point sparring technique in full contact

**omoplatypus** · Posted On: 6/22/2010 4:04pm

in tkd point sparring, there is a variant of the roundhouse that has as many names as people doing it. i always called it the "diagonal roundhouse".

goes as such.

start with roundhouse foot work
throw the kick with less twist in your hips, but still pivoting on the ball of your plant foot
finish the kick with an upward diagonal strike to your opponent's body

it's good for getting under somebody's guard, and scoring a point, but because you are kicking in a more upward motion and you don't have the hip rotation of a normal kick, you sacrifice power.
because of my long legs (much leverage) and strength, i can muscle this kick through for some body damage where smaller guys can't.

any thoughts on this? viable option, or should i put it in the bin with other point sparring techniques?

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 6/22/2010 4:06pm

Why would you bother when you could use that same leverage advantage to do viable damage? Also It is a great way to bruise your instep/shin on someone's elbow. That is the main reason MT guys don't typically kick up at an angle.

**omoplatypus** · Posted On: 6/22/2010 4:46pm

i bothered in point sparring because if do right no can defense.

seriously though, for the quick and snappy nature of point sparring, you can score easy points with this by getting under the person's guard as opposed to kicking them in the arm. i guess you could eat away arm strength by kicking the donkey **** out of it, but i'm not sure about that.

keep in mind, the past month has been full of very little TKD (mostly forms) and a lot of kickboxing that is completely changing my striking game for the better.

i really want to be a good striker and not a guy who only makes TKD work because he's got the legs of a mule.

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 6/22/2010 4:53pm

I can't tell if you are asking a question in your second post. I meant why bother IN KICKBOXING if you can instead kick correctly.

But seriously you will eventually **** up your shin/instep if you make it a habit of kicking upwards. Many guys try to spike your leg with their elbow on purpose.

**omoplatypus** · Posted On: 6/22/2010 5:42pm

i was explaining it's application in point sparring as a lead in to see if it has any practical application in MT or KB.

i guess it doesn't.

**Neo Sigma** · Posted On: 6/22/2010 5:52pm

I've occasionally thrown something like that with the front leg as a quick counter if my opponent is throwing something big and slow, or chicken-winging their cross. It works halfway decently as a liver kick. But other than that, Whiteshark is right, you'll probably just end up with swollen, purple toes. My coach calls it "soccerballing" and gives us a hard time if we throw kicks like that under circumstances other than what I described.

**rpeterson** · Posted On: 6/22/2010 7:20pm

It doesn't have much of an application, for the two reasons already mentioned. You don't get any power out of it, so it's a bit of a waste of energy, and you will likely hurt yourself on someone's elbow. I did sport TKD in university, and we had a guy break a few small bones in his foot kicking like that. Yes, it can score points, but I think I'd rather keep kicking the crap out of their arm than break my foot to get a few points.

**Cannon_6** · Posted On: 6/23/2010 10:03am

A good time to use a diagonal kick like this is after a hard parry/sidestep of a straight punch. The opponent will get stretched forward and off-balance, and WHAM -- right across the belly.

A grab+knee works even better.

**dwkfym** · Posted On: 6/24/2010 11:51am

Its called a Bichagi. (loosely translated as diagonal kicking), pretty bread-and-butter kick in TKD if I remember.

There is a kick like that in MT, and I dare not guess what it is called. But its mainly used as leg kick. Also, its less snappy in the full contact setting. The only thing really similar is the angle. This is what I read or heard; ive never been taught this kick.