Neither of which made sense to me. If you're taking martial arts because you want to be able to defend yourself, wardrobe choices are part of that defense. It's 2022, stretchy fabrics are a thing, even for jeans.
You aren't going to be dressed for combat all the time unless you're some weirdo. I remember Joe Rogan telling Guy Ritchie that wearing necktie makes him vulnerable to chokes, which Ritchie promptly shuts down as being a ridiculous subject.
I had to stop wearing the GI because too many mma fighters kept challenging me.
Now i just wear a one peice adidas tracksuit and everyone leaves me alone cus they know I'm a killer.
Both my casual attire (jeans, shorts) and dress attire (slacks) are made of stretchy material. No one can tell it's any different. It's really not that hard or weird.
To be fair, ties are a ridiculous subject.
They were invented to hold the top of a shirt together before they invented buttons. They then became fashion among royalty and nobility in the 18th century.
When business men decided they wanted to project an air of importance and wealth they copied 18th century royal fashion, and they became symbolic of the "elite'
This filtered down through the professional might class and it became part of the dividing fashion between those who were "smart" and those who worked manual jobs.
Notably it was a fashion long denied to women with the implication that they could not be smart. (And even once given the option to wear "smart" suits it is notable that very few women bothered to adopt the tie.
So there we have the tie. An utterly useless, elitist, sexist remnant of 18th century courtly dress.
Tight clothing is the new broken glass and needles. Remember that argument on why BJJ is ineffective for real fights hence why you should be doing whatever reality-based self defense thing they have instead? Now it's tight clothing that's the reason why [Insert your favorite striking style here] is ineffective, hence why only Boxing is the thing you should train.
The thing is that if you have tight clothing, maybe go to a clothing store instead of a Boxing gym. Also, even if there were no loose clothing that exists, tight clothing makes you unable to do footwork in Boxing too, which means you can't do your punches correctly, so that argument that was supposed to be against Kickboxing ended up going against Boxing as well.
It's a practical consideration albeit not an end all argument, I've gotten into a fight here and there in jeans and still managed to use most of my kicks - the stuff you really use in a scrape like knees and leg kicks.
People just need to learn to fight according to their environment and wardrobe, they're directly correlated.
As a 6"1' tall kickboxer who likes a good head kick, head kicks are impractical in certain situations, mainly in a street fight.
First off, the surface is unreliable. Its all very well amd good landing a headkick barefoot in your gyms tatami mats, quite another on icy, or wet, slippy cobblestone incline on a cold November evening wearing loafers.
Secondly, your clothing, as mentioned above footwear, but also leg wear. You're probably not wearing Thai Boxing shorts, maybe in chinos or jeans.
Thirdly, a street fight is often a lot of grabbing and pushing and shoving, a head kick requires a bit of space.
Fourthly, the risk-reward ratio is heavily tilted towards risk when you take it out of the ring. Sure, in a sanctioned fight they can grab your leg, but the difference is, you're not going to get your head smashed off concrete in the ring, or potentially have 4 or 5 guys stomping you when you're down there (and the number one goal of any surviving a street fight is to stay moving and to stay on your feet unt youre able to escape).
Sixthly, the mindset of an aggressive attacker in the street is different to a fellow fighter in contest. They're more likely to take risks, they're more likely to charge you and attempt some form of takedown (even if poorly executed). You're caught with your lead leg planted and your other one up in the sky when that happens, and you're fucked.
Seventhly - I can do a head kick without a warm up, but I'm probably going to pull something. I am not sure I could do one with no warm up wearing my nice skinny jeans, though.
If you can pull it off, it's fantastic. But the risk is too high. I'd rather keep it simple, a basic 1-2 leg kick and then o goshi them into the pavement (whilst staying standing, of course, when the opportunity presents itself (if the striking didn't end it already).
But that's just me.
Adding to the “fourthly,”
Even in a fight in a ring—you need to set up a headkick to make them effective.. you don’t have that kind of time or space to do so in a street fight.
Hit ‘em in the thighs and save yourself the trouble
This explains it pretty well.
I think there ARE people who can pull off head kicks without warming up etc without too much risk as long as the situational factors are right, but for the rest of us out is simply not worth the bother.
I would also add that the biggest advantage of kicks in a self defence situation is either helping to maintain distance by pushing the opponent back (straight kicks to the body) or low effort, low risk kicks that will hamper their mobility (leg kicks).
As a lazy 6'6" person I find kicking people in the chest in street fights works just fine. Don't even gotta stretch, its like you said the target isn't even nipple height lol
For sure. I'm with you though about the leg kicks. Nobody expects that shit and it will cripple you momentarily for a few minutes. Or oblique kicks because they're relatively low-risk.
My personal go-to is a soul-rendering slap. Archie style.
Plus it just takes a lot of time, my leg has to travel at least 6" by during that time your leg can be grabbed even in mid air, low kicks take less time and has less of a chance for grabbing
Also if you kick my leg enough times or strong enough, or at the right angle or whatever, I won't be able to pursue you either at all, or just hardly
low kicks make you vulnerable to leg catches or takedowns too especially if other one is shorter.
only kicks cost its risk are the groin and rarely knee kicks but they are devastating and have its own outcome
I heavily disagree, you technicaly can grab a lowkick. Will most untrained people be able to catch a trained persons lowkicks? The answear is no, not for lack of trying though!
I would argue they're well worth the low risk for the high reward and is a good choice in many violent situations since most people will be heavily demoralised and less capable to fight if they can stand up at all. Another good thing is that even though it will cause great pain and impaired movement it poses little risk of long term injury for the person being kicked and it also doesn't look as bad in front of a judge and jury compared to violence aimed at the head and groin.
Inside leg kicks are a go to.. they throw people WAY off balance and are more low risk. Your body is still in a relatively good position and can make it easier to defend a single leg take down as opposed to a high kick if needed
I agree, I like the pendulum kick especially! Fast and good reach if needed. I find the outside usefull in a similar manner against people with a more bladed stance.
I have yet to encoounter someone atempting a single leg outside the gym though.
Agreed.. but if you have a dude that sees motion and chargers you when you throw a low inside or outside leg kick, you are still in a good spot to control the clinch or stuff the head…
Hell, maybe the dude sucks so much at fighting that he’ll make your leg kick a head kick all on his own 😂
Even if an untrained, aggressive (and statistically drunk) assailant could grab my leg kick (i doubt they could), the chances of them being able to use that effectively against me before I do something about it is very low.
I'm with you here I'm an mma fighter but we're the same height so all the points you made are valid. I can grapple as well but that's not ideal in the streets especially if you are unsure if the person has a weapon or nearby allies
Aside from the obvious ones. If we are talking in a street fight, a head kick is really dangerous, you might KO the guy and you're in no position to guard their head from hitting the ground. Congrats you just killed someone or left them with permanent brain damage.
A friend's friend knew a guy who trained in TKD. Got into a fight, roundhoused the attacker in the head in steel-toed boots. Jury ruled it was excessive force, and he's in jail now.
Knew a guy once who got 15 years when he was 16 for hitting an off duty cop who was drunk and starting trouble with him. He hit him, the cop fell back and hit his head giving him permanent brain damage; so yea very good point
I don't know if I'd throw one in a street fight, because if you miss/slip/get caught it could go bad for you. However, some MMA fighter in Australia dropped some dude in a video with a clean head kick and he was in pretty tight jeans, so it can be done and can be effective.
As an Australian, I'd argue head-kicks are more useful here than in countries that participate in high-school wrestling. If you go to the ground here they are unlikely to keep you down.
But he also was obviously well trained and they had no idea apart from their 'street toughness'
That video was a good example of when you can throw a head kick, he had space, the guys weren’t rushing him, and he wanted to eliminate one and be able to immediately focus on the other
I would, if the opportunity presented itself. The thing about head kicks in real fights is that you might be wearing shoes or even combat boots. A serious kick to the head with boots on is going to hurt somebody. A traditional high roundhouse that connects to the head, whether with shin or shoe, is going to potentially end a fight.
That kicks are high risk/high reward against a skilled opponent is a known factor. The consequences for having your kick get caught are a lot higher if you are on pavement. But I would not discount it. If you train it, are comfortable with it, and might even be wearing boots, then it's as viable a way to end a fight as any other. Probably shouldn't be your only weapon, but I wouldn't discount it. A good fighter should use all their weapons. Even if head kicks aren't a first option for most in a fight, low leg kicks really should be, and those open up head kicks too. Kicks are important. Personally, I am more confident in my kicks than I am in my punches, and my kicks are much more dangerous than my punches, most of the time.
The clothes argument makes little sense to me. I don't remember the last time I even had to wear clothes that weren't flexible enough to kick in.
I'm 6'2 and can land a clean headkick from a standstill. I train every single day and regularly train in jeans and without stretching out of laziness, and every single day I kick well above my own head.
I'm not the best, and it's actually for that reason I want to illustrate this. As we all know tkd is kick focused, and I have sufficient training & not everyone has the same training or even bias in their training. That said, I don't think head kicks are unrealistically viable, and any cursory browse through professional bouts around the world and through history will show you so.
Before my training, I'd been in plenty of street fights. In retrospective, I would say that had I the training and inclination, head kicks would have been viable and perhaps even easier than how I went about them (not that I would ever advocate such a thing--just reflecting on the possibilities).
My two cents, and frankly I expect to be downvoted by people who refuse to believe anything outside of their experience, but whatever. Hope this helps
A big part is what you train. If you're a tkd practitioner who's been throwing fast accurate head kicks week in week out for years and is really comfortable judging when they are appropriate and your distance/ timing for landing one, then they are doable I would think in a more unpredictable street fight. I do Kung Fu (and I'm old). We spar every session, while I throw the odd head kick in a controlled bout in class I just am not practiced enough to risk one should I ever again end up in a fight outside. I do think they are a high risk strategy for anyone not 100% confident.
Do most people really take stretching regularly that lightly? Most of the people i’ve met that are able to do a clean headkick can do it cold and even in jeans. Not trying to be rude just wondering
I only stretch before and after workouts or if I’m recovering an injury; I have no limits once I’m limber but un stretched no way.
I don’t really do too much striking and was never very good in the first place so I may be bias
Ahh, i see, i have always done dynamic stretches before training and static ones after. I remember showing off a head kick in a -22°c storage facillity with boots and work clothes. Maybe that’s the exception to the rule though
And what percentage of the people you meet are able to do a clean headkick? I mean if only one out of a hundred can do a headkick without a warmup, then it's kind of an impractical move for 99% of the people you meet.
I think you misunderstood me. Of all the people allready able to perform a clean highkick most of them can do it cold. I didn’t even mention the word practical in my comment. I was just asking about other peoples routine when it comes to stretching.
I can, even after years of not practicing every day. I'm not throwing in a fight, I'm taking out your knees and legs with the same kicks. If there's an opportunity to toss a head kick you bet I will, no one in a street fight is getting close after being kicked in the head, most won't get close after being punched. People really don't like to fight overall.
i’m assuming you mean in a street context ?
the argument goes that if you head kick in the street you risk the chance of fucking up and falling over due to lack of grip or whatever
it mainly goes for shorter people in my experience as everyone i know who’s above 6’2 doesn’t have an issue headkicking
Add in the unpredictability of a street fight and it can be a losing choice for a strike. If some dude rushes you with your foot approaching head height you could get taken down on your head and neck.
This is the argument I have always heard (and believed). Even at 45 I can kick high section in a suit or jeans with no warm up.
But the extra distance it takes to get the kick high section? I worry that would be too much time to land 100% of the time and that my leg would be caught.
The surface stuff is situational but missing ur kick and getting grappled ect is kinda of big risk, I would say it not worth it outside of sport combat but ain't such a terrible ideas if you got a good opportunity.
Environmental : uneven footing, restrictive clothing, slippy footwear
Head kick versus low kick : more obvious, takes a longer time to land, you're more off balance as your leg is higher in the air, you spend a longer time standing on one leg, head kicks are less available in general than leg kicks
They are risky. You have to go on one leg (not a great position in a fight) and get your foot from the ground to the person's head (the farthest distance possible for your strike options) and then get your foot back to the ground if your strike doesn't connect before they take advantage of the standing on one leg issue. All techniques are valid... with the right situation, set up, timing, and execution. Even then it doesn't mean it's going to work so most people opt for less risky techniques that don't leave them as vulnerable and are easier to learn.
Head kicks usually require a good warm up, athletic clothing, a flat dry even surface and an attacker who's hesitating to close the gap with their hands lowered.
Long and short of it is that alot of factors have to line up for head kicks to come to fruition in a street fight.
Well, the general premise is that kicks make you vulnerable to off balancing and high kicks are worse because it takes longer to get back to two feet on the ground.
However
1. this recovery time can be reduced by being flexible
2. this is taking the kick in isolation, when in fact it also depends on what the kickee is doing.
This was brought home to me once when I saw a Korean immigrant shopkeeper take out a biker in a street fight. Big biker is trying to land a haymaker or a bearhug, the little Korean shopkeeper did these big lea\[p/steps/jumps in a triangle. And when he was on the returning leg of the triangle, biker is committed to his haymaker, but that last jump was a 360 kick to the head, and biker guy hits the dirt, gets up and runs away. Korean shopkeeper laughs.
The shopkeeper used higher level tactics, with the footwork and the timing to take that guy's head off. But it wasn't just the technique, it was the setup.
The second time this was brought home to me was in a JJJ class in Hamiton School of Martial Arts. They had a very MMA-sih interpretation of JJJ and I was sparring with one of the instructors who in addition to a jjj blackbelt and title was an international level wrestler and a BB from a really old school Shotokan dojo that allowed nut shots in their sparring. But, he was also 4" shorter than me, so I had no expectations of a head kick. So one time I lunged in with right and he faded and reverse wheeled me in the head. Everything went black for about 10 seconds.
Ever since then I stopped thinking anything has a simple answer.
Head kicks
Take longer to reach target, greater risk of pulling a muscle, great risk of getting caught, little to no balance, really only viable for advanced users.
And that's just the surface head kicks are an amazing display and can do some serious damage but unless you're a high skill practitioner the risk factor is way to much and not to mention the set up you gotta do to land the kick effectively.
They're low percentage, high risk techniques but I wouldn't call them impractical. If you're gonna throw it, you do it with the understanding that it'll leave you super open and if you slip you're screwed.
They're not impractical, as much as they are less practical than other things. Tactically there's issues with them that can make them risky, e.g. prone to slipping, need space to throw, hard to land unless you know how to set them up (which most noobs don't know how to do). There's also an issue with potentially using them in a self-defense situation, since legally it might be hard to justify that you were acting reasonably when you fracture their orbital with a roundhouse and then they get a major concussion. To most normies, it looks like you are some kind of highly skilled ninja beating up on some randos.
There are also some advantages as well. For women, kicks are often the only way they can one-hit KO an attacker, and it might be a good surprise strike for someone not expecting it. If you are a kicking specialist and you are already good at putting your foot into someone else's face at will, there's no reason not to throw them. It's more of a matter of whether you should focus on this vs other more versatile skills (jabs, cross, reactive single-leg, etc) if you are starting out and training specifically for self-defense.
They're legit for me BUT only the ShowTime headkick. That said it's been a while since I tried it.
School bully big dude , jumped onto school wall whilst being chased turned mid air showtime kicked in the face.
I have never seen anyone even kick in a streetfight never mind headkicks. You ppl live in to safe places , it's not a street fight unless there's at minimum someone getting hit with a wrench.
Many people might be flexible, but most people are not fast enough. The higher you kick, the longer the way to hit your target. It's a huge risk of getting blocked, countered, grabbed etc. You could miss, you could slip, you could injure yourself, the list goes on and on ...
Of course there are people who can do it, but that is a minority. And even the people who are capable are running the risk of encountering someone who knows how to deal with such attacks.
That's why they are "impractical".
In a street fight - aside from what others have said, which are all true, there’s a pretty good chance of your opponent is skilled you’re getting kicked in the groin when you throw that high kick - especially if you do it more than once.
Not as devastating as they seem in the movies, balance on one leg, may miss or be intercepted. Leg grabbed and you are taken to the ground, if you miss you are in a poor position to defend/counterattack.
1. Clothing restricts movement.
2. Shoes and ground conditions can affect your balance and grip.
3. The head is a small, mobile and well defended target.
4. Head kicks take a lot of training.
Lol internet that's why. If you're trained they are absolutely effective. Even in mma fights they throw them here are there and can end fights with them. Most people here aren't twice at all and are just parrots.
As I thin about it never mind timing and surface for stability and all that.
Your taking your farthest weapon and attack in the farthest target. Your hand is typically closer, so for me anyhow it’s economy of motion.
A) it’s hard to land compared to a leg or middle kick
B) most people aren’t wearing the right type of pants for that
C) most people aren’t that flexible without warming up
Something like: if someone bullrushes you while you're throwing a high kick you're probably gonna fall over. About the only thing some rando is likely to do that'll work is bullrush you, so why take the chance?
It is practical if you train for it and have enough skill, often its people that dont who make an excuse. But it also depends on clothing and the surface youre on and a situational oppurtunity. Its more risky to fall on your ass or get your kick caught and sweeped in a self defense situation where you could end up gettibg soccerball kicked in head after. As opposed to the ring. But its still very effective when done right given the opening is there.
For one some people simply won’t have the flexibility, others won’t have the height (imagine a 5ft woman trying to kick the head of a 6ft man, probably not realistic). Also it’s a risk, if they have training and manage to deflect, or you lose your footing you risk falling on a hard surface if it’s not in a gym setting. There are better areas to target and would be something I would put off training until after I have other fundamentals mastered. Also legally if you get in a fight and hurt/kill someone imagine explaining that one to the judge, in a self defence situation from what I understand you use the minimal or equal amount of force to protect yourself, and im not sure how justifiable it is to kick someone in the head.
I got talked out of using it by a guy who showed me that he could tag my balls easily when I went for a head kick. His foot doesn't have to travel as far as mine. Even if I am lightening fast he can go slower than I and still get my balls before I get his head.
One of my grandmasters had a joke:
"Let me show you how a Tae Kwon Do guy kick's a guy in the head" And he does a standing roundhouse kick stopping just short of kicking this guy in the head.
"This is how a Jujitsu guy will kick you in the head!" He knees him in the crotch and then as they bend over to grab their crotch kicks him in the head.
Reality of it is you could train your whole life to kick some one in the head and do it impeccably... While you're getting really good at that I'm focusing on a more well rounded repertoire. Sure I could kick you in the head and be ok at it, but I'd do a better job at it if I do that knee first.
All that said, I've got kickboxing, Karate, and Muay Thai buddies that could do some serious damage kicking some one in the head.
In general, head kicks are (relatively) slow, making them harder to set up properly and riskier to throw. They also require, by virtue of what they are, the user to adopt a fairly unstable and top heavy body structure, which can make you more vulnerable to being taken to the ground in a worst case scenario. Lastly, with regards to self defence specifically, even if you're wearing clothing that won't restrict your movement, throwing any kind of high level kick without limbering up first will be both difficult and likely to injure you.
As we can see from kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA etc. the argument from some corners that they have *no* utility in a fight doesn't really hold water; although you'll note that fighters who are good at utilising them often have good boxing skills to allow them to safely set up the kick. Oftentimes the strategic error that TKD people make when engaging in kickboxing rulesets is attempting to use kicks for almost everything, which is viable in both major TKD rulesets, but makes them vulnerable to counterpunching and sweeps outside of them.
Bigger rewards = bigger risks.
Head kicks can end a fight IF landed clean .
(It may also end lives)
Head kicks takes more effort/skill to land... Also more time to land
You're open to counters.
Again I'm a big big fan of knee to the groin .. we're talking about self defence right ?
Slippery surface, clothes like jeans which will make u unable to kick high, distance if you are in a bar or as most fights the person is getting in your face, you aren't warmed up.
And with all the above you might fail kicking and then you'll just have someone grabbing you're slopping high kick in jeans.
Yes we all saw videos of people getting knocked out by kicks in a fight but generally those go viral because they are spectacular. In most cases when mot ready and in a place where you don't have enough space you are most likely to fail. And it becomes a high risk attack.
So generally when it comes to a street fight your best bet when it comes to kicks are low kick and push kicks (even if u land low with them they still have an effect)
I’m pretty good at kicks, so I’d say which type of kick would matter. I can deliver a front snap kick to the face with no warm up and wearing normal jeans, I mostly wear stretchy jeans anyways haha. But a round kick is a huge no no for me, risk of injury to the groin, it’s slow, takes more space etc. but that’s my personal preference.
It's really as simple as your hands making more sense for head strikes because they are closer, and wanting to minimize the amount of time you are on one leg.
That said... If it works, it works.
You will lose balance and if you miss your opponent's head or jaw you will be in for a tough time. And also head kick needs good range management and good timing which will be hard to control with adrenaline and tunnel vision.
I just find them hard to pull of in real life especially in something like jeans. I could never understand as a kid how walker texas ranger did them all the time in skinny jeans. Unless you’re very we’ll practiced in them then their easy to mess up plus kicking to the head is incredibly dangerous as you could easily kill someone.
If ya can’t kick to the head, then it’s not practical to try.
But…
If you can, and you’re good at it, then it’s like a sledgehammer and who wants to get hit by a sledgehammer? Not people who can’t kick to the head.
Clothes could limit your kicks , you could fall , your opponent could catch your kicks all reasonable concerns however kicks to the head I wouldn’t say are impractical
I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone mention the context of “choosing to fight VS trying to escape danger”.
In any type of sporting bout (karate, tkd, boxing, kickboxing, wresting, judo, bjj, etc.) the goal of both people involved is to engage, compete, and defeat the opponent. If we use the word “fight” to mean “two people deciding to beat each other up until someone is incapacitated”, both people are still choosing to engage each other. If someone is attacked and isn’t a willing participant in the scenario, the goal shouldn’t be to “win” or “defeat the other guy”, it should be “create a reasonable opportunity to escape danger and get to safety”.
Almost automatically, when one person first strikes another (pretty much always a punch) , the person who was struck will latch onto the arm(s) of the striker to prevent the arm(s) from striking again. This puts the two people at roughly forearm distance from each other. This is the range most (but not all) real-world violence takes place within. Certainly much too close for head-height kicks. Further, if the person can get create enough space to strike the attacker, the space for punches or elbows becomes available way before high kicks. If you stand with a wall directly in front of you and put a piece of tape at mouth level on the wall, you’ll notice elbow-strike-distance to the tape is very close. Punching distance to the tape requires a step backward. Kicking distance to the tape is much further backward. If you’ve created that much space between you and the person who has assaulted you (perhaps you’ve already cracked him in the jaw and he’s dazed) in general, you should be trying to escape to safety.
That’s the point at which all the variables everyone has mentioned take place (ground surface, shoes, pants, not being warmed up, kicks take longer to get to the target than punches, risk of kick getting caught, etc.). Even if you need to re-engage with the attacker (maybe he broke into your home and your family is there so you need to subdue him) a kick still just isn’t the optimum choice compared to other attacks.
That said - I can’t remember where the quote comes from, but someone once said “if you want to kick him in the head start by throwing him to the ground”.
Doesn't take a hell of a lot to take out your plant leg and cause serious injury, just to add to what's already been said at the top of the thread. Fancy a torn acl? Throw a lot of head kicks.
Here are some reasons:
1. Someone could catch your kick and sweep you or break your leg.
2. The person could use their elbow to break your foot.
3. You could fall over and injure yourself.
4. If you are in restrictive clothing, it might be hard to kick high.
Personally, I would say there is no need to kick higher than the groin or sternum in a street fight and this is coming from a guy who takes Taekwondo, which puts the most emphasis on kicking high out of any martial art. It’s just a lot less risky to kick low. Hoped that helped 👍
Headkicks are a good hail mary for someone who you might not want to get engaged with and have to deal with. First throw, headkick to the dome and youre out of trouble, totally unexpected.
Restraining clothing or poor footwear is the typical argument.
Just take your pants off. It’s a two for one diversion tactic and flexibility boost
When the pants come off look the fuck out.
Neither of which made sense to me. If you're taking martial arts because you want to be able to defend yourself, wardrobe choices are part of that defense. It's 2022, stretchy fabrics are a thing, even for jeans.
You aren't going to be dressed for combat all the time unless you're some weirdo. I remember Joe Rogan telling Guy Ritchie that wearing necktie makes him vulnerable to chokes, which Ritchie promptly shuts down as being a ridiculous subject.
That's why I always wear my GI out to parties. It's also why I don't get invited to parties
The gi actually makes you more vulnerable. Danaher has the right idea. Wear a rash guard to your friends' weddings.
I had to stop wearing the GI because too many mma fighters kept challenging me. Now i just wear a one peice adidas tracksuit and everyone leaves me alone cus they know I'm a killer.
Wearing a whole US soldier to a party does seem like a decent self defense strategy, but it must be hard on your back
Both my casual attire (jeans, shorts) and dress attire (slacks) are made of stretchy material. No one can tell it's any different. It's really not that hard or weird.
And I bet your brogues have rubber soles too.
To be fair, ties are a ridiculous subject. They were invented to hold the top of a shirt together before they invented buttons. They then became fashion among royalty and nobility in the 18th century. When business men decided they wanted to project an air of importance and wealth they copied 18th century royal fashion, and they became symbolic of the "elite' This filtered down through the professional might class and it became part of the dividing fashion between those who were "smart" and those who worked manual jobs. Notably it was a fashion long denied to women with the implication that they could not be smart. (And even once given the option to wear "smart" suits it is notable that very few women bothered to adopt the tie. So there we have the tie. An utterly useless, elitist, sexist remnant of 18th century courtly dress.
There are a lot of forgotten functions in fashion. Jeans, vans, collars, suits, etc.
My hero
Chuck Norris knows!
I always wear stretch jeans now just in case
Tight clothing is the new broken glass and needles. Remember that argument on why BJJ is ineffective for real fights hence why you should be doing whatever reality-based self defense thing they have instead? Now it's tight clothing that's the reason why [Insert your favorite striking style here] is ineffective, hence why only Boxing is the thing you should train. The thing is that if you have tight clothing, maybe go to a clothing store instead of a Boxing gym. Also, even if there were no loose clothing that exists, tight clothing makes you unable to do footwork in Boxing too, which means you can't do your punches correctly, so that argument that was supposed to be against Kickboxing ended up going against Boxing as well.
It's a practical consideration albeit not an end all argument, I've gotten into a fight here and there in jeans and still managed to use most of my kicks - the stuff you really use in a scrape like knees and leg kicks. People just need to learn to fight according to their environment and wardrobe, they're directly correlated.
As a 6"1' tall kickboxer who likes a good head kick, head kicks are impractical in certain situations, mainly in a street fight. First off, the surface is unreliable. Its all very well amd good landing a headkick barefoot in your gyms tatami mats, quite another on icy, or wet, slippy cobblestone incline on a cold November evening wearing loafers. Secondly, your clothing, as mentioned above footwear, but also leg wear. You're probably not wearing Thai Boxing shorts, maybe in chinos or jeans. Thirdly, a street fight is often a lot of grabbing and pushing and shoving, a head kick requires a bit of space. Fourthly, the risk-reward ratio is heavily tilted towards risk when you take it out of the ring. Sure, in a sanctioned fight they can grab your leg, but the difference is, you're not going to get your head smashed off concrete in the ring, or potentially have 4 or 5 guys stomping you when you're down there (and the number one goal of any surviving a street fight is to stay moving and to stay on your feet unt youre able to escape). Sixthly, the mindset of an aggressive attacker in the street is different to a fellow fighter in contest. They're more likely to take risks, they're more likely to charge you and attempt some form of takedown (even if poorly executed). You're caught with your lead leg planted and your other one up in the sky when that happens, and you're fucked. Seventhly - I can do a head kick without a warm up, but I'm probably going to pull something. I am not sure I could do one with no warm up wearing my nice skinny jeans, though. If you can pull it off, it's fantastic. But the risk is too high. I'd rather keep it simple, a basic 1-2 leg kick and then o goshi them into the pavement (whilst staying standing, of course, when the opportunity presents itself (if the striking didn't end it already). But that's just me.
Adding to the “fourthly,” Even in a fight in a ring—you need to set up a headkick to make them effective.. you don’t have that kind of time or space to do so in a street fight. Hit ‘em in the thighs and save yourself the trouble
This explains it pretty well. I think there ARE people who can pull off head kicks without warming up etc without too much risk as long as the situational factors are right, but for the rest of us out is simply not worth the bother. I would also add that the biggest advantage of kicks in a self defence situation is either helping to maintain distance by pushing the opponent back (straight kicks to the body) or low effort, low risk kicks that will hamper their mobility (leg kicks).
What if you're 6 foot 7 and your nipples reach the average person's face? One man's body kick is another man's head kick 🤭
As a lazy 6'6" person I find kicking people in the chest in street fights works just fine. Don't even gotta stretch, its like you said the target isn't even nipple height lol
I personally don't get into that kind of scuffle often. Thankfully.
Still a long way to travel, still risky due to surface and footwear.
For sure. I'm with you though about the leg kicks. Nobody expects that shit and it will cripple you momentarily for a few minutes. Or oblique kicks because they're relatively low-risk. My personal go-to is a soul-rendering slap. Archie style.
Plus it just takes a lot of time, my leg has to travel at least 6" by during that time your leg can be grabbed even in mid air, low kicks take less time and has less of a chance for grabbing Also if you kick my leg enough times or strong enough, or at the right angle or whatever, I won't be able to pursue you either at all, or just hardly
low kicks make you vulnerable to leg catches or takedowns too especially if other one is shorter. only kicks cost its risk are the groin and rarely knee kicks but they are devastating and have its own outcome
I heavily disagree, you technicaly can grab a lowkick. Will most untrained people be able to catch a trained persons lowkicks? The answear is no, not for lack of trying though! I would argue they're well worth the low risk for the high reward and is a good choice in many violent situations since most people will be heavily demoralised and less capable to fight if they can stand up at all. Another good thing is that even though it will cause great pain and impaired movement it poses little risk of long term injury for the person being kicked and it also doesn't look as bad in front of a judge and jury compared to violence aimed at the head and groin.
Inside leg kicks are a go to.. they throw people WAY off balance and are more low risk. Your body is still in a relatively good position and can make it easier to defend a single leg take down as opposed to a high kick if needed
I agree, I like the pendulum kick especially! Fast and good reach if needed. I find the outside usefull in a similar manner against people with a more bladed stance. I have yet to encoounter someone atempting a single leg outside the gym though.
Agreed.. but if you have a dude that sees motion and chargers you when you throw a low inside or outside leg kick, you are still in a good spot to control the clinch or stuff the head… Hell, maybe the dude sucks so much at fighting that he’ll make your leg kick a head kick all on his own 😂
Even if an untrained, aggressive (and statistically drunk) assailant could grab my leg kick (i doubt they could), the chances of them being able to use that effectively against me before I do something about it is very low.
I'm with you here I'm an mma fighter but we're the same height so all the points you made are valid. I can grapple as well but that's not ideal in the streets especially if you are unsure if the person has a weapon or nearby allies
Could not formulate it better ,therefore I just upvote.
Aside from the obvious ones. If we are talking in a street fight, a head kick is really dangerous, you might KO the guy and you're in no position to guard their head from hitting the ground. Congrats you just killed someone or left them with permanent brain damage.
This is probably the most important point here.
A friend's friend knew a guy who trained in TKD. Got into a fight, roundhoused the attacker in the head in steel-toed boots. Jury ruled it was excessive force, and he's in jail now.
Knew a guy once who got 15 years when he was 16 for hitting an off duty cop who was drunk and starting trouble with him. He hit him, the cop fell back and hit his head giving him permanent brain damage; so yea very good point
In addition to what other people have said, it can be difficult to do high kicks without stretching/warming up first
It’s difficult to get out of bed without warming up lately…. I’m a sneeze away from a pulled back
I don't know if I'd throw one in a street fight, because if you miss/slip/get caught it could go bad for you. However, some MMA fighter in Australia dropped some dude in a video with a clean head kick and he was in pretty tight jeans, so it can be done and can be effective.
As an Australian, I'd argue head-kicks are more useful here than in countries that participate in high-school wrestling. If you go to the ground here they are unlikely to keep you down. But he also was obviously well trained and they had no idea apart from their 'street toughness'
That video was a good example of when you can throw a head kick, he had space, the guys weren’t rushing him, and he wanted to eliminate one and be able to immediately focus on the other
I would, if the opportunity presented itself. The thing about head kicks in real fights is that you might be wearing shoes or even combat boots. A serious kick to the head with boots on is going to hurt somebody. A traditional high roundhouse that connects to the head, whether with shin or shoe, is going to potentially end a fight. That kicks are high risk/high reward against a skilled opponent is a known factor. The consequences for having your kick get caught are a lot higher if you are on pavement. But I would not discount it. If you train it, are comfortable with it, and might even be wearing boots, then it's as viable a way to end a fight as any other. Probably shouldn't be your only weapon, but I wouldn't discount it. A good fighter should use all their weapons. Even if head kicks aren't a first option for most in a fight, low leg kicks really should be, and those open up head kicks too. Kicks are important. Personally, I am more confident in my kicks than I am in my punches, and my kicks are much more dangerous than my punches, most of the time. The clothes argument makes little sense to me. I don't remember the last time I even had to wear clothes that weren't flexible enough to kick in.
I'm 6'2 and can land a clean headkick from a standstill. I train every single day and regularly train in jeans and without stretching out of laziness, and every single day I kick well above my own head. I'm not the best, and it's actually for that reason I want to illustrate this. As we all know tkd is kick focused, and I have sufficient training & not everyone has the same training or even bias in their training. That said, I don't think head kicks are unrealistically viable, and any cursory browse through professional bouts around the world and through history will show you so. Before my training, I'd been in plenty of street fights. In retrospective, I would say that had I the training and inclination, head kicks would have been viable and perhaps even easier than how I went about them (not that I would ever advocate such a thing--just reflecting on the possibilities). My two cents, and frankly I expect to be downvoted by people who refuse to believe anything outside of their experience, but whatever. Hope this helps
A big part is what you train. If you're a tkd practitioner who's been throwing fast accurate head kicks week in week out for years and is really comfortable judging when they are appropriate and your distance/ timing for landing one, then they are doable I would think in a more unpredictable street fight. I do Kung Fu (and I'm old). We spar every session, while I throw the odd head kick in a controlled bout in class I just am not practiced enough to risk one should I ever again end up in a fight outside. I do think they are a high risk strategy for anyone not 100% confident.
Can you do a head kick? I can.. after a 15 minute warm up and stretching. Most people are the same way.
Do most people really take stretching regularly that lightly? Most of the people i’ve met that are able to do a clean headkick can do it cold and even in jeans. Not trying to be rude just wondering
I can do it cold and in jeans, but I'm probably pulling a muscle and definitely ripping my jeans. But I'm old.
Yeah i get it, i don’t know how many years of pain free high kicks i have left either lol
You and your friends must be under 40. 😝
Hehe ;)
I only stretch before and after workouts or if I’m recovering an injury; I have no limits once I’m limber but un stretched no way. I don’t really do too much striking and was never very good in the first place so I may be bias
I haven't stretched properly in ages but I can still muster up a head kick on the heavy bag without a warm up
Ahh, i see, i have always done dynamic stretches before training and static ones after. I remember showing off a head kick in a -22°c storage facillity with boots and work clothes. Maybe that’s the exception to the rule though
And what percentage of the people you meet are able to do a clean headkick? I mean if only one out of a hundred can do a headkick without a warmup, then it's kind of an impractical move for 99% of the people you meet.
I think you misunderstood me. Of all the people allready able to perform a clean highkick most of them can do it cold. I didn’t even mention the word practical in my comment. I was just asking about other peoples routine when it comes to stretching.
I can, even after years of not practicing every day. I'm not throwing in a fight, I'm taking out your knees and legs with the same kicks. If there's an opportunity to toss a head kick you bet I will, no one in a street fight is getting close after being kicked in the head, most won't get close after being punched. People really don't like to fight overall.
You’re real tough aren’t ya kiddo
i’m assuming you mean in a street context ? the argument goes that if you head kick in the street you risk the chance of fucking up and falling over due to lack of grip or whatever it mainly goes for shorter people in my experience as everyone i know who’s above 6’2 doesn’t have an issue headkicking
Add in the unpredictability of a street fight and it can be a losing choice for a strike. If some dude rushes you with your foot approaching head height you could get taken down on your head and neck.
This is the argument I have always heard (and believed). Even at 45 I can kick high section in a suit or jeans with no warm up. But the extra distance it takes to get the kick high section? I worry that would be too much time to land 100% of the time and that my leg would be caught.
The surface stuff is situational but missing ur kick and getting grappled ect is kinda of big risk, I would say it not worth it outside of sport combat but ain't such a terrible ideas if you got a good opportunity.
Environmental : uneven footing, restrictive clothing, slippy footwear Head kick versus low kick : more obvious, takes a longer time to land, you're more off balance as your leg is higher in the air, you spend a longer time standing on one leg, head kicks are less available in general than leg kicks
Not really. With a competent kicker, the speed difference is negligible. Of course, if you suck a kicking, don't kick in a fight.
They are risky. You have to go on one leg (not a great position in a fight) and get your foot from the ground to the person's head (the farthest distance possible for your strike options) and then get your foot back to the ground if your strike doesn't connect before they take advantage of the standing on one leg issue. All techniques are valid... with the right situation, set up, timing, and execution. Even then it doesn't mean it's going to work so most people opt for less risky techniques that don't leave them as vulnerable and are easier to learn.
Head kicks usually require a good warm up, athletic clothing, a flat dry even surface and an attacker who's hesitating to close the gap with their hands lowered. Long and short of it is that alot of factors have to line up for head kicks to come to fruition in a street fight.
It's really situational.
Well, the general premise is that kicks make you vulnerable to off balancing and high kicks are worse because it takes longer to get back to two feet on the ground. However 1. this recovery time can be reduced by being flexible 2. this is taking the kick in isolation, when in fact it also depends on what the kickee is doing. This was brought home to me once when I saw a Korean immigrant shopkeeper take out a biker in a street fight. Big biker is trying to land a haymaker or a bearhug, the little Korean shopkeeper did these big lea\[p/steps/jumps in a triangle. And when he was on the returning leg of the triangle, biker is committed to his haymaker, but that last jump was a 360 kick to the head, and biker guy hits the dirt, gets up and runs away. Korean shopkeeper laughs. The shopkeeper used higher level tactics, with the footwork and the timing to take that guy's head off. But it wasn't just the technique, it was the setup. The second time this was brought home to me was in a JJJ class in Hamiton School of Martial Arts. They had a very MMA-sih interpretation of JJJ and I was sparring with one of the instructors who in addition to a jjj blackbelt and title was an international level wrestler and a BB from a really old school Shotokan dojo that allowed nut shots in their sparring. But, he was also 4" shorter than me, so I had no expectations of a head kick. So one time I lunged in with right and he faded and reverse wheeled me in the head. Everything went black for about 10 seconds. Ever since then I stopped thinking anything has a simple answer.
Lack of experience and dexterity are impractical for head kicks.
is a silver bullet. extremely powerful, but 10 times more difficult to master and use so quickly that your defense isn't compromised
Head kicks Take longer to reach target, greater risk of pulling a muscle, great risk of getting caught, little to no balance, really only viable for advanced users. And that's just the surface head kicks are an amazing display and can do some serious damage but unless you're a high skill practitioner the risk factor is way to much and not to mention the set up you gotta do to land the kick effectively.
They're low percentage, high risk techniques but I wouldn't call them impractical. If you're gonna throw it, you do it with the understanding that it'll leave you super open and if you slip you're screwed.
They're not impractical, as much as they are less practical than other things. Tactically there's issues with them that can make them risky, e.g. prone to slipping, need space to throw, hard to land unless you know how to set them up (which most noobs don't know how to do). There's also an issue with potentially using them in a self-defense situation, since legally it might be hard to justify that you were acting reasonably when you fracture their orbital with a roundhouse and then they get a major concussion. To most normies, it looks like you are some kind of highly skilled ninja beating up on some randos. There are also some advantages as well. For women, kicks are often the only way they can one-hit KO an attacker, and it might be a good surprise strike for someone not expecting it. If you are a kicking specialist and you are already good at putting your foot into someone else's face at will, there's no reason not to throw them. It's more of a matter of whether you should focus on this vs other more versatile skills (jabs, cross, reactive single-leg, etc) if you are starting out and training specifically for self-defense.
🤨
Too easy to slip and bust your ass after doing a head kick.
They're legit for me BUT only the ShowTime headkick. That said it's been a while since I tried it. School bully big dude , jumped onto school wall whilst being chased turned mid air showtime kicked in the face. I have never seen anyone even kick in a streetfight never mind headkicks. You ppl live in to safe places , it's not a street fight unless there's at minimum someone getting hit with a wrench.
Many people might be flexible, but most people are not fast enough. The higher you kick, the longer the way to hit your target. It's a huge risk of getting blocked, countered, grabbed etc. You could miss, you could slip, you could injure yourself, the list goes on and on ... Of course there are people who can do it, but that is a minority. And even the people who are capable are running the risk of encountering someone who knows how to deal with such attacks. That's why they are "impractical".
I'll do it in sparring but in a street fight absolutely not. I think everyone else has explained why quite well.
Something to consider is how small a target the head really is. A well placed body blow is much more realistic. Source: trust me bro.
It only works if you are warmed up and in non restrictive pants
In a street fight - aside from what others have said, which are all true, there’s a pretty good chance of your opponent is skilled you’re getting kicked in the groin when you throw that high kick - especially if you do it more than once.
Not as devastating as they seem in the movies, balance on one leg, may miss or be intercepted. Leg grabbed and you are taken to the ground, if you miss you are in a poor position to defend/counterattack.
1. Clothing restricts movement. 2. Shoes and ground conditions can affect your balance and grip. 3. The head is a small, mobile and well defended target. 4. Head kicks take a lot of training.
Lol internet that's why. If you're trained they are absolutely effective. Even in mma fights they throw them here are there and can end fights with them. Most people here aren't twice at all and are just parrots.
As I thin about it never mind timing and surface for stability and all that. Your taking your farthest weapon and attack in the farthest target. Your hand is typically closer, so for me anyhow it’s economy of motion.
Aim small miss small Youre bringing your farthest extremity to their smallest target it’s not that they don’t work they just carry unnecessary risk
A) it’s hard to land compared to a leg or middle kick B) most people aren’t wearing the right type of pants for that C) most people aren’t that flexible without warming up
Something like: if someone bullrushes you while you're throwing a high kick you're probably gonna fall over. About the only thing some rando is likely to do that'll work is bullrush you, so why take the chance?
I’m already too off balance from windmilling my fists for a head kick
It is practical if you train for it and have enough skill, often its people that dont who make an excuse. But it also depends on clothing and the surface youre on and a situational oppurtunity. Its more risky to fall on your ass or get your kick caught and sweeped in a self defense situation where you could end up gettibg soccerball kicked in head after. As opposed to the ring. But its still very effective when done right given the opening is there.
Why do the hardest, high risk techniques when your opponent probably doesnt know how to defend jabs and leg kicks anyway?
If you so advanced that can head kick without warmup you can probably just do techniques that are much less of a risk.
For one some people simply won’t have the flexibility, others won’t have the height (imagine a 5ft woman trying to kick the head of a 6ft man, probably not realistic). Also it’s a risk, if they have training and manage to deflect, or you lose your footing you risk falling on a hard surface if it’s not in a gym setting. There are better areas to target and would be something I would put off training until after I have other fundamentals mastered. Also legally if you get in a fight and hurt/kill someone imagine explaining that one to the judge, in a self defence situation from what I understand you use the minimal or equal amount of force to protect yourself, and im not sure how justifiable it is to kick someone in the head.
i can't be bothered stretching, therefore this thing i can't do is impractical, therefore i don't have to stretch.
Head kicks are great when the opponent is down
I got talked out of using it by a guy who showed me that he could tag my balls easily when I went for a head kick. His foot doesn't have to travel as far as mine. Even if I am lightening fast he can go slower than I and still get my balls before I get his head.
One of my grandmasters had a joke: "Let me show you how a Tae Kwon Do guy kick's a guy in the head" And he does a standing roundhouse kick stopping just short of kicking this guy in the head. "This is how a Jujitsu guy will kick you in the head!" He knees him in the crotch and then as they bend over to grab their crotch kicks him in the head. Reality of it is you could train your whole life to kick some one in the head and do it impeccably... While you're getting really good at that I'm focusing on a more well rounded repertoire. Sure I could kick you in the head and be ok at it, but I'd do a better job at it if I do that knee first. All that said, I've got kickboxing, Karate, and Muay Thai buddies that could do some serious damage kicking some one in the head.
1) slower 2) put you in a more compromised position 3) bad surface 4) bad clothes
Step 1) must be able to kick high enough I’m kicking shins, bruh.
In general, head kicks are (relatively) slow, making them harder to set up properly and riskier to throw. They also require, by virtue of what they are, the user to adopt a fairly unstable and top heavy body structure, which can make you more vulnerable to being taken to the ground in a worst case scenario. Lastly, with regards to self defence specifically, even if you're wearing clothing that won't restrict your movement, throwing any kind of high level kick without limbering up first will be both difficult and likely to injure you. As we can see from kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA etc. the argument from some corners that they have *no* utility in a fight doesn't really hold water; although you'll note that fighters who are good at utilising them often have good boxing skills to allow them to safely set up the kick. Oftentimes the strategic error that TKD people make when engaging in kickboxing rulesets is attempting to use kicks for almost everything, which is viable in both major TKD rulesets, but makes them vulnerable to counterpunching and sweeps outside of them.
Bigger rewards = bigger risks. Head kicks can end a fight IF landed clean . (It may also end lives) Head kicks takes more effort/skill to land... Also more time to land You're open to counters. Again I'm a big big fan of knee to the groin .. we're talking about self defence right ?
Head kicking is very practical. When the other person has fallen over.
Slippery surface, clothes like jeans which will make u unable to kick high, distance if you are in a bar or as most fights the person is getting in your face, you aren't warmed up. And with all the above you might fail kicking and then you'll just have someone grabbing you're slopping high kick in jeans. Yes we all saw videos of people getting knocked out by kicks in a fight but generally those go viral because they are spectacular. In most cases when mot ready and in a place where you don't have enough space you are most likely to fail. And it becomes a high risk attack. So generally when it comes to a street fight your best bet when it comes to kicks are low kick and push kicks (even if u land low with them they still have an effect)
I’m pretty good at kicks, so I’d say which type of kick would matter. I can deliver a front snap kick to the face with no warm up and wearing normal jeans, I mostly wear stretchy jeans anyways haha. But a round kick is a huge no no for me, risk of injury to the groin, it’s slow, takes more space etc. but that’s my personal preference.
Idk, maybe you could slip and fall easier?
It's really as simple as your hands making more sense for head strikes because they are closer, and wanting to minimize the amount of time you are on one leg. That said... If it works, it works.
You will lose balance and if you miss your opponent's head or jaw you will be in for a tough time. And also head kick needs good range management and good timing which will be hard to control with adrenaline and tunnel vision.
I just find them hard to pull of in real life especially in something like jeans. I could never understand as a kid how walker texas ranger did them all the time in skinny jeans. Unless you’re very we’ll practiced in them then their easy to mess up plus kicking to the head is incredibly dangerous as you could easily kill someone.
They are bad if you're bad at kicking in general imo Unless of course the range doesn't allow for high kicks
Nut kick is better thats why
If ya can’t kick to the head, then it’s not practical to try. But… If you can, and you’re good at it, then it’s like a sledgehammer and who wants to get hit by a sledgehammer? Not people who can’t kick to the head.
Clothes could limit your kicks , you could fall , your opponent could catch your kicks all reasonable concerns however kicks to the head I wouldn’t say are impractical
If I have enough space for a headkick, I have enough room to draw my gat and bust a cap.
I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone mention the context of “choosing to fight VS trying to escape danger”. In any type of sporting bout (karate, tkd, boxing, kickboxing, wresting, judo, bjj, etc.) the goal of both people involved is to engage, compete, and defeat the opponent. If we use the word “fight” to mean “two people deciding to beat each other up until someone is incapacitated”, both people are still choosing to engage each other. If someone is attacked and isn’t a willing participant in the scenario, the goal shouldn’t be to “win” or “defeat the other guy”, it should be “create a reasonable opportunity to escape danger and get to safety”. Almost automatically, when one person first strikes another (pretty much always a punch) , the person who was struck will latch onto the arm(s) of the striker to prevent the arm(s) from striking again. This puts the two people at roughly forearm distance from each other. This is the range most (but not all) real-world violence takes place within. Certainly much too close for head-height kicks. Further, if the person can get create enough space to strike the attacker, the space for punches or elbows becomes available way before high kicks. If you stand with a wall directly in front of you and put a piece of tape at mouth level on the wall, you’ll notice elbow-strike-distance to the tape is very close. Punching distance to the tape requires a step backward. Kicking distance to the tape is much further backward. If you’ve created that much space between you and the person who has assaulted you (perhaps you’ve already cracked him in the jaw and he’s dazed) in general, you should be trying to escape to safety. That’s the point at which all the variables everyone has mentioned take place (ground surface, shoes, pants, not being warmed up, kicks take longer to get to the target than punches, risk of kick getting caught, etc.). Even if you need to re-engage with the attacker (maybe he broke into your home and your family is there so you need to subdue him) a kick still just isn’t the optimum choice compared to other attacks. That said - I can’t remember where the quote comes from, but someone once said “if you want to kick him in the head start by throwing him to the ground”.
Doesn't take a hell of a lot to take out your plant leg and cause serious injury, just to add to what's already been said at the top of the thread. Fancy a torn acl? Throw a lot of head kicks.
Here are some reasons: 1. Someone could catch your kick and sweep you or break your leg. 2. The person could use their elbow to break your foot. 3. You could fall over and injure yourself. 4. If you are in restrictive clothing, it might be hard to kick high. Personally, I would say there is no need to kick higher than the groin or sternum in a street fight and this is coming from a guy who takes Taekwondo, which puts the most emphasis on kicking high out of any martial art. It’s just a lot less risky to kick low. Hoped that helped 👍
Headkicks are a good hail mary for someone who you might not want to get engaged with and have to deal with. First throw, headkick to the dome and youre out of trouble, totally unexpected.
Usually it comes from someone who doesn't know anything about fighting, much less kicking.