Details of The Technique
In martial arts implying either barefooted combat or very light footwear, the strike is usually delivered by using ball of the foot (while pointing the foot toward the target area and keeping toes up to prevent injury) or by heel. When heavier footwear is used, there is an option using whole sole as a striking surface. It is also possible to kick with the top of your foot (the instep) in cases of striking at the groin or under the arm which can be very damaging.
Using ball of a foot is preferred in Karate and by many Muay Thai practitioners. This method demands more control of one's movement, but allows for narrow, penetrating strike. TKD practitioners utilise both heel and ball of the foot for striking. It is common to perform tempering exercises to strengthen ball of the foot, as many new practitioners are unable to exercise full-power front kicks on training gear, such as body bag.
The impact point of the Front Kick can, with specific techniques and in certain styles, be more exotic. Certain Japanese styles have a Front Kick generally used as a stop-kick where the blade of the foot is used to connect, like for a side kick (The Foot Blade Front Kick). The heel is often used straight (Mae Kakato Geri) or with the foot tilted (Tilted Heel Front Kick), especially in stop-kicks, close kicks or high front kicks. Japanese Nin-Jitsu has variations using the straightened and hardened toes. Front Kicks to the groin (Kin Geri) like the lift kick or the upward front kick (Mae Geri Keage), use the top of the foot. The phantom Groin Kick uses the whole of the in-side of the foot to connect very effectively. Stop Kicks like the “Teep Kick” of Muay Thai often use the whole plant of the foot to push away the opponent.
Various combat systems teach 'general' front kick using heel or whole foot when footwear is on. For example, martial art systems employed by military assume that a fighter wears heavy footwear, is generally less mobile than typically assumed in competition martial arts, and may have his/hers leg muscles severely fatigued. Properly executing fast 'snap' front kick while controlling one's foot direction may be difficult in said conditions. Less technically demanding kick utilizing sole of heavy footwear as a striking surface is easier to execute.
The front kick is typically performed with the straight and balanced upper body, but it allows for variety in motion of hips and body overall. Martial arts systems exploit this ability in different fashions. For example, a karateka may perform mae geri while standing upright, or lean somewhat back during the attack, intending to increase the reach of the kick. If a simple 'kick-punch' combination is executed, this slight lean allows for more momentum placed into the movement of upper body, thus the karateka will end with a more powerful body movement behind the punch. The opposite situation is exploited in some variations of Wing Chun, where stiff forward motion of both hands blocking/striking in upper area could be accompanied with a slight leaning forward and simultaneous front kick into groin/thigh, etc. Hips movement may be used to increase the reach and to thrust one's leg into the target, resulting in more powerful strike (a common practice in Taekwondo and some styles of karate).
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