Crescent kicks: What's the point of you, then?

**Cullion** · Posted On: 8/09/2007 12:01pm

You gave up karate just because you couldn't get the crescent kick fast enough ?

quitter.

**foolperson** · Posted On: 8/09/2007 12:03pm

Originally Posted by BSDaemon

One of my last Karate lessons included blocking punches with the crescent kick.

This was one of the last nails in the coffin... I quit soon thereafter

i've seen that done in TKD competitions, it looked class, granted in a proper fight it wouldn't have worked, but damn it was still cool at the time.

**From Bell2Bell** · Posted On: 8/09/2007 12:09pm

Originally Posted by switchblade

i never went for that one either. today I'm gonna see if I can kick a knife out of an assailants hand.
By assailant I mean wife and by knife I mean chalk of course.

Kicking a knife sounds like a good way to get a nasty cut.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 8/09/2007 12:28pm

I occasionally throw a spinning outward crescent kick. Its one of those things where I like to have several options- if I'm spinning for some reason, I don't want my opponent to only think its going to be an SBK. It could be an SBK, spinning backfist, hook kick to head, dropping hook kick to thigh, or spinning crescent kick. Having said that, its the only crescent kick I like and I despize all others for bag work. I know people that use lead outward crescent kicks to knock an opponent's lead hand down (works against sideways fighters) and follow through with an overhand punch.

I don't think its a good technique against a knife. However, in knife sparring, a front snap kick under the hand can be used occasionally. I'll do lots of fakes and attacks towards the face, then try and kick under the weapon. Sometimes it'll cause the knife to shoot up ten feet in the air, and sometimes it'll just sort of annoy them. Even this can be a bad idea if you do it repeatedly.

**maurice** · Posted On: 8/09/2007 2:04pm

I've mostly seen them used by guys who want to show off with a high kick but, for any number of reasons, can't get a round kick up that high.

**new2bjj** · Posted On: 8/09/2007 2:13pm

I saw a guy get knocked out with one, sparring at UCLA TKD. Granted, they fight with their heads sticking up,etc, but he was out. He was a litttle nationalistic Korean prick, so I laughed when it happened.

**Hedgehogey** · Posted On: 8/09/2007 3:10pm

I used one to help pass open guard once.

**TheMightyMcClaw** · Posted On: 8/09/2007 9:39pm

I used to do Wushu, which involves doing a lot of crecent kicks, and all their jumping and spinning variations. I've heard about applications inside of the crecent kick - using the start of the kick as a footsweep, for example - but for the most part, I believe that they're just conditioning/showing off kicks, much like front and side stretch kicks. They help build flexible, strong legs which can be used for actual fighting kicks.
Of course, working on my hip abductors at the gym and doing stradle stretches has probably helped me more in this regard.

**riddlekon** · Posted On: 8/09/2007 10:51pm

Duh! You crazy bullshidoka it to knock guns out of peoples hands. (and get arthirits)

**electron jockey** · Posted On: 8/10/2007 6:38am

Originally Posted by Hui_Xiu

Here's a funny one for you.

My hip and shoulder joints are overly flexible, so rarely I use crescent kicks because I can actually generate power because of my strange gift/curse.

I wouldn't recommend most people to use them, however.

I also have pretty flexible hips, and I'd be ineterested to know how you manage that. Flexibility gives me height, but if I were to crescent someone in the head who had any kind of serious guard, they'd probably just stop my foot in its tracks.