This is why leg kicks aren't really effective.

it's very effective for slowing strikers down. as they mention in the telecasts, if you damage that lead leg enough then your opponent has trouble generating power.

may not finish a lot of fights, but to say it's not 'effective' isn't true. you just have to be good enough at the technique and then it can become a fight changer.
 
Scroll down any current famous kickboxers record on wiki and look at what quite a few finishes are. Many fights are finished because of low kicks.
 
Anyone who fights Nate Diaz would be silly not to blast his legs

Who you callin’ “silly”?

donald-cerrone-ufc-fight-night-451.jpg
 
I would throw a lot of leg kicks in fights before my coach told me to scrap that and focus on my better weapons.

I asked him why and he said: "Unless you have the power to finish a guy with leg kicks, you should focus on other strikes that will do more damage. A leg kick can easily be checked and even if you are a heavy leg kicker, it's very hard to finish a high level opponent with it and easy to get countered".

Unless you have Barboza type leg kick power, it should be used to set-up high kicks or sweeps. Leg kicking is a long term investment in a fight, you rarely see people finishing guys with it in the first or second round. The longer it goes, the higher your chances are for a counter.

Before Sherdog crucifies me for dissing leg kicks, I'm not. It's a great weapon, but it's a weapon that rarely finishes fights. It should be used to get your opponent thinking. You hurt him a bit, get him thinking low and you start going high. When he knows you are going high, go low again..etc etc etc.
Leg kicks are super effective when used as a tool in a well-rounded attack.
They just aren't effective if they are your primary/ only form of offense.... Unless you're fighting someone from the scrap-pack that is lol
 
I would throw a lot of leg kicks in fights before my coach told me to scrap that and focus on my better weapons.

I asked him why and he said: "Unless you have the power to finish a guy with leg kicks, you should focus on other strikes that will do more damage. A leg kick can easily be checked and even if you are a heavy leg kicker, it's very hard to finish a high level opponent with it and easy to get countered".

Unless you have Barboza type leg kick power, it should be used to set-up high kicks or sweeps. Leg kicking is a long term investment in a fight, you rarely see people finishing guys with it in the first or second round. The longer it goes, the higher your chances are for a counter.

Before Sherdog crucifies me for dissing leg kicks, I'm not. It's a great weapon, but it's a weapon that rarely finishes fights. It should be used to get your opponent thinking. You hurt him a bit, get him thinking low and you start going high. When he knows you are going high, go low again..etc etc etc.

I don't think it's about finishing the fight with leg kicks.

One of the big advantages is starting to limit his capacity for movement/footwork which then makes him more vulnerable to other strikes.
 
Low kicks aren't just about compromising an opponent's movement/ability to launch attacks or setting up you own shots by 'mixing it up'.

They can also be used to fuck up their offensive rhythm. Every time the opponent throws his hands, he is stepping forward and putting weight on the lead leg. If you are skilled enough, you can catch him then - doing damage and throwing him off-balance. In addition to this, a leg that is stepping forward or planted cannot be raised to check the incoming kick.

This is why I don't believe in scoring fights based strictly off damage inflicted by individual strikes. Defeating the opponent's offence, for ex., contributes greatly to giving yourself the opportunity to finish the fight. You might finish most fights with strikes to the head, but what got you there might very well be the low kick, or the jab, or the knee to the body.

By the way: I see a lot of MMA guys getting countered with punches as they throw their low kick. This happens because a) their timing is poor, b) they are throwing weak, non-commital kicks that don't knock the opponent off-balance and c) they are not using the correct defensive posture and movement (angling out, leaning back, moving the head off-line)
 
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I would throw a lot of leg kicks in fights before my coach told me to scrap that and focus on my better weapons.

I asked him why and he said: "Unless you have the power to finish a guy with leg kicks, you should focus on other strikes that will do more damage. A leg kick can easily be checked and even if you are a heavy leg kicker, it's very hard to finish a high level opponent with it and easy to get countered".

Unless you have Barboza type leg kick power, it should be used to set-up high kicks or sweeps. Leg kicking is a long term investment in a fight, you rarely see people finishing guys with it in the first or second round. The longer it goes, the higher your chances are for a counter.

Before Sherdog crucifies me for dissing leg kicks, I'm not. It's a great weapon, but it's a weapon that rarely finishes fights. It should be used to get your opponent thinking. You hurt him a bit, get him thinking low and you start going high. When he knows you are going high, go low again..etc etc etc.
Please, I don't mean to sound like I try to put you down. Not at all. I just think your couch can see that you don't have enough power and speed in them, therefore you are just a target for counter strike. Leg kicks are a very good tool if you are good with them. But they are hard on your knees. If you have had a knee injury, getting back the speed necessary for low kicks is not an easy task. I competed in Muay Thai and had quite good leg kicks. After I broke my knee I always struggled with it. I think it's the same problem Aldo has. He's leg kicks were really good, but he lost the speed and timing now.
 
Guys may not get ko'd from leg kicks, but I've seen it completely take away a fighter's main weapons in as few as 4 or 5 solid leg kicks. When you start buckling a guy's legs 3 kicks in, how much balance you think they have to land power on you?
Leg kicks are enormously important imo.
 
I personally disagree, there are plenty of fights out there in which leg kicks have completely changed the outcome or drastically altered the fight.
 
Please, I don't mean to sound like I try to put you down. Not at all. I just think your couch can see that you don't have enough power and speed in them, therefore you are just a target for counter strike. Leg kicks are a very good tool if you are good with them. But they are hard on your knees. If you have had a knee injury, getting back the speed necessary for low kicks is not an easy task. I competed in Muay Thai and had quite good leg kicks. After I broke my knee I always struggled with it. I think it's the same problem Aldo has. He's leg kicks were really good, but he lost the speed and timing now.
Yes %100, I wasn’t effective with them.
 
Low kicks aren't just about compromising an opponent's movement/ability to launch attacks or setting up you own shots by 'mixing it up'.

They can also be used to fuck up their offensive rhythm. Every time the opponent throws his hands, he is stepping forward and putting weight on the lead leg. If you are skilled enough, you can catch him then - doing damage and throwing him off-balance. In addition to this, a leg that is stepping forward or planted cannot be raised to check the incoming kick.

This is why I don't believe in scoring fights based strictly off damage inflicted by individual strikes. Defeating the opponent's offence, for ex., contributes greatly to giving yourself the opportunity to finish the fight. You might finish most fights with strikes to the head, but what got you there might very well be the low kick, or the jab, or the knee to the body.

By the way: I see a lot of MMA guys getting countered with punches as they throw their low kick. This happens because a) their timing is poor, b) they are throwing weak, non-commital kicks that don't knock the opponent off-balance and c) they are not using the correct defensive posture and movement (angling out, leaning back, moving the head off-line)

Great post CPH
 
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