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Low kick

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Low kick
A fighter kicking with his shin.

A low kick (also known as a leg kick) is a kick in which the attacker strikes the opponent's lower body (thigh or calf) with the shinbone or foot. This type of kick, under different names, is utilized in numerous martial arts such as Kung fu, karate, taekwondo, kūdō, kickboxing, pradal serey, lethwei, Muay Thai, and MMA.

Damage

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  • An outside leg kick.
    An outside leg kick.
  • An inside leg kick.
    An inside leg kick.
  • Catching the opponent's leg kick and sweeping their supporting leg.
    Catching the opponent's leg kick and sweeping their supporting leg.

Low kicks are utilized to damage the opponents legs, which causes the loss of dexterity, stability, and mobility. Being struck repeatedly by low kicks can often result in damage to bones, joints, ligaments and muscle tissue.[1] The sciatic nerve, which is the longest and widest nerve in the human body, beginning in the lower back and running through the buttocks all the way to the lower limb, is a frequent target for low kicks.[2]

  • A low kick being checked.
    A low kick being checked.

Checking

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The most common defense against a low kick is known as "checking", where the leg is bent and brought up to protect the thigh. This causes the kicker to slam his/her shin into the defending fighters' shin or knee, causing pain and damage to the offender. In some instances, a well executed check of a low kick can break the leg of the offender — as it was the case when Chris Weidman checked Anderson Silva’s inside low kick in UFC 168, and most recently, when Uriah Hall checked Chris Weidman's inside low kick with the same result at UFC 261[3][4][5][6][7]

Use of low kicks in competition

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Low kicks are prohibited under American kickboxing full contact rules[broken anchor].[citation needed]

However, they are allowed in kickboxing under International rules[broken anchor] and Oriental rules[broken anchor] as well as in its variants such as muay Thai, sanshou, and shoot boxing. They are also one of the most commonly used weapons in full contact karate styles like Ashihara, Enshin, Kyokushin and Seidokaikan.

Notable examples of fighters using low kicks which affected the outcome of a match:

References

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  1. ^ Cage Potato Tribute: The Leg Kick
  2. ^ The Anatomy of the Leg Kick
  3. ^ How to practice low kicks
  4. ^ The Striking Zone: Why leg kicks are game changers in MMA
  5. ^ "How To Destroy Leg Kicks: Defense & Counters". Archived from the original on 2013-04-21. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  6. ^ "The Anatomy of the Muay Thai MMA Leg Kick and Beyond". Archived from the original on 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  7. ^ Chris Weidman retains UFC belt after gruesome Anderson Silva leg injury ends fight
  8. ^ Alexio breaks leg, loses kickboxing title
  9. ^ a b Nate Marquardt, Tarec Saffiedine and the 10 Most Brutal Leg-Kick Performances
  10. ^ Nate Marquardt, Tarec Saffiedine and the 10 Most Brutal Leg-Kick Performances
  11. ^ Nate Marquardt, Tarec Saffiedine and the 10 Most Brutal Leg-Kick Performances
  12. ^ Nate Marquardt, Tarec Saffiedine and the 10 Most Brutal Leg-Kick Performances
  13. ^ Nate Marquardt, Tarec Saffiedine and the 10 Most Brutal Leg-Kick Performances
  14. ^ Nate Marquardt, Tarec Saffiedine and the 10 Most Brutal Leg-Kick Performances
  15. ^ Most Vicious Leg Kicks in MMA
  16. ^ UFN 23 – Pat Barry leg-kick’s his way to a victory over Joey Beltran in Fort Hood, Texas Archived 2013-05-05 at archive.today
  17. ^ Nate Marquardt, Tarec Saffiedine and the 10 Most Brutal Leg-Kick Performances
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