Different leg check styles?

[gzk]

Prior to last night's shootfighting class, I assumed there was one way to check leg kicks, and never really paid that much attention to them when watching MT or kickboxing. However, apparently, there are three basic ways to do it: the Thai style, where apparently you just lift the shin up from your stance and stop the kick dead, the Indo/Malay style, where they swing the leg upward toward the hip that the kick is coming from, to jam the kick, and the way we do it which is to swing the leg out to jam the kick, then retract the leg back in and then down into the stance, to slow the kick down and take away the hard impact. Apparently Americans came up with this to avoid what they thought was excess damage caused by the Thai style leg check.

So, how do you guys leg check? What other ways are there to leg check?

[tsname]

I do both, depending the type of kick and how much time I have to react. I also do another check, sort of a sacrifice check if you're too late to lift your leg, or it can be used when a takedown may result in checking the kick.

If a kick is going to your lead leg, point your foot outwards, put weight on the ball of your lead foot, and flex your quadricep. Again, it works if you haven't reacted fast enough or you don't want to open up a takedown. It hurts a lot less than getting hit on the side of the thigh, but some good conditioning for it will help too.

[elbowtko]

I thought the only few ways were...
leg up shin 45, toes pointed out rest of leg straight down
leg up shin 45, toes pointed down knee out

[Permalost]

We train three basic ones for san da:
1. against a kick to outside of lead thigh, lift leg, turn hips outward and check with top part of shin
2. against a kick to inside of lead thigh, lift leg, and turn hips inward and check with top part of shin.
3. Against deep inside leg kick: check with back leg shin, usually while striking with a straight lead.

There's some other miscellaneous ones I've been known to use:
jamming round kicks by stop kicking thigh
jamming front kicks using the inside edge of the shoe

If a kick is going to your lead leg, point your foot outwards, put weight on the ball of your lead foot, and flex your quadricep. Again, it works if you haven't reacted fast enough or you don't want to open up a takedown. It hurts a lot less than getting hit on the side of the thigh, but some good conditioning for it will help too.

We train to throw a cross as this is done. If you bend the front knee you can minimize some impact with the angle your leg creates.

[bobyclumsyninja]

Prior to last night's shootfighting class, I assumed there was one way to check leg kicks, and never really paid that much attention to them when watching MT or kickboxing. However, apparently, there are three basic ways to do it: the Thai style, where apparently you just lift the shin up from your stance and stop the kick dead, the Indo/Malay style, where they swing the leg upward toward the hip that the kick is coming from, to jam the kick, and the way we do it which is to swing the leg out to jam the kick, then retract the leg back in and then down into the stance, to slow the kick down and take away the hard impact. Apparently Americans came up with this to avoid what they thought was excess damage caused by the Thai style leg check.

So, how do you guys leg check? What other ways are there to leg check?

I use the latter, mostly. If the kicks aren't hard, and laughable, I'll try to eat the kick and counter punch or, use the thai check and counter.

[feedback]

Plant the targeted leg and lean into it like a front-stance thingy and set it up for a right cross counter.

[WhiteShark]

I do three checks, four if you count taking it but thats not really a check.

1) Basic introductory Thai block. Lift your leg straight up from your stance and slightly bend you supporting leg while flexing your toes up. Remember to point your knee 45 degrees away from your opponent.

2) Intercepting shin check. You can hurt someone pretty badly with this one if their leg isn't well conditioned. You start of the same as the basic thai block but instead of just waiting for the impact you spring off your support leg and try to hit their shin with the very top of your shin before they reach their power apex. If you do it right they may be done trying to leg kick you for that fight.

3) "Catching" leg check. I don't really know the name of this one but it is the "safest" block and I was taught it when I was sparring people with less conditioned legs than my own. I ended up liking it because no matter how tough you are no one really wants to abuse their shins. For this one you want to start the same as the basic thai block but you bend your support leg a little more. then when the hit comes you go with it and absorb the kick. Then you guide it down as you go back to your stance. It works surprisingly well against hard kickers if you get the timing right.

[gzk]

WhiteShark, the third one sounds pretty much the way we are taught.

[PPlate]

3) "Catching" leg check. I don't really know the name of this one but it is the "safest" block and I was taught it when I was sparring people with less conditioned legs than my own. I ended up liking it because no matter how tough you are no one really wants to abuse their shins. For this one you want to start the same as the basic thai block but you bend your support leg a little more. then when the hit comes you go with it and absorb the kick. Then you guide it down as you go back to your stance. It works surprisingly well against hard kickers if you get the timing right.

It also opens you up to your opponent sweeping or kicking out your standing leg.

[WhiteShark]

It also opens you up to your opponent sweeping or kicking out your standing leg.

How do you figure? If they are to sweep using the same leg they kicked with it's hard for them to reset fast enough.