Leg Kicks in MMA Explained
If someone told you around two decades ago that leg kicks would become the best weapon in MMA, you would thought they were crazy. But as bizarre as it may sound, leg kicks play a big role in modern-day cage fighting. In fact, we dare to say you can’t succeed without knowing at least basic kicking techniques. Sooner or later, you will come across a Thai fighter who will destroy your legs. But what’s the secret?
Although it looks simple, leg kicks are a versatile weapon both for defense and offense. In most cases, MMA fighters use them to keep their distance or destroy the movement of their opponent. Bear in mind that a fighter can generate the same force in a kick as hitting someone with a baseball bat.
To learn more about leg kicks in MMA, be sure to read this article. We are bringing you a list of reasons why this specific technique is so effective.
Leg kicks are a simple weapon
In the eyes of average people, leg kicks may look like a simple weapon. And they are right. If we compare it with other techniques like takedowns or chokes and joint locks, leg kicks are not hard to master. There have been many fighters who, despite being grapplers, have turned into heavy leg kickers after making just one trip to Thailand. One such fighter is Khalil Rountree Jr for instance.
Even if you don’t have a striking background, don’t worry, leg kicks are not rocket science. If you commit yourself to it, you can improve your kicking game in a very short time span. And it even doesn’t matter how strong you are, everyone can learn how to kick or block kicks.
If you combine the simplicity of this technique with how effective it is in MMA, you get why leg kicks are so popular.
Incredibly painful and cause a lot of damage
MMA fighters can generate the same force in a leg kick as hitting someone with a baseball bat. This means that wherever the kick lands clean, it’s going to hurt a lot, and may even finish the fight. Although kicks to the head and body are the most painful ones, do not overlook the power of leg kicks. There is a good reason why we had so many leg kick finishes in recent years.
Most people associate leg kicks with the ones that land on the thigh, which are very painful. In the past, we saw many fighters destroying the thighs of their opponents as Aldo did against Uriah Faber. But over time, coaches and fighters have realized that there is an even more effective kick, the infamous “calf kick”.
Most fighters have strong thighs and this area is well protected with strong muscles and a lot of meat. But the calf has little protection and you can easily hit the famous sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the human body. Just one well-placed kick to this nerve can cause a lot of pain and shut down the leg. And once you take the opponent’s lead leg out, they become sitting ducks.
Some of the most famous victims of calf kicks are Conor McGregor and Neil Magny.
Leg kicks are energy efficient
Endurance plays a big role in MMA fighting where the rounds are 5 minutes. The last thing you need is to waste a lot of energy on some complex techniques and achieve nothing. Loading on the high kick burns a lot of energy because you need to put much effort into picking the leg up. But on the other side, it doesn’t take much effort to throw a leg kick, notably the low ones that land on the calf.
leg kicks are all about hip rotation like kicking the ball in soccer which is not hard at all. In a game where every move counts, you need this type of weapon to score points or do damage when you are tired. When a fighter starts breathing heavy, you will never see them throwing high kicks or diving for a double leg. In most cases, they go for simple moves that do not require much effort like a jab or low kick.
Risk-free
Ok, you can’t expect to throw a leg kick in MMA and not get blasted with a counter, but, there is a high chance you won’t. First, we need to see what are the risks of throwing leg kicks and how it compares with some other techniques.
The biggest fear of any striker who throws a kick is that the opponent may catch it, or time an entry for a takedown. This often happens when a fighter is throwing a kick to the body, a front kick, or a head kick. The risk is high because the kick is going much higher which makes it easier for the opponent to catch it. But you don’t have to worry much about this if you decide to go with leg kicks, notably the ones that land on the calf. This is because the kick lands too low for any grappler to catch it, and it’s much faster than a high kick.
The second risk is that the opponent with solid boxing may catch you with a counter punch. A lot of boxers tend to absorb a kick on purpose just to get in and land a clean punch. But again, there is a difference between low and high kicks, notably when it comes to distance.
To land a kick to the body, thigh, or head, you have to move forward and get into range. This leaves you open for a counter. On the other side, you can land low kicks from a much safer distance where opponents can’t catch you with a counter.
Blocks are equally effective
In order to master leg kicks, you also need to learn how to block and defend against them. Like throwing kicks, blocking the kicks is not hard to learn, but at the same time, it’s crucial for MMA fighting.
Blocks are not just about stopping the kick from landing, but they can also hurt the opponent, even break their leg. And the science behind it is very simple.
To block the kick, fighters need to lift their leg up and turn it to face outward to block the kick with the shin or a knee. Once the shins collide or the opponent’s kick lands on your knee, it would cause instant pain in the best-case scenario. In the worst case, it would snap the opponent’s bone in half as it happened many times in the UFC. There is a big difference between hitting a knee and meat.
You can recover from a barrage of leg kicks in a very short time span. You might stay away from the gym for a week or two, and that’s it. But if the opponent checks your kick the right way, you might end up on the surgery table. So it’s fair to say that leg kicks are a double-edged sword.
Some of the fighters who broke their leg this way were UFC champions Anderson Sival and Chris Weidman.
How to defend against leg kicks?
There are many ways you can defend against leg kicks. Which way will suit you the best really depends on your stance, movement, and many other factors. But here are the most popular ways to defend against leg kicks.
Stay out of range — if you are facing a dangerous leg kicker, the best way to defend against the kicks is to stay out of range. Instead of trying to counter or blocking, step away whenever you see the kick coming and keep moving.
Counter punch — a lot of fighters choose to absorb the hard kick just to land a counter cross. When throwing a hard kick, most fighters tend to stay in the center line and leave their chin wide open. You can capitalize on this by catching them with a straight punch.
Change your stance — some fighters who have a strong boxing base like Nate Diaz tend to stay heavy on the lead leg. This leaves them vulnerable for vicious leg kicks because they can’t check the kick the right way or don’t have enough time to move away. You must have a plan B to make adjustments in the middle of the fight.
Switch stances — one of the ways to avoid leg kicks is to change your stance. However, not all fighters know how to fight from both stances so this can be a bit tricky.
