Muay Thai is one of the most popular martial arts( and this is already one of the 7 Reasons why choose to learn Muay Thai). But have you ever wondered, what is the most powerful kick in Muay Thai? That is exactly what I will be discussing today in this article. I will tell you the most powerful kick in Muay Thai and also other kicks and combos most commonly performed in martial art.
The most powerful kick in Muay Thai is the roundhouse kick. It is effective, simple and very powerful. Knocking someone down with a Muay Thai roundhouse kick is a true spectacle to behold. It is surely a demonstration of skill and power.
That is not all though. There are some caveats to this kick. You should now be using this kick all the time. To know more about the Muay Thai roundhouse kicks and other powerful kicks in Muay Thai keep on reading.
The Most Powerful Kick in Muay Thai
The roundhouse kick is pretty self-explanatory. Your body needs to turn at a 45-degree angle when you hit the opponent. The momentum you gain from the spin is what makes it quite the powerful kick.
Some might be wondering that other martial arts also have the roundhouse kick. You will be absolutely right to think that. In fact, the roundhouse kick is not exclusive to Muay Thai.
The roundhouse kick is considered one of the most powerful kicks in many martial arts. If and when the kick hits, it can inflict a considerable amount of damage.
What Makes the Roundhouse Kick so Powerful?
As I mentioned above, one of the reasons this kick is so damaging is because of the momentum it generates. Your lead leg will make a pivoting move. This is what allows you to rotate quickly in a circular motion.
Your hip basically throws the kick while your rear leg is thrusted towards the target. This momentum and speed are what give the kick its immense power. There is a subtle difference compared to other martial arts though.
The shin of your leg makes contact with the target as opposed to your foot.
Variations of Muay Thai Roundhouse Kick
There are essentially three variations of the Muay Thai roundhouse kick. It all depends on where you land the kick and where you are aiming. The variations are:
- High Roundhouse Kick
- Mid Roundhouse Kick
- Low Roundhouse Kick
High Roundhouse Kick
As you might have guessed from the name, a high roundhouse kick is when the attackers aim for the upper body – mainly the head. If you manage to hit a perfect high roundhouse, you can potentially end the fight right then and there.
When performing a high roundhouse kick you need to be careful and calculative. This variation of the kick has to travel the longest distance to hit its target. From the ground to the head of your opponent. Naturally then there are a lot of things that can go wrong.
When you perform a roundhouse kick, you leave yourself open to attacks. You need to do it fast and effectively. The best way to do it is to lower your opponent’s guard and hit them when they are not expecting it.
Instead of the head, you can also target the neck. Which is just as devastating.
Mid Roundhouse Kick
The mid roundhouse kick will target mainly the enemy’s torso or mid-section of the body. The arms are also a common target. Just like the high roundhouse kick, this one is also very dangerous.
You can inflict serious damage to the enemy’s ribs if done repeatedly. That might lead to an easy knockout.
Most fighters try to target the arms for a specific reason as well. You can cause damage to the arms which will also cause your enemy to lower their guard. Leaving them open for a final blow. Many fighters also mix it up with different variations of the roundhouse kick.
We will talk about some combos you can do with some of these kicks a little later on. Let’s move on to the third variant of the kick.
Low Roundhouse Kick
The low roundhouse kick mainly targets the thighs. It also does some serious damage when it connects. This kick is popular in martial arts like MMA or kickboxing. You can use this to get the enemy off balance.
Common Roundhouse Kick Mistakes You Need to Avoid
As powerful as the kick is, if you do it wrong, the opponent gets a clear shot at you. To solve this issue, here are some of the most common mistakes made during roundhouse kicks. If you can avoid these you can be sure you will land more kicks and also recover quicker.
1.Over oration
Over rotation of the body is a very common mistake. Many beginners rely on rotation to make their kicks more powerful. That is quite not recommended though. if you over-rotate it can be difficult to recover from the kick.
Rather you want the power to come from the snap and snap of your kick. Not the rotation itself.
2.Not rotating enough
This time, the issue is the opposite. If you do not rotate fully, you won’t push as much force to your legs. This will result in an overall weaker kick. Putting your body weight into the kick and rotating your hips fully will make sure your kick is powerful.
Other Powerful Kicks in Muay Thai
Now that I have covered the most powerful kick in Muay Thai, some other kicks in this martial art are not to be ignored either.
Teep Kick
Also known as the push kick, teep kicks can be used to keep your enemy at a safe distance. It is more of a stamping kick. Fighters will mostly target the torso of the chest of the opponent. In a pinch, you can also get away with a teep kick on the thighs.
The teep kick is also sometimes seen as an insult as well. But that is not much common though. You can use the teep kick as small quick jabs and follow it up with a roundhouse kick to do massive damage and disorient the opponent.
Axe Kick
The Axe kick is less common in Muay Thai. However, you will see the axe kick more and more in modern Muay Thai styles. The idea of the kick is very similar to how you would use an axe. you lift your leg right up and drive it straight down onto the enemy.
If it hits, the results can also be devastating. Perhaps one of the reasons it is not as popular is because if you time it wrong, your opponent can counter it and hit you before you actually land the shot.
Switch Kick
Switch kick involves some fancy footwork to confuse your opponent which lets you hit devastating blows. Although not as powerful as a well-placed roundhouse kick, the switch kick can still do some serious damage.
To perfect the kick, you need to time the kick perfectly and do it fast. Timing and speed are the key elements to the switch kick. When performing the switch kick, do not jump in the air with both feet.
Step back with your lead leg and deliver a jab. You need to maintain your balance when you are delivering the switch kicks.
Jumping Kick
Perhaps one of the flashiest kicks in Muay Thai. The jumping kick looks great when performed and is also quite damaging when it lands. It is also one of the least used kicks since it takes energy to initiate.
You can perform this kick in two main ways. Either jump directly from your stance and deliver a blow or you can do a scissor motion with your legs and deliver the blow. That means when you jump. You pull your legs close to you and then stretch out your leg and land the kick.
If you fail to hit the kick though you leave yourself quite vulnerable while you are in the air. That is why not many fighters will use this kick all that often.
Conclusion
Now that you know what is the most powerful kick in Muay Thai, you can practice the kick and bring yourself in mastering the martial art. There are many other kicks and techniques in Muay Thai you can learn. However, learning one of the most devastating moves is surely a good start.
If you are interested we also cover : What is the most powerful karate kick?