The Best kicks To Practice for Muay Thai
Kicking in Muay Thai requires more body mechanics and flexibility compared to punching. With a larger variety of kicks to choose from, it’s important to focus on the most effective ones in your training. Today, we will discuss the best kicks to practice for Muay Thai.
The Low Kick
The leg kick, also known as the low kick, is a simple and easy strike to use in combat sports. Similar to a jab, it targets a more resilient part of the body, resulting in low initial damage. However, when used repeatedly, it can accumulate and have a devastating effect on opponents. This strike can disrupt an opponent’s movement, reduce the power of their strikes, and make it painful for them to put weight on the leg that has absorbed multiple kicks.
The simplicity of the Low Kick makes it an easy and highly effective kick that requires less energy compared to other kicks. Many legendary Nak Muays, such as Liam Harrison, have used the low kick to become world champions.
How to do it
Learn how to the low kick from the Muay Thai Guy himself, Sean Fagan.
The Teep Kick
Also referred to as the front kick, the tip kick is comparable to a jab in boxing. It is aimed directly at the opponent’s centerline, making it a bit trickier to execute compared to a low kick. This kick can be employed in two manners: to either stab the opponent’s body or to push them away. The key difference between the push and teep variants lies in the way the foot is flexed. Landing with the entire sole of the foot results in a push, while landing with the toe area of the foot sole creates a stabbing body strike.
The dual ability of this strike can create a tricky situation for your opponent, as the different variations of teep kicks can confuse them. Due to the difference in speed and power, the type of strike you expect can become unpredictable and overwhelm the opponent. This extra layer from the teep makes it an invaluable weapon, as it adds a straight line strike to kicks, which are already limited due to the nature of our legs, making it simple to throw looping strikes as opposed to straight kicks.
How to Do it
Watch the Muay Thai Guy teach the front kick.
The Body kick
The body kick is similar to a Muay Thai low kick but aimed higher, requiring some flexibility in the legs and hips. However, it’s worth the effort as it is my favorite strike for good reason.
Getting tired is the worst thing that can happen in a fight, and a well-placed body kick is perfect for wearing down your opponent. Even if they have great cardio, a strategic body kick can make them slower and less precise in their movements, making them easier to handle. In my opinion, the body kick is the most effective strike in striking, as it is more powerful than even the hardest punches and can be very demoralizing for the recipient. It affects the opponent mentally by forcing them to conceal their pain and sense their energy draining away.
How To Do it
Watch Kru Bird from AKA Thailand teach the Body kick.
The Switch kick
The switch kick is just like any other looping kick, such as the low and body kick. The main difference is the quick stance change before throwing the kick from the opposite stance, giving it its name. If you can do a low kick, you can do a switch kick. The target doesn’t matter – it’s all about the switch!
The switch kick is a valuable technique because it changes the angle of the strike, catching opponents off guard. It forces them to adjust from blocking strikes from an orthodox opponent to a southpaw opponent, creating a moment of vulnerability. This surprise factor can lead to the opponent receiving a powerful strike, making it an effective way to land a damaging blow.
How to do it
Watch Kru Bird from AKA Thailand teach the switch body kick!
Keeping it simple
That is all the kicks we will going over today.
The reason is that with those simple beginner kicks, you will be able to defend yourself properly in training and competition. I didn’t cover the head kick because advanced flexibility and control are needed to execute it safely and effectively in training. Therefore, I would personally consider the head kick an advanced kicking strike.
These four strikes are all you need to master. If you drill them enough and start to understand the timing, you can throw them along with mixing them in with punching combinations. You can truly become a puzzling striker to figure out, mixing in boxing and kicking combinations to bewilder the opponent and dominate as a fighter.
Don’t forget to practice these kicks regularly. By constantly drilling them on the bags and using them critically during controlled and slow sparring sessions, you will not only become a better athlete, but also a smarter fighter. Most importantly, you will become a wiser martial artist and person.
More like this
If you would to see other articles like this, check out this great article by Evolve University!
Also check out our own article on the best punches for Muay Thai!
Stay tuned for more in-depth articles on technique and Muay Thai news!