Eskrima Kombat

In the compilation above I gained a renewed appreciation for the low kick. (See Buakaw at 6:30.) I had viewed it as a harassing weapon, a set-up weapon like the jab, but here we see the leg kick can –in and of itself– end a fight. Also observe that often when the leg-kicked fighter starts to stumble and collapse his guard drops, exposing his head.

An opponent on all fours is a perfect opportunity to run, even if the kick doesn’t cause a knockout.

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I Am on the Receiving End of a Leg Kick

I experienced a leg kick firsthand in my Thai boxing training in Fresno under Khru Paul Metayo. I was sparring a guy and when I went up for a high kick, he came right underneath and kicked the calf of my supporting leg. It was a picture-perfect technique, which was ironic because he really didn’t have any skills at all.

I hobbled through the rest of the session, but by the time I got home I was limping, and by the time I went to bed I was in agony. As I lay in bed the slightest twitch or turn caused excruciating pain. I got very little sleep that night. I hobbled at work for several weeks and it was months before I recovered.

At the next full-contact match I had to watch from the stands because of my leg. I watched the guy who had kicked me fighting in the ring: Bending forward at the waist with his head down and looking at the floor, he windmilled his arms. It was incredible that he had no technique, but if he could have executed technique like the leg kick he pulled on me, he would have been a Grand Champion.

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Khru Paul Uses a Leg Kick on the Street

This is Bruce Lee’s idea of street defense.

Khru Paul himself once used the low kick in a street encounter. Two punks confronted him, one of them armed with a knife. Khru Paul executed his specialty, a 1-2 kick with two low leg kicks in rapid succession. He throws the first to the opponent’s outer thigh, then as the kick foot replants he instantly skips and launches a second kick into the opponent’s inner thigh. The kicks land “ba-bam.” The punk he kicked dropped his knife and the two of them took off.

I much prefer this type of defense (Bruce Lee’s knife defense was a low side kick to the knee.) than anything that involves reaching for the knife and grappling with an opponent’s hand/arm/wrist.

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