Spin kicks useful or useless?

[MuayThaiFighter]

Personally as a martial artist myself I personally don't believe spin kicks will work in competetion or on the street.

Think about it,by the time you twist your body,jump and shoot out your kick in the air,I could have already done multiple strikes or kicks.Besides turning your back on opponent to do a jump kick is the stupidest thing anyone can do.

Your spine is a valueable part of your body and you can easily be punched there while doing a spin kick and become seriously injured for life.

Spin kicks as those seen in TKD can be telegraphed several seconds before actually done.

What do you to do defend against a spin kick? Keep your elbows bent,brought in beside you and your hands covering your temples and ears and blocking same way you would block a hook only this time moving forward as kick comes and throw a jab or right cross to solar plexus and there goes the TKD person to ground or anyone doing a spin kick.

This is my opinion,now what do you guys think?

[Thai Bri]

"Personally as a martial artist myself I personally don't believe spin kicks will work in competetion or on the street.

Think about it........"

But they HAVE worked in competition. Durrrrr. I agree that they're not the best tactic. But some people can make them work.

[IPON]

MTF I would agree that spin kicks "as advertised" may not be the best but a lot of technigues are not. There are alot of peopel with blinding speed that can make them work. That is the key, to learn all techniques of your style and use the ones which compliment you the best, which are primary secondary and maybe finishing technique.

[ryanhall]

Spin kicks fall under the "low probability of success" category, regardless of a practitioner's skill. However, as Bri Thai said, there actually are people who can pull those kinds of things off. Still, they are dangerous because they are telegraphic, take your eyes of the other guy, and severely compromise your balance. Performing a spinning kick in the dojo is nothing like trying it somewhere where you might slip on liquid or catch your foot on a chair or curb. Hey, I'm sure someone somewhere has spin kicked another guy in the head outside of a bar or something. It's not very tactically sound, but luck and skill can work in both directions.

[Damian Mavis]

Well there's a big difference between a spinning kick, and a jumping spinning kick. Jumping is definately a bit slower.

I agree that they can be used by some people effectively, I disagree that a practitioners skill has nothing to do with it. The only time I've seen spinning kicks work is because they were done with amazing speed and power, without a really fast kick it's very risky.

I hear alot of people mention telegraphing them... if any technique is being telegraphed it just shouldn't be used, period. If you can't do it as fast as any other technique then forget about it.

I think people that don't see alot of them don't realise how fast FAST really is. I see them regularly and one in 50 guys that practices them does them with enough speed to be used effectively. Just to give you an idea of the rarity of it's usefullness.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[JP Prideaux]

They work. Trust me. You know when to use if youve studied your opponent well. Some people i dont throw them against - some are more vulnerable to something 'flashy'.

get a good pop out of the crowd anyway if things are slowing down.

But i dont limit the spin kick to just a 'spin kick'. I use it to distract so i can set up for a spinning punch or something else.

Just be creative. that risky spin kick can open the doors to a LOT of other things.

[Bau13]

I see where youre comin from JP...

was gonna say there are some guys who use them really well...Francisco Filho for example... my goodness.. that spinning back kick he does to the body.... it K.O's people for crying out loud!

but yeah this is ring fighting...

I think ANY kick in a street fight is risky.... but of course spinning ones are more telegraphed(duh).. ..unless youre a fast mutha$@%#er

all down to the individual....If you can do it well, use it..

[jules]

Saku used to to knock the wind out of someone... You have to mix things. You can't just trow a low kick time after time. You have to trow an attack that is not expected. A Spin kick to the abs is not that dangerous IMHO.

[Nit]

'flashy' spin kicks on the street are not really worth it, its too easy to miss, however 'functional' spin kicks are deadly...

the difference being 'flashy' involves you turning, spining and lifting your leg high enough to get to opponent, by then they either move or punch you.

'functional' can be for instance a spinning back kick, something I have practised a lot. it can be used singuarly if your really good... or as part of a combo if you are human...

use it as part of your stepping movement, by that if you are retreating you can 'fool' your opponent into lunging at you (reverse stance or just plain flinching away) and then you turn and *bam* in the ribs with your heel... broken bones around solar plexus.

I think the main difference is 'flashy' spins are sideways to the opponent (knock up left or right) where as 'functional' are you using the turning moment to propel your foot forwards to the opponent...

the whole point being that you can't increase your weight instantly (unless you eat 100 burgers / sec) but you can increase your momentum by twisting hips and turning / spinning on the spot.

Main problem is learning how to use the kick so you never miss.

Overall I say that spin kicks are useful if you have trained a specific way, e.g. not as a sports kickboxer who 'throw' the leg at you, but as um I dunno a Karateka learning defense through offense.

maybe...

does any one dis/agree?

[KATA]

To the "Thai Bri" guy. You were wrong in the other thread(*##$%'&$?>~'&&%%!) In this thread I totally see it in the same way as you - SPIN KICKS HAVE WORKED BEFORE !
When people get hit by a tequnique, will they just say "In theory that doesnt happen."

[Nit]

Lol, that reminds me of when you spar someone new or different to the usual partners.
They pull out this odd technique, or just fight different, you see it coming and then *bam* 'hey that shouldn't ha'*bam* *Bam*'ow! hey st'*bam bam bam*'that hur'*Dong*

bugger bugger ow ow....

[Nit]

The chief instructor for my club is super fast at spinning back kick, its spooky even when you know he's going to do it your surprised, hes about 50 now and you just don't expect that from what looks like an old grey man... When your sparring he call out the combo, gives you a second and then *boff* duff* *bam* *bam* *Ki-ai) and your flying backwards and still being hit in mid-air! and then he tells you to do it to him and can you get there? , I need inspector gadget legs...

In Wado Ryu (I'm not sure about others) we learn not to to telegraph the spin kick by pivoting on our feet, then as we lift the foor to kick we twist the hips and thrust forwards to the opponent, you get the momentum from spinning but don't show the move until your knee is heading forwards, by then because its still a bent kness you have several choices for attack, either round kick, side kick, front kick, back kick, reverse round kick, axe kick, cresent kickor reverse cresent kick... I have yet to meet someone that can defend (in the dojo) against all of those at once without moving out of the way (apart from the Sensei's )

[Great Sage]

The O’ Spin Kick debate...

Let me tell ya, when I first started training in TKD and then got into kickboxing, there were a lot of guys using spin, arial and flashy kicks. At the time, it all seem to work fine. Even I had success using those types of kicks in fights in and out of the ring. To the untrained eye, a spin kick can be deceptive, but not always.

However, after experiencing Muay Thai, among other things... I began to transition myself, even within this forum, towards more effective, less time-consuming techniques. Breaking down techniques. Therefore, if you can make a spin kick work for you, by all means do it. But the odds are probably more against you. In the end, it’s your ass that’s on the line.

[M@T]

Originally posted by Nit


In Wado Ryu (I'm not sure about others) we learn not to to telegraph the spin kick by pivoting on our feet, then as we lift the foor to kick we twist the hips and thrust forwards to the opponent, you get the momentum from spinning but don't show the move until your knee is heading forwards, by then because its still a bent kness you have several choices for attack, either round kick, side kick, front kick, back kick, reverse round kick, axe kick, cresent kickor reverse cresent kick... I have yet to meet someone that can defend (in the dojo) against all of those at once without moving out of the way (apart from the Sensei's )

Shotokan is exactly the same. A roundhouse, front kick and side kick all look exactly the same until your knee is up in the air then you change to whatever technique your planning right at the last second.

BUT, you lose power doing this. No way is a Mawashigeri/roundhouse from a Shotokan fighter using this technique going to be as powerful as Thai Roundhouse kick with full follow through.

[fullcircle]

I've used them in both situations, not blindly however. I think the most important part is to recognize when a spin kick can be used, notice I said "can", not "should". There are times to use it, but it is still risky. A well placed and well executed spinning back kick to the mid section can end a fight in a hurry.