bobyclumsyninja

I just returned from sparring class...I sparred an mma guy, Jay (just won a mma fight at club Lido in Revere,ma) and had the most success I've ever had with my sidekick....It was almost cartoony how many times I landed it. He's strong in the middle, so didn't go down...and I didn't snap them much. four (or five) times he got past it and got to punch/kick me, in two rounds.....the rest of the time...he'd come in, and I'd kick him in the stomach area. At the beginning of the first round, he punched me a bit, then I got into a lefty stance, with my good (right) leg in the front. I'd throw out teaser jabs, and watch for the space between his waist and underarm area, and time he'd commit to engage, and extend his arm/arms his odds of eating the kick, and having to start over were about 12-1 or worse...I wasn't counting, I have **** cardio, I was trying not to collapse from fatigue.

When I did get hit, it hurt...because he was frustrated, and loading up... still, I'd rather strike than be struck, so I kept going with the sidekicks.

Anyone else like to use many sidekicks as a counter/stop kick?....can you make them work??? what do you visualize? (I just look for the curve their torso and arms make as they punch or reach out to paw, and time the charge to have them come into my power)

In fairness to him, we were only doing hands and feet...and he'd spent months training in mma, for his fight (which he won by submission) so his arms are a little far apart sometimes, with the elbows slightly out...I only do kickboxing..so I was in my element.

who else likes feeding em sidekicks? talk to me you badasses.

Raises hand. Works quite well.

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 7/15/2007 6:15am

hehe. There are lots of them...stop eating paint chips on your salads.

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 7/15/2007 6:26am

Originally Posted by Omega the Merciless

Raises hand. Works quite well.

Omega, may I ask? do you sidekick strong side foreward? That's the only way I can make it land with the solid thud of pain. If I use the left...I have to punch in and around it to keep the guy off me...but the right is fast/accurate enough to use as a stop kick.

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 7/15/2007 8:57am

I used to get hit with sidekicks at will until I started cross training knockdown karate with my Muay Thai. Part of it was the way you can scoop kicks in karate and part of it was a change in my stance but they don't bother me as much anymore. The thing is I don't really know what the change was. I learned the same technique for scooping a push kick to the side but it just works better now that I've trained it in a more sidekick friendly environment.

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 7/15/2007 9:41am

ah, it does help to cross train... I'm long limbed even beyond my height (I don't know where to measure from for reach, else I'd tell you, perhaps you can help)...so stiff jabs, and sidekicks, both as a counter...are good for me...if the strong leg sidekicks don't work out (I get thumped too much), I'll go to more boxing combos to set up low round kicks from a natural stance. Or lead with rear leg shin kicks to the opponents distant leg just above the foot, to get them off balance for punching, or to widen their stance to set up other things (I get tagged a lot, but keep trying things, remembering what works on what kind of sparring partner...so if it were full contact (it may be soon, I'm cutting down to try amateur san shou), and not medium...I'll have a reserve of sneaky, pain inducing combos and feints into strikes to draw from..not just speed or/and power)