Roundhouse Kick - Muay Thai Method

Muay Thai Method

As with many other Muay Thai techniques, the roundhouse kick has gained wide popularity due to its extensive use in K-1 kickboxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) competitions due to its effectiveness in inflicting damage to the opponent, as a properly executed Muay Thai roundhouse kick has been compared by many martial artists to being struck by a baseball bat. Most western Muay Thai clubs and practitioners avoid the term roundhouse kick, instead using the term angle kick (or side-angle kick and occasionally rising kick).

The Muay Thai roundhouse (or angle) kick is generally used in varying levels (low, middle, high) to inflict damage to different parts of the opponent's body. Low (or lowpoint) kicks generally target the thigh just above the knee joint for the purpose of weakening the leg, which serves many purposes such as limiting the opponent's mobility, potentially his or her ability to stand on the leg altogether and his or her ability to use it for forceful kicks. Muay Thai practitioners are taught to repeatedly strike the same point on the thigh to increase the cumulative effect of low kicks as a match proceeds. Some Thai camps emphasize targeting the inner thigh to compress the femoral artery and to shock the opponent weakening his or her fighting ability. Middle (midpoint or midsection) kicks target the area above the hip bone and can damage the opponent's ribs and liver. High (or highpoint) kicks target the opponent's head or neck and have been responsible for numerous knockouts in competition. Some Thai camps emphasize targeting the side of the neck with the high angle kick cutting down from its highest point to compress the carotid artery and so shock the opponent weakening his or her fighting ability or knocking him out.

There are several traits which give the Muay Thai roundhouse a very different feel and look. The main methodological difference is that the hips are rotated into the kick in order to convey more moment of inertia in the kick, and the abdominal muscles are strongly recruited in the act of rotation. Instead of a snapping kick, the combined action of the leg and hips creates a kick that is much more devoted to its momentum. The person delivering the kick will also raise up on the ball of his or her foot while he or she kicks, mainly to allow for greater pivoting/turning speed, and increased power. Muay Thai roundhouse kicks use the shin to make contact with the target instead of the ball or instep of the foot. This further adds to the structure of the kick, as the shin is more durable than the foot.

Virtually all Muay Thai camps teach the roundhouse or angle kick with the striking leg remaining passive (mostly with the leg allowed to bend slightly but some camps teaching that the knee should be locked except to close range kicking) and not using the pivot of the lower striking leg around the knee found in most other martial arts. The power is instead entirely created by the rotation of the supporting leg and hips; akin to swinging a baseball bat.

The practical difference is the objective of the kick. A standard karate or taekwondo roundhouse kick has one snap the instep at the objective, but a Muay Thai roundhouse often uses the combined momentum of the snap and the speed of the leg to offer a more powerful kick. Because the kick is executed with such non-retractable power, a missed kick requires the kicker to either continue spinning a full 360 degrees back to their starting position, or to abandon the momentum of the kick in midair, at the risk of being off-balance or inviting a counterattack from his or her opponent.